[Source/Observer Network, Wang Shiping] On April 9, Bloomberg reported that according to a new congressional testimony, the US Navy's latest Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), was originally scheduled for delivery in July this year. However, due to long-standing unresolved "critical challenges" with the ammunition elevators and the aircraft launch and recovery systems located below deck, it may not be delivered as planned.

US Navy officials mentioned this matter in their prepared testimony for the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Seapower Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. Despite the $12.9 billion USS Kennedy having completed 95% of its construction and the shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) having signed a contract to deliver the vessel in July, the "enormous pressure" has cast doubt on whether the US shipyard can deliver the carrier on time.

In March, recent photos of the USS Kennedy were shared on social media.

Rear Admiral Casey Moton, the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, responded to this matter as follows: "The US Navy and HII are highly focused on this delivery plan and hope to obtain a combat-capable ship, sailors, and air wing as quickly as possible. All lessons learned by the navy and industry teams have been applied during construction."

The USS John F. Kennedy is the second ship of the Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The keel was laid on July 20, 2015, at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding. The christening ceremony took place on December 7, 2019. Recent photos from March show that after five years and four months since launching, the USS Kennedy has finally removed the catapult sheds, indicating that its four electromagnetic catapults have been installed.

At that time, the ship was planned for delivery in 2022. However, the US Navy is now considering a "two-stage" delivery for the ship, meaning that the shipyard will complete the basic hull, power, and most of the testing before initial delivery. This approach aims to avoid a significant operational gap between the retirement of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and the arrival of the USS Kennedy. However, at this stage, the carrier will only possess basic combat capabilities, and a significant portion of additional systems, equipment, and related capabilities still need to be tested, adjusted, and upgraded after delivery, such as the full capability for the F-35C to be fully operational.

Currently, among the eleven active US aircraft carriers, there are ten Nimitz-class ships and one Ford-class ship. The lead ship of the Nimitz class, the USS Nimitz, is based at the Kitsap Base. The US Navy stated that the USS Nimitz will be transferred to Norfolk in April 2026 to begin a multi-year decommissioning process.

According to a March 25 report by the Stars and Stripes website, the US Navy plans to spend up to $300 million to modernize the Kitsap Naval Base, making it the first home port for the new Ford-class aircraft carrier in the Pacific region.

Last week, the Navy said, "The Navy intends to replace an older Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with the newer Ford-class aircraft carrier, USS John Kennedy, and upgrade the power distribution system at the Kitsap Naval Base to support the new Ford-class aircraft carrier." The power supply cables for the Nimitz-class carriers operate at 4,160 volts, while the Ford-class carriers require over three times that voltage, at 13,800 volts.

US law stipulates that the US military "must maintain at least 11 aircraft carriers." If the USS Nimitz is retired and the USS Kennedy is not yet commissioned, the US military will have to "legally serve" this USS Kennedy carrier, similar to the lead ship of the Ford class, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491214858638131746/

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