【U.S. Navy Reviews Design of the Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers】
According to USNI News on April 21, 2026: U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan stated on Tuesday in National Harbor, Maryland, that the Navy is finalizing a new study on the Ford-class carrier design, aimed at determining whether future designs for the next two carriers in the class should be altered.
The Navy is currently evaluating the designs for the next two planned aircraft carriers—CVN-82 and CVN-83—to assess the platform’s cost versus performance. Phelan revealed this information during a media roundtable session at the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space Symposium.
“We’re looking at ships 82 and 83 to review their costs, designs, and systems to ensure they are reasonable and include all the systems and requirements we’ll need in the future,” Phelan said. “Given their proportion within the budget and our considerations regarding force design and future needs, this approach is both prudent and practical.”
Phelan noted that President Donald Trump is aware of this review. The Navy’s top civilian official expects the assessment to be completed within the next month.
When asked if this review might lead the Navy to halt production of the Ford-class carriers, Phelan responded: “It’s too early to conclude, but we will have carriers. Carriers are a vital part of our force structure, and we need them.”
Phelan explained that the review will assess the sortie generation rate (SGR) of the first ship in the class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), to better understand how it performs compared to the Nimitz-class carriers.
When questioned by USNI News about how the Navy plans to evaluate whether the new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) truly reduces airframe stress—as Navy officials have long maintained—Phelan said: “We measure and monitor a lot of things in the Navy, including this, the airframe, and its operational performance.”
He continued: “This is really about understanding, for example, whether sortie rates have improved significantly. Then we also need to look at the cost implications of this EMALS system—does it actually save money? Because the Navy likes to say we’ve saved $5 billion in personnel and maintenance. I just need to verify those claims. That’s what I mean.”
Phelan pointed out that part of the review involves not only assessing the total acquisition cost of the vessels but also their lifecycle maintenance costs.
At a Pentagon briefing on the FY2027 budget on Tuesday, Navy Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, praised the current deployment status of the Ford.
“You’ll soon see the sortie rate data released—it will be astonishing,” Reynolds told reporters, though he declined to disclose specific figures. “The capability is simply incredible.”
One of the original design promises of the Ford-class carriers was a 30% increase in sortie generation rate over the Nimitz-class.
In a press release issued in February, the U.S. Navy indicated preliminary data shows an improvement in sortie generation rate (SGR), though exact numbers were not disclosed.
The release stated: “While the Navy is still analyzing the data, initial results from the sortie generation rate testing program show that the flight deck design combined with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) has led to higher sortie generation rates compared to Nimitz-class carriers.”
Reynolds emphasized the critical importance of carrier power in global conflicts but also noted that now is an appropriate time for the Navy to reassess its designs.
“We learn as we go,” Reynolds said. “Every ship… you build it, operate it—that’s really the right way. Build it, operate it, then learn and say, ‘Hey, is there anything we’d like to change?’ I think this is precisely the right moment as we focus on the construction of CVN-82 and our current operational posture.”
During his first term in office, President Trump criticized one of the many new technologies on the Ford-class—the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS)—and suggested the Navy should return to steam catapults.
The Navy acknowledged in a statement that the review of the carrier is underway, which will inform how the service procures the next two ships in the class.
Navy officials in the statement said: “The Ford-class aircraft carriers are battle-tested designs; the ship and its air wing have demonstrated higher sortie generation rates, combat effectiveness, and the ability to sustain high-intensity global strike operations across three different theaters of conflict.”
“We are currently reviewing the design baseline for CVN-82 to further enhance lethality. Once the review is complete, we will conduct a detailed analysis to determine the optimal procurement and construction strategy for CVN-82 and CVN-83.”
The FY2027 five-year budget outlook forecasts that the U.S. Navy will procure CVN-82 in FY2029.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863138389214217/
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