CVN-79

CVN-79
Petty Officer 2nd Class Kaitlin Young · Public domain · source
Ship name	CVN-79
Caption	Render of the carrier during construction
Country	United States
Class	Gerald R. Ford class
Builder	Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding
Laid down	2013
Launched	2017
Christened	2019
Commission	2022 (planned)
Displacement	100,000+ long tons
Length	1,106 ft
Beam	256 ft (flight deck)
Propulsion	Nuclear reactors

CVN-79

CVN-79 is the second ship of the Gerald R. Ford class built for the United States Navy. Launched as a follow-on to the lead ship USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), she incorporates design improvements derived from USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Nimitz (CVN-68), and lessons from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The vessel was constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding at Hampton, Virginia, and her program has intersected with debates involving elements of the United States Congress, Department of Defense, and industry partners such as General Electric and Northrop Grumman.

Design and construction

The design of the Gerald R. Ford-class, as embodied in CVN-79, evolved from studies conducted by the Naval Sea Systems Command and influenced by carrier operations during Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and post-9/11 strikes like Operation Inherent Resolve. Newport News Shipbuilding implemented modular construction techniques pioneered during the construction of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and refined by programs for USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). Major industrial participants included Huntington Ingalls Industries, Boeing, Raytheon, General Atomics, and Lockheed Martin, each contributing systems for aviation support, radar, and weapons handling. The platform’s structural architecture reflects changes from Nimitz-class aircraft carrier specifications to accommodate new systems developed in partnership with Naval Air Systems Command.

Namesake and naming controversy

The ship was named following the precedent of naming carriers after prominent American statesmen, aligning with the practice exemplified by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The announcement prompted debate in Congress and commentary from think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Heritage Foundation, reflecting broader discussions about commemorative naming seen previously with USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Public discourse involved veterans’ organizations including American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, while media coverage appeared in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Defense News.

Characteristics and capabilities

CVN-79 inherits the Ford-class suite of systems designed to improve sortie generation rates, survivability, and sensor integration. Key systems are the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear developed with General Atomics, and the dual-band AN/SPY-3 and AN/SPY-4 radar concepts coordinated by Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. Propulsion includes next-generation A1B reactor technologies overseen by Bechtel and GE Marine. Aviation capabilities accommodate air wings comprising F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II, E-2D Hawkeye, MH-60R Seahawk, and future unmanned systems such as those from Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Integrated combat systems interface with the Aegis Combat System family and Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) concepts. Survivability features draw on lessons from Battle of Midway studies and Cold War-era carrier design improvements.

Construction and testing milestones

Construction milestones included modular erection, pressure hull integration, and flight deck placement at Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship underwent a series of builder’s trials, followed by acceptance trials conducted with representatives from Secretary of the Navy offices and Commander, Naval Air Forces. Key testing phases involved EMALS certification trials, Advanced Arresting Gear evaluations, and integration of the dual-band radar suite, with participation from contractors such as General Atomics, Raytheon Technologies, and Northrop Grumman. The vessel completed sea trials supervised by Naval Sea Systems Command and entered post-launch outfitting overseen by Huntington Ingalls Industries. Milestone events were observed by delegations from Congress, naval leadership including Chief of Naval Operations, and industry partners.

Service history

As the second Ford-class unit, the ship’s early service life focused on post-commissioning shakedown, air wing integration, and workups with Carrier Strike Group elements including Carrier Air Wing squadrons and escort ships such as Ticonderoga-class cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer units. Training deployments have drawn on doctrines from Fleet Problems and interoperability exercises like RIMPAC and UNITAS. The ship’s missions are intended to support carrier strike operations, forward presence missions exemplified by past deployments of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), and power projection demonstrated during Libya Intervention (2011) and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Operational role and future prospects

CVN-79 is positioned to serve as a centerpiece for 21st-century carrier aviation, integrating manned and unmanned platforms and supporting concepts such as distributed lethality outlined by Office of the Secretary of Defense studies. Future prospects include iterative software upgrades coordinated with Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, expanded use of autonomous aerial systems from General Atomics and Northrop Grumman, and potential lifecycle modifications influenced by congressional authorization cycles and budget decisions from United States Congress defense appropriations. The ship will contribute to carrier force structure debates involving planners at United States Fleet Forces Command and strategic guidance from Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command.

Category:Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers