USS Gerald Ford
Though the announcement might seem mundane, it represented a great success for the aircraft carrier. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford-class, the U.S. Navy’s newest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier to date. The carrier’s design features several significant improvements over the previous Nimitz-class carriers.
Though both classes are nuclear-powered, the Ford’s reactors provide greater electrical output. The new carriers rely on electrical systems to a greater extent than their predecessors, and the extra output will allow the class to operate directed-energy weapons in the future. Another Ford-class improvement is the carrier’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system which replaces the legacy steam-powered catapults.
