Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
2mo ago

US Carrier Fleet to Dip to 10 Ships as Ford-Class Delays Push Back John F. Kennedy Handover

Nimitz’s retirement in 2026 paired with supply-chain struggles will stretch carrier rotations, curbing forward naval presence until replacements arrive.

Image
Image
As crew members stand on the deck, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford heads to the Norfolk, Va., naval station on Friday, April 14, 2017 after almost a week of builder's trials during which the ships systems were tested.

Overview

  • The Navy will operate with 10 carriers from Nimitz’s mid-2026 decommissioning until John F. Kennedy’s revised March 2027 delivery.
  • Advanced Arresting Gear certification and Advanced Weapons Elevator work drove John F. Kennedy’s slip from July 2025 to March 2027.
  • USS Enterprise’s handover has shifted from September 2029 to July 2030 due to material availability challenges and supply-chain performance issues.
  • Newport News Shipbuilding integrated Gerald R. Ford lessons too late on CVN-79 but applied those improvements earlier on CVN-80 and the upcoming CVN-81.
  • Lower carrier availability is intensifying strains on maintenance backlogs and deployment schedules in critical regions like the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.