The world’s largest aircraft carrier was sent on its first mission: the USS Gerald Ford departed Norfolk, Virginia, Tuesday for the Atlantic.
The ship’s deployment comes after years of delays that have cost billions of dollars — $13 billion in total.
This particular aircraft carrier features a number of new technologies, such as “electromagnetic catapults that can launch planes and advanced weapons elevators that deliver bombs and missiles to the flight deck,” according to the insider.
Washington Post reporters Robert Costa and Bob Woodward wrote in their new book, Peril, that former President Donald Trump often ranted about this very ship, arguing that the cost was too high and the flight command center placement was wrong.
“It just doesn’t look right,” he said.
In this file photo dated April 14, 2017, while crew members stand on the deck, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford steers toward the naval station in Norfolk, Virginia
(AP)
In this file handout image courtesy of the US Navy taken June 18, 2021, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completes the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic is
(US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)
Virginia Representative Elaine Luria also criticized the airline, calling it a “$13 billion nuclear-powered floating barge.”
The ship will take part in military exercises, which will be attended by about 9,000 people from nine countries, 20 ships and 60 aircraft, the Navy said in a press release.
This handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the USS Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, Oct. 4, 2022
(US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images)
The Navy said the ship is the first new carrier to be designed in more than four decades. Construction of the ship began in 2009 and was commissioned by Mr Trump in 2017.
The construction of the next two carriers in the Ford category – the USS Kennedy and the USS Enterprise – has already begun.
Administration officials and family members of former U.S. President Gerald Ford greet a model of a new aircraft carrier named USS Gerald R. Ford during a naming ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington January 16, 2007
(AFP via Getty Images)
The carrier has “nearly three times the electrical power” of the previous Nimitz class of carriers, the Navy said.
The EMALS electromagnetic launch system uses electrical energy to launch aircraft from the carrier. Previously, a steam catapult system was used. The new system means there is less stress on the wearer and the time between launches has been reduced.
Donald Trump (3rd R) salutes as he exits the USS Gerald R. Ford July 22, 2017 in Norfolk, Virginia
(AFP via Getty Images)
According to CNN, an official said the USS Gerald Ford was the only forward-class carrier to have dual-band radar.
The airline will operate in the Atlantic and Mediterranean with a deployment that will be shorter than the typical six-month timeframe.
Carrier Strike Group 12 commander Rear Admiral Gregory Huffman said in a statement, “This deployment is an opportunity to drive the ball further down and demonstrate the advantage Ford and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 have going forward bring to Naval Aviation, to the region, and to our allies and partners.”
Other countries participating in the exercise include Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.