US Navy Ford Class nuclear carriers

Ford class has something like a 250% increase in available Electrical power, That is one of the design changes made to the Ship class. This was done for EMALS, Extensive increases in Automation like weapons elevators and advanced Spy 3 radar as well as future upgrades like lasers or rail guns.

The USN EMALs system as installed aboard Gerald R Ford is as of yet questionable as far as I'm know. Not a single aircraft has been launched off the ship since it was accepted by the USN. In fact it has spent less than 10 days at sea in the last two months.

Very disappointing. Most assuredly...and embarrassing.

Well,well, well. CVN-78 still is welded to a pier at Naval Station Norfolk...Probably gearing up for her next three day at sea period.

I'm telling you all I really think something is wrong with that ship. Terribly wrong..She's turning into a $13 billion dollar lemon...embarrassing situation for the Finest navy on planet Earth....EMBARRASSING!

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bd popeye said:

Well,well, well. CVN-78 still is welded to a pier at Naval Station Norfolk...Probably gearing up for her next three day at sea period.

I'm telling you all I really think something is wrong with that ship. Terribly wrong..She's turning into a $13 billion dollar lemon...embarrassing situation for the Finest navy on planet Earth....EMBARRASSING!

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Chill Big Daddy, our "College Boy" with the slide rule says it will be fine, and it will! now that dirty water speed boat,,,,not much hope for that chick, and those Zummies,,,, they'll end up being the "Sea Wolfs" of the surface Navy, when they get em dialed in, they will be "NINJA's", black boats!

Flying the Jolly Roger, ghost ships! now ya seem um, now ya don't!

The Ford class NEEDS the C model ThunderHogge II! to be your "daydream"! you've always got to wait on the "Hot Chicks", they expect it!

Ok guys I am not saying any thing bout these ships cause I don't really know enough bout them except for the cost one question I do have though if EMALS and the advanced attesting gear cannot be fixed how many of the 35B model could she operate along with other vertical lift craft like the V22 etc. not saying it will happen just wondering out loud

dtulsa said:

Ok guys I am not saying any thing bout these ships cause I don't really know enough bout them except for the cost one question I do have though if EMALS and the advanced attesting gear cannot be fixed how many of the 35B model could she operate along with other vertical lift craft like the V22 etc. not saying it will happen just wondering out loud

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This ship can easily accommodate a total 90 aircraft. Aboard America in '81 we had 92 aircraft. Before what you suggest ever happens all avenues to get the EMALs, Advanced arresting gear to function as designed should be exhausted.. and some aircraft would be need for AEW...perhaps the the UK Westland Sea King.

Air Force Brat said:

Chill Big Daddy, our "College Boy" with the slide rule says it will be fine, and it will!

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And therein lays the problem. They are still using slide rules..

@bd popeye Lets see what she does on her next at sea.

I do not expect her airwing to arrive all at once.

But they can start doing a number of things and I think they will.

Have no fear...she will embark a full air wing and he will be everything we expected.

It just takes time with a new carrier with new everything...they are working her up.

I have talked with some folks on the inside and they assure me that things are going to be fine...they are just taking their time to ensure they get it right.

We will see aircraft launch from her either by the end of the summer, or during the Fall.

bd popeye said:

And therein lays the problem. They are still using slide rules..

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@bd popeye @Obi Wan Russell @dtulsa @Air Force Brat @FORBIN @Iron Man @vesicles

I fear much more that our ed system is NOT teaching them to use slide rules...and not teaching them some very fundamental practices that engineering needs.

They are relying completely on the full electronics...but they must need to know the theory and how to do things the old way...meaning using their brains to do Finite element Analysis without all of the automation.

I know that is hard...but we had to figure it out earlier before the advent of the crutches of pure computers.

Do not get me wrong...it is good to have them...but it is VERY BAD to rely entirely on them.

In a hard spot, if say there was battle damage aboard or at the factory...we would still need to be able to keep going forward and to do that we need people who actually understand how all of that math works and who do not simply get a degree based on the computers doing everything for them.

I know some Universities and shops still demand it...and I will almost promise you that some of our competitors are wise enough to do so.

We should not get away from the fundamentals.

Having a bunch of wild eyed, pure D "forward" thinkers who know nothing of the real world gave us the LCS birthing pains. It came from an original good idea that got completely side ways in group think and people with zero battle or sea experience trying to make a vessel be something it should never have been.

Luckily, Ingalls and Newport News, and the people behind the CV-78 Ford design are not that way. I know for a fact that they have old salts bringing the next generation forward abd passing on the down to earth know how to them.

...I pray that never stops.