USN CVN-21 or CVNX

Design work on the CVN 21 is underway at Northrop Grumman Newport News with the full construction contract anticipated in 2007. Newport News is designing the CVN 21 class using a product model tool called CATIA, the most technologically advanced system in use today in the shipbuilding industry.

Innovations for the CVN 21 class include an enhanced flight deck with increased sortie rates, improved weapons movement, a redesigned island, a new nuclear power plant, allowance for future technologies and reduced manning. These and many other evolutionary new designs are being developed by Newport News engineers to build the most capable aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy.

Advance construction is beginning in 2005 for the first ship of the class, CVN 78. This advance work will allow shipbuilders to test the design-build strategy before overall construction begins in 2007. Each carrier of the class is valued at approximately $8 billion, $300 - $500 million less than a Nimitz repeat. On Aug. 11, 2005, Northrop Grumman Newport News hosted a ceremonial steel cut and grand opening ceremony for one of several new facilities that will support CVN 21 construction. The ceremony was held in the shipyard’s new Heavy Plate Bay.



I wonder any other country will ever match US might in Aircraft carrier designs.

Hmm. The article doesn't really elaborate further on how the new design will be more effective... perhaps those of who who have more experience with aircraft carriers might be able to speculate?

For example, how would you enhance a flight deck to increase sortie rates? Perhaps catapults that "recharge" faster? And what exactly does "improved weapons movement" mean?

more from global security:

Overall, CVN 21 will increase sortie generation rate by 20 percent, increase survivability to better handle future threats and have depot maintenance requirements that could support an increase of up to 25 percent in operational availability. The new design nuclear propulsion plant and improved electric plant together provide three times the electrical generation capacity of a NIMITZ Class carrier. This capacity allows the introduction of new systems such as Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, Advanced Arresting Gear, and a new integrated warfare system that will leverage advances in open systems architecture to be affordably upgraded. Other features include an enhanced flight deck, improved weapons handling and aircraft servicing efficiency, and a flexible island arrangement allowing for future technology insertion.

CVNX, the centerpiece of the Navy's next generation carrier Fleet, will be a large-deck, nuclear-powered ship. This next generation aircraft carrier will be achieved at an affordable, evolutionary pace beginning with CVN 77. CVN 77 will have a newly designed and integrated combat system that eliminates rotating antennas. CVNX 1 will incorporate this new CVN 77 integrated combat system, and will add both a new nuclear propulsion plant and a new electrical power and distribution system. The new nuclear propulsion plant will provide immediate warfighting enhancements, immediate life cycle cost reductions, and will enable future warfighting enhancements and further life cycle cost reductions. Subsequent carriers will feature additional new technologies including an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS), an Electromagnetic Aircraft Recovery System (EARS), improved crew habitability, survivability improvements, performance improvements, and new functional arrangements and distributed systems.

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for details :

Answer to the posed question of how would the sortie rate be increased is with improved flight deck management. Nimitz (and previous carriers for that matter) have been designed in such a way that aircraft would have to be lugged around the flightdeck a lot. Be that from point where they are fueled, then another station where they're armed, from position of the elevators, etc. It just wasn't designed as efficiently as new carrier will be. It will feature less travel from point to point on the flight deck to get job done, with an unified replenishment station where planes will, in a manner or speaking, make a pitstop and would be able to go for another sortie.

Sortie rates have been a thorn in the eye ever since carriers came to the scene. Both in vietnam and gulf wars they've hardly moved away from the 1-1.5 sortie a day range, as opposed to an USAF base which, if well manned, can achieve double sortie rate for the same distance from target.

As some one who spent time on five different USN CV's I will make an input.

Glossary:

port=left

starboard=right

fouling=parking an aircraft where it will interfere with some flight deck operations.

Respot= moving of aircraft from space to space.

recovery=landing of aircraft

launch=take off of aircraft.

waist cats=The catapults amidships on the port side of the flight deck.

Island=tower structure on the starboard side of the flight deck.

I can see how the redesigned layout of the flight deck and island will increase stortie rate. It will eliminate moving aircraft twice before a launch. But...When I was on CVA-41 and CVA-19 we could out launch CVA's with 4 catapults..We just could because we could respot many of the aircraft after recovery only once because we did not have to worry about "fouling" the "waist" cats. So a large portion of the recovered aircaft only needed to be moved once.

With the island move back on CVN-21 class that will create more deck space for an easier respot.

Sortie rate of the USN..Nope not as good as the USAF..nope it is not. But then again the USN can move a CV where it wants, when it wants. Unlike the USAF that has to jump through hoops to get permission to operate in foriegn nations.

The USN still loads most air launched munitions by hand. Slower at times but still effective. An aircraft carrier is a crowded place. dangerous..so safety is paramount which may be a cause of a lower stortie rate.

The USN has to rely on the USAF for some of it's refueling needs. But the USAF has to rely on the USN/USMC E/A-6B Prowlers for ECM...

All that considered..the USN/USAF team is virtually unbeatable

I wonder any other country will ever match US might in Aircraft carrier designs.

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Probally not..It just cost too much money.