How the USS Gerald R Ford’s new tech is proving the critics wrong
The USS Gerald R Ford anchored in the Solent off Portsmouth on 17 November. (Photo: author)
USS Gerald R Ford is the largest, most expensive and most advanced aircraft carrier ever built and has successfully deployed a raft of new technologies on its first operational deployment.
Despite past criticism from the Pentagon’s top weapons tester, the new technologies integrated into the USN’s latest aircraft carrier have shown value during its first operational deployment.
USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) integrates 23 new technologies, highlights of which include the ship’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs).
In January, the latest annual report from the DoD’s weapons testing authority said the EMALS, arrestor gear, weapons elevators and dual-band radar were not hitting reliability targets.
The Director Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) report highlighted the ‘low reliability’ of
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Shoreline vulnerability drives Gulf interest in USV networks
Ukraine’s combat-proven Magura uncrewed surface vessel is attracting Gulf state interest as the Iran war exposes gaps in layered maritime air defence, raising questions about whether low-cost attritable systems can gain a foothold in a procurement culture historically drawn to high-end Western platforms.
-
Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win
Naval Group has secured a contract to supply four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention frigates to the Royal Swedish Navy, extending the French naval industry’s reach into Northern Europe and showing why speed to capability has become the defining criterion in today’s defence procurement contests.
-
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions
Germany’s F126 frigate crisis has handed Rheinmetall an opening it had been working towards for years, and the company intends to make the most of it.
-
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
