Gerald R. Ford-class Aircraft Carrier

The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers (or Ford-class) are a class of nuclear powered supercarrier for the United States Navy, intended to eventually replace the current Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels will use a hull design similar to the Nimitz-class carriers in appearance, but many aspects of the design will be different, implementing new technologies developed since the initial design of the previous class (such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and running costs, including a reduced crew requirement. The first hull of the line will be named Gerald R. Ford and will have the hull number CVN-78.

Specifications

 * Type: Nuclear Powered Supercarrier (Hull designation symbol CVN)
 * Characteristics
 * Length: 1,106 feet (337.11 meters)
 * Beam (Extreme): 256 feet (78.03 meters)
 * Beam (Waterline): 134 feet (40.84 meters)
 * Draft: 39 feet (11.89 meters)
 * Height: 250 feet (76.2 meters)
 * Displacement: 112,000 tons (Full Load)
 * Crew: 4,660 (2,180 ship crew and 2,480 air crew)
 * Power: 350,000 shp (280 MW)
 * Propulsion: 2 Betchtel Marine Propulsion A1B nuclear reactors, 4 steam turbines, 4 shafts
 * Range: Unlimited
 * Speed: 30+ knots (55.56+ km/h)
 * Sensor Suite/Countermeasures
 * AN/SPY-3 S/X-band multifunction radar - replaced by Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar on CVN-79 onwards
 * AN/SPY-4 Volume Search Radar - replaced by Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar on CVN-79 onwards
 * AN/SPN-50(V)1 Air Traffic Control Radar
 * Countermeasures:
 * AN/SLY-2 Electronic Warfare Suite
 * Armament
 * 2 x 20mm/70-caliber Mk.15 Phalanx CIWS
 * 2 x 8-cell Mk.29 ESSM Launchers
 * 2 x 21-cell Mk.49 SeaRAM Launchers
 * 4 x 12.7mm M2 Browning machine guns
 * Aircraft Carried: 80-100 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters
 * Aircraft Supported: F-14E/F Supercat, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II, A-6F Intruder, EA-6C Prowler, EA-18G Growler, E-2D/E Advanced Hawkeye, C-2B Greyhound, S-3C Viking, MQ-25 Stingray, RAQ-47 Pegasus, MH-60R/S Seahawk, CMV-22B Osprey
 * Aviation Facilities: 1,106 x 256 ft flight deck, 4 Electromagnetic Catapults, Advanced Arresting Gear

Unit Run

 * USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) - replacing USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
 * USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) - replacing USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
 * USS Enterprise (CVN-80) - replacing USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
 * USS Intrepid (CVN-81) - replacing USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
 * USS Constellation (CVN-82) - replacing USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
 * USS Ranger (CVN-83) - replacing USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
 * USS Saratoga (CVN-84) - replacing USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
 * USS Yorktown (CVN-85) - replacing USS George Washington (CVN-73)
 * USS Hornet (CVN-86) - replacing USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)
 * USS Reprisal (CVN-87) - replacing USS United States (CVN-75)