{"id":102950,"date":"2025-07-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T23:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=102950"},"modified":"2025-07-12T02:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T21:07:10","slug":"us-navy-faces-delivery-delays-of-new-ford-class-aircraft-carriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/12\/us-navy-faces-delivery-delays-of-new-ford-class-aircraft-carriers\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy Faces Delivery Delays of New Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON\u2014<\/strong> The U.S. Navy has again postponed the delivery timelines for two of its next-generation Ford-class aircraft carriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), originally scheduled for July 2025, will now be delivered in March 2027. The USS Enterprise (CVN-80), slated for delivery in September 2029, is now delayed to July 2030, Navy budget records show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: PICRYL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US Aircraft Carriers Face Delay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The latest budget documents from the U.S. Navy’s Fiscal Year 2026 justification filings confirm additional setbacks in the Ford-class program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), under construction by Huntington Ingalls Industries at Newport News Shipbuilding (PHF), was initially planned for handover in 2024, then pushed to mid-2025, and now postponed further to March 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This two-year delay is attributed to incomplete work on the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG)<\/strong> system and ongoing issues with the Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE)<\/strong>\u2014both of which have presented persistent integration challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These systems are already operational aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which recently departed Norfolk, Virginia (ORF)<\/strong> for a European deployment amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, Defense News<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enterprise Carrier Also Faces Further Postponement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The USS Enterprise (CVN-80), the third Ford-class vessel, is now projected for completion in July 2030<\/strong>, according to the same budget documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its delivery has now been delayed twice, having slipped from its original 2028<\/strong> target to 2029<\/strong>, and now by nearly a full year again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy officials cite industry-wide supply chain disruptions and material availability as the primary drivers of the delay. These systemic issues continue to hinder the timely completion of high-tech defense assets across the U.S. shipbuilding industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: \nNARA & DVIDS Public Domain Archive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Navy Struggles with Fleet Modernization Goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Ford-class carriers are designed to replace the aging Nimitz-class ships, offering enhanced energy efficiency, greater sortie generation rates, and a reduced crew size. However, recurring schedule disruptions are undermining long-term strategic plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Adm. James Kilby<\/strong>, acting Chief of Naval Operations, “We are behind in every ship class [by] different rates, but for years.” These candid remarks were made during a recent Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Defense<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address these systemic challenges, the Pentagon has initiated several measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n