US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier ready for deployment

News, US October 4, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) sailed for the first time alongside a coalition of allied forces in the Atlantic area for cruising and interoperability operations on October 3, 2022.

Five years after its commissioning into the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for a short sailing route in the Atlantic Ocean before its operational deployment, which is due next year under the Defense Department’s Global Force Management (GFM) system. For its short-range cruising operation, USS Gerald R. Ford would cruise throughout the Atlantic Ocean as it would conduct port calls and interoperability operations.

The short-range tans-Atlantic cruise operation is being termed as a “service-retained deployment” and would be headed by the U.S. Navy 2nd Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Daniel Dwyer. The multinational cruise operation also features 17 ships and one submarine from nine different countries including France, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, and Germany.

Commanding Officer of USS Gerald R. Ford Capt. Paul Lanzilotta told the reporters, “We’re going to sail on the high seas with our partners. We’re going to operate in concert with them. We want interoperability, we want interchangeability with our partners. So our NATO partners that are sailing with us, we’re going to work with them every day, every night. That’s what it means to operate on the high seas. We’re going to learn lessons with them. We’re going to build out the tactics that Ford-class brings to the table, kind of see where we’ve got, areas to improve.”

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the first-of-its-class aircraft carrier. It was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in July 2017. The 330 meters long and 78 meters high aircraft carrier can accommodate more than 75 aircraft on its 25 decks.

For its initial short-range sailing operation, the U.S. Navy has designated Carrier Strike Group 12 to accompany the USS Gerald R. Ford. In addition, Destroyer Squadron 2 would also accompany the cruising operation. The Destroyer Squadron 2 consists of USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), USS Ramage (DDG-61), and USS McFaul (DDG-74).

Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) is also part of the operation as well as Lewis and Clark-class cargo ships including USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5), Henry J Kaiser-class, and oiler USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO-188).

^{An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during flight operations in the Atlantic Ocean. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Spears)}

USS Gerald R. Ford is carrying a partial air wing squadron, consisting of F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighter jets, MH-60R Seahawks helicopters, MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, and EA-18G Growler aircraft.

“Every single type and model series of aircraft is represented on our deployment. Some of those squadrons are not coming out with every single aircraft that they normally would have, for example on George. H. W. Bush right now, which is out on deployment. But it’s going close to a full air wing.” Capt. Paul Lanzilotta told the reporters.

Although USS Gerald R. Ford appears similar to a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, it has many features and first-in-class technology including a new nuclear plant, the ability to generate nearly three times the amount of electrical power, innovative advanced arresting gear, and an electromagnetic aircraft launch system.