The US Navy on Tuesday deployed its first next-generation aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered ship equipped with new technologies and designed to be equipped with weapons still in development. The 335-meter ship, which cost more than 13,000 million dollars, departed at noon from its home port of Norfolk, Virginia (east coast), escorted by its aircraft carrier strike group, for several weeks of maneuvers with the navies of nine allied nations, including France and Canada.
The USS Gerald Ford is deployed to “demonstrate its unmatched lethal capabilities in all areas,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of the United States Naval Forces, was quoted as saying in a Navy statement. The multinational exercises in the Atlantic will focus on air defense, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures and amphibious operations, the US Navy said.
The Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers, named after the 38th president of the United States, will replace the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which are nearing the end of their scheduled 50-year service life. The Kennedy, of the same model, is currently under construction.
A ship inaugurated in 2017 by Donald Trump
Launched in 2017 by then-President Donald Trump after a two-year delivery delay, the ship has since undergone multiple tests, and problems were found with its electromagnetic catapult system, which is supposed to allow planes take off at a faster rate. superior to those of the Nimitz class.
Developed for the US Navy by General Atomics, the system no longer uses traditional hydraulics to catapult planes on takeoff, but an induction motor that creates less friction with the metal of the planes and therefore allows them greater longevity.
Requiring a small crew compared to Nimitz-class carriers, the ship can weigh more than 100,000 tons fully loaded, while reaching a speed of 54 km/h.
Source: BFM TV
