The End Is Near for the Nimitz-Class as They Are Just Getting Too Old: At 100,000 tons, the Nimitz-class United States Navy aircraft carriers (hull numbers CVN-68 to CVN-77) were the largest vessels of their type ever built until the Gerald Ford-class came online. Newport News shipyards in Virginia built the ten ships in this class between 1975 and 2009.
These ships are powered not by conventionally fueled propulsion systems but are equipped with two A4W reactors that negate the need for these carriers to have a small fleet of oilers trailing them around the world to constantly re-fuel them. The cost of one ship in 2012 was US $8.5, which equals about $11.2 billion today.
The nuclear-powered propulsion system can support the ship’s operation for 20 years or more, and the Nimitz-class ships were built to be in service for 50 years. In 1975, the Nimitz was the first in this class of vessels, so its five-decade life span is coming to an end. So, as these durable and long-standing carriers are now looking at retirement, what about them is notable and worth remembering for future generations of naval aviators?
Aircraft Generations
Currently, the Nimitz ships hold around 64-80 aircraft, with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet being the lead fighter aircraft in the carrier air wing’s complement. Prior to their retirement, the F-14 Tomcat was the lead fighter on board the flight deck. The aircraft was featured in numerous Hollywood films, most famously 1986’s Top Gun, starring action-adventure actor Tom Cruise.
The Nimitz and other ships in the class have a list of aircraft that have flown off of and trapped aboard deck.
The F-14s were retired almost two decades ago, with the last catapult launch of a Tomcat having been on July 29, 2006. A number of the F-14 air crews transitioned to the Super Hornet, with some competition for the rear-seat Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) in the F/A-18F models. Not all Super Hornets are two-man aircraft, just like all the F-14s.
One of the major differences for the newer F/A-18E/F aircraft is the addition of a Precision Landing Mode (PLM) module. This software tool added to the flight control system and mission computers reduces the pilot load on the final approach for a landing.
One of the recent commanders for the Ford-class of carriers told USNI News that this new system design has been a big plus for modern at-sea operations. The “stability that it provides the aircraft on glide path, and we’ll see increased boarding rates for these aviators and then get folks to the fleet sooner because generally, you have about 5 percent of the fleet replacement pilots will disqualify because of boarding rate or lane performance. With PLM, we’re going to see that number drop significantly and possibly to zero,” he said.
(Expensive) End of an Era
As these ships reach the end of their 50-year service life, they will each proceed to the process of being decommissioned. The Nimitz itself will be the first, and this effort is estimated to cost from $750 to $900 million.
This cost compares with the estimated $53 million for conventionally powered carriers. The huge difference is due to the complicated process involved in the deactivation of nuclear power plants and the removal of radioactive material and other contaminated equipment.
Due to the challenges presented by the rise of the PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) and other increases in the responsibilities confronting the US Navy, there are ongoing discussions on how to extend the life of these ships to keep the carrier force up a Congressionally-mandated 11 hulls.
In April 2022, Jay Stefany, the senior US Government official acting in the duties of Assistant Navy Secretary for Research, Development, and Acquisition, told the press the Navy was conducting a study to determine what life could still be wrung out of the Nimitz-class carriers.
The Navy, he said, is investigating whether “we can get it extended enough to do another deployment on the first couple of the Nimitz class.”
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
