USS Gerald R. Ford Archives

150903-N-SS390-354 FALLON, Nev. (Sept. 3, 2015) F-35C Lightning IIs, assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, and an F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to the Naval Aviation Warfighter Development Center (NAWDC) fly over Naval Air Station Fallon's (NASF) Range Training Complex. VFA 101, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, is conducting an F-35C cross-country visit to NASF. The purpose is to begin integration of F-35C with the Fallon Range Training Complex and work with NAWDC to refine tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) of F-35C as it integrates into the carrier air wing. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released)

Aerospace & Defense

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Totals 3,600°F — US Navy Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Would Melt Under Such Stress

The USS Gerald R. Ford was designed alongside the F-35C. Then the fighter took a hotter Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, after the carrier's...

Brandon Weichert1 day ago

Aerospace & Defense

USS Gerald R. Ford Is the Pride of Norfolk: Two Nuclear Reactors, 5 Acre Flight Deck, 75 Aircraft , Unlimited Range. No Navy on Earth Has an Aircraft Carrier Like It

USS Gerald R. Ford is a 100,000-ton nuclear-powered air base with a roughly five-acre flight deck, room for about 75 aircraft and 11 weapons...

Harry J. KazianisAugust 1, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy Can’t Build A Navy Anymore

The Navy planned 32 Zumwalt-class destroyers and built three. It planned 20 Constellation-class frigates, and cancelled the program in November 2025 with two under...

Brent M. EastwoodJuly 29, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), transits the Caribbean Sea during Carrier Air Wing 8’s aerial change of command ceremony, Jan. 19, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

Aerospace & Defense

US Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Might Need More Than 24 Months of Repairs

The most expensive warship ever built came home with a repair list. USS Gerald R. Ford has arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard after a...

Brandon WeichertJuly 28, 2026

U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 8 aircraft fly in formation over the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during Carrier Air Wing 8’s aerial change of command ceremony while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 19, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy’s Newest Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Is Running a Year Late. The Holdup Is the Arresting Gear and the Weapons Elevators. (

USS John F. Kennedy, the second Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier, is now scheduled for delivery in March 2027. The Navy's own budget documents give...

Steve BalestrieriJuly 28, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

China’s Best Aircraft Carrier-Based Fighter Exists Only Because of One Unfinished Jet That Russia Left Behind in Ukraine

China's J-15 'Flying Shark' — the fighter that made its carriers viable — exists because Beijing bought an unfinished Su-33 prototype left in Ukraine...

Brandon WeichertJuly 20, 2026

Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) transits the Atlantic Ocean during Builder's Sea Trials, Jan. 28, 2026. Builder’s Trials provide an opportunity to test ship systems and components at sea for the first time, and make required adjustments prior to additional underway testing. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaitlin Young)

Aerospace & Defense

First Steel Was Cut in 2011. She Joins the US Navy 2027. Why 1 American Aircraft Carrier Takes 16 Years

Sixteen years from first steel to the fleet — for a ship America once built in two. Follow the Kennedy through the yard and...

Harry J. KazianisJuly 17, 2026

Aerospace & Defense

Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Will Be Out Of Action for 18 Months

The USS Gerald R. Ford has begun a planned incremental availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard that is expected to last around 18 months....

Brent M. EastwoodJuly 15, 2026

A view of the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) from aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) as Normandy participates in a Tactical Force Exercise as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, Oct. 13, 2022. Ford is on its inaugural deployment conducting training and operations alongside NATO Allies and partners to enhance integration for future operations and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Malachi Lakey)

Aerospace & Defense

After Nearly 20 Years and $120 Billion, the Ford-Class Nuclear Aircraft Carriers Have Arrived. It’s a Monument to Everything Wrong With the US Navy.

The USS Gerald R. Ford and its sisters are the most advanced and expensive warships ever built, and they finally work. But the story...

Harry J. KazianisJuly 14, 2026

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)

Aerospace & Defense

The Nimitz Just Retired, the Kennedy Is Two Years Late, and Now the Ford Needs the Yard — America’s Aircraft Carrier Math Is Down to a Handful

The longest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier deployment since Vietnam left marks — and the yards she enters finish carrier work 113 days late on...

Harry J. KazianisJuly 5, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "USS Gerald R. Ford"

Aerospace & Defense

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Totals 3,600°F — US Navy Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Would Melt Under Such Stress

Aerospace & Defense

USS Gerald R. Ford Is the Pride of Norfolk: Two Nuclear Reactors, 5 Acre Flight Deck, 75 Aircraft , Unlimited Range. No Navy on Earth Has an Aircraft Carrier Like It

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy Can’t Build A Navy Anymore

Aerospace & Defense

US Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Might Need More Than 24 Months of Repairs

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy’s Newest Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Is Running a Year Late. The Holdup Is the Arresting Gear and the Weapons Elevators. (

Aerospace & Defense

China’s Best Aircraft Carrier-Based Fighter Exists Only Because of One Unfinished Jet That Russia Left Behind in Ukraine

Aerospace & Defense

First Steel Was Cut in 2011. She Joins the US Navy 2027. Why 1 American Aircraft Carrier Takes 16 Years

Aerospace & Defense

Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Will Be Out Of Action for 18 Months

Aerospace & Defense

After Nearly 20 Years and $120 Billion, the Ford-Class Nuclear Aircraft Carriers Have Arrived. It’s a Monument to Everything Wrong With the US Navy.

Aerospace & Defense

The Nimitz Just Retired, the Kennedy Is Two Years Late, and Now the Ford Needs the Yard — America’s Aircraft Carrier Math Is Down to a Handful

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