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)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

‘The Deck Might Melt’: The USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Can’t Fly New F-35C Stealth Fighters

Too Hot for the USS Gerald R. Ford: Why the Navy’s Newest Aircrat Carrier Still Can’t Fully Operate the F-35C The USS Gerald R....

Brandon WeichertApril 6, 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)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

USS Gerald R. Ford Is the Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier Ever Built — The U.S. Navy May Have Pushed It Into War Before It Was Ready

The Ford Aircraft Carrier Borrowed Its Vacuum Sewage System From the Cruise Ship Industry — Cruise Ships Don’t Run 19-Hour Combat Operations When the...

Christian D. OrrApril 5, 2026

Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) transits the James River as the ship departs for Builder’s 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 Seaman Jayden Howard)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Be Down 3 Supercarriers and There Is No Way To Stop It

3 U.S. Aircraft Carriers Are About to Be Unavailable at the Same Time The decline of U.S. naval shipbuilding has been well documented over...

Isaac SeitzApril 3, 2026

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departed Naval Station Norfolk to make the transit to Newport News Shipyard in support of her Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), a six-month period of modernization, maintenance, and repairs, Aug. 20, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Seelbach)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Hits 3,600°F — The USS Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Wasn’t Built to Handle It

The USS Gerald R. Ford Just Finished a Near-Record Deployment — Now It Needs F-35C Modifications, Deck Repairs, and a New Computer System The...

Kris OsbornApril 3, 2026

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) departs Naval Station Norfolk for a regularly scheduled deployment. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 31, 2026. The strike group, comprised of nearly 5,000 Sailors, provides combatant commanders and America’s civilian leaders increased capacity to underpin American security and economic prosperity, deter adversaries, and project power on a global scale through sustained operations at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jayden Brown)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Has 11 Aircraft Carriers on Paper — Barely 4 Are Ready to Fight at Any Given Time

The U.S. Navy’s Shipyard Crisis May Lead to Its Defeat in War: Aircraft Carriers Prove It Few experts who have tracked the decline of...

Brandon WeichertApril 3, 2026

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), transits the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 22, 2026. Gerald R. Ford is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tajh Payne)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

‘Extraordinary Thing’: U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Is Breaking the Deployment Record Books

The USS Gerald R. Ford Is Heading Into Its 11th Month at Sea — Broken Toilets, a 30-Hour Fire, and a Munitions Crisis The...

Caleb LarsonApril 2, 2026

Carrier Air Wing 8 F/A-18E Super Hornets attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37 fly by the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during the squadron's in-flight change of command ceremony, August 1, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class nuclear aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality, and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied, and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brianna Barnett)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

11 Brutal Months at Sea: USS Gerald R. Ford Might Break the Aircraft Carrier Deployment Record Post-Vietnam

Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford 11-Month Deployment Rivals USS Nimitz’s 341-Day Record The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to complete an...

Steve BalestrieriApril 2, 2026

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) picks up speed as she steams through the western Pacific Ocean on Aug. 25, 2004. Stennis and her embarked Carrier Air Wing 14 are conducting exercises at sea on a regularly scheduled deployment.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Have 3 Aircraft Carriers ‘Out Of Action’

11 U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers on Paper, 8 ‘Available’ in Reality In March 2026, the USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in Split, Croatia, for...

Jack BuckbyApril 1, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Sailors on the USS Gerald R. Ford Are Sleeping on Floors and Tables After a Fire Destroyed Their Mattresses — The Ship Has Been Deployed Since June

Deployment After Deployment: The U.S. Navy’s Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Is Being Tested The USS Gerald R. Ford Has Been All Over...

Brent M. EastwoodApril 1, 2026

A U.S. Sailor signals the launch of an E/A-18G Growler aircraft, attached to Electronic Attack Squadron 142, from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 31, 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)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Everyone Is Trashing the USS Gerald R. Ford — It Replaced Every Major System on a Nimitz Carrier and Most of Them Are Working

The USS Gerald R. Ford Is the Biggest and Most Expensive Aircraft Carrier Ever for a Reason Since the start of the ongoing Operation...

Isaac SeitzMarch 31, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "USS Gerald R. Ford"

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

‘The Deck Might Melt’: The USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Can’t Fly New F-35C Stealth Fighters

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

USS Gerald R. Ford Is the Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier Ever Built — The U.S. Navy May Have Pushed It Into War Before It Was Ready

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Be Down 3 Supercarriers and There Is No Way To Stop It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Hits 3,600°F — The USS Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Wasn’t Built to Handle It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Has 11 Aircraft Carriers on Paper — Barely 4 Are Ready to Fight at Any Given Time

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

‘Extraordinary Thing’: U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Is Breaking the Deployment Record Books

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

11 Brutal Months at Sea: USS Gerald R. Ford Might Break the Aircraft Carrier Deployment Record Post-Vietnam

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Have 3 Aircraft Carriers ‘Out Of Action’

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Sailors on the USS Gerald R. Ford Are Sleeping on Floors and Tables After a Fire Destroyed Their Mattresses — The Ship Has Been Deployed Since June

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Everyone Is Trashing the USS Gerald R. Ford — It Replaced Every Major System on a Nimitz Carrier and Most of Them Are Working

Trending

Recent Posts

Archives