U.S. Supercarrier May Face Delays Due to Elevator and Catapult Issues

The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy, is nearing completion—but key technical problems could push back its delivery timeline.

As of now, construction on the USS John F. Kennedy is 95% complete, with a scheduled delivery date of July 2025, according to U.S. Navy officials who testified on April 8 before the Senate Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on seapower and nuclear deterrence.

However, officials acknowledged significant pressure to meet that deadline due to ongoing issues with the ship’s advanced weapon elevators, electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), and arresting gear. These same systems caused delays with the lead ship in the Ford-class series, the USS Gerald R. Ford. That carrier was commissioned in 2009, launched in 2013, and finally delivered to the Navy in 2017—at a cost of $12.6 billion, exceeding its original budget by $2.4 billion, making it the most expensive warship in U.S. Navy history.

Navy leaders emphasized that the current problems stem from manufacturing and integration challenges—not from the original design of the Ford-class carriers. They also said that lessons learned from both the Gerald R. Ford and John F. Kennedy are being applied to the next two ships in the series: the USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller.

Unlike the older Nimitz-class carriers that use pulley-and-cable elevators capable of lifting 4.7 tons at 30 meters per minute, Ford-class carriers use electromagnetic linear motors that lift up to 10 tons at 45 meters per minute. The EMALS system, a major innovation over the traditional steam-powered launch system, allows for the launch of heavier aircraft carrying more weapons and fuel. Still, questions remain about its overall performance and reliability.

Each Ford-class carrier is 1,106 feet (337 meters) long, capable of carrying up to 75 aircraft and housing more than 4,500 crew members. These ships feature cutting-edge technologies designed to boost sortie rates, reduce crew workload, and improve survivability in modern combat scenarios.

(Sources: Business Insider, AP, AFP)

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