USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever constructed

AIRCRAFT TYPES
F/A-18
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft
EA-18 Growler electronic attack jets MH-60R/S helicopters
   
Island: Aft location gives more room for aircraft. Includes flat-panel array radar systems and dual-band radar

Flight deck: Can handle up to 220 missions per day. Aircraft launched by electromagnetic catapult

Flight deck incorporates three aircraft elevators
                                    
Propulsion: Two nuclear reactors, each capable of producing 300MW of electricity. Speed: 30+ knots

Technology: Greater automation requires less crew. Maintenance reduced by 30 percent

Weapons: Evolved Sea Sparrow missile launchers, Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers, Phalanx rapid-fire guns

AIRCRAFT CARRIER COMPARISON   USS Gerald R. Ford (Ford-class) USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Nimitz-class)

Commissioned   2017           1977
Displacement 101,600  tonnes  88,000 tonnes
Flight deck width 78m         76.8m
Crew             4,660        5,680
Number of aircraft  75+       Approx 65+
    
Nimitz- class
Flight deck area 18,200 sq m 
   
Gerald R. Ford  18,943 sq m
Length: 333m

     
Sources: Naval Technology, U.S. Naval Air Forces
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