
USA Navy 21st Century Mega Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald Ford
The United States Navy took delivery of the USS Gerald Ford – CVN 78 in May 2017. This is the first of its class and was designed as a modern 21st century aircraft carrier. It is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, who served in the Navy in World War II. The new class is a new design and the most technologically advanced ship ever built. It is also the largest warship in the world. Major technology changes include the use of an electromagnetic launch system (replacing steam catapults) that is lighter, smaller and more efficient. The ship has 10,000,000 feet of electrical wires and 4,000,000 feet of fiber optic cable. Its crew complement is 4,539; it can sail at 30+ knots and can carry 75 or more aircraft. Other new design features from previous carriers classes include advanced weapons elevators, virtually all systems are electrically powered and it has state of the art multi-function radar. It is the first of 10 planned for this class and designed for a 50 year active service life.