US $13 billion aircraft carrier has problems

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier cannot be delivered as scheduled due to problems in the integration and testing of important systems.

USS Gerald R. Ford during its naming ceremony. Photo: Newport News

The US Navy's newest $13 billion aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is two years behind schedule and faces further delays, with Pentagon weapons testers declaring the ship not ready for combat despite its September delivery deadline, according to CNN.

In a report on June 28, Mr. Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation of the US Department of Defense, said that the most expensive aircraft carrier in US history continues to have many difficulties in helping planes take off and land, move ammunition on board, as well as control air traffic and defense.

"These four systems affect the most important aspects of the flight mission," Mr. Gilmore wrote in a report to the Pentagon and the leaders in charge of weapons procurement for the US Navy, Frank Kendall and Sean Stackley.

"If these issues are not addressed, they will significantly limit the combat mission capability of CVN-78 (USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier)."

To fix these problems, engineers will likely have to redesign the launch and landing systems, Gilmore said, a process that will further delay the ship’s delivery date, which was supposed to join the Navy in September 2014.

According to VNE