The USS Gerald R. Ford, capable of carrying over 75 aircraft, is the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
The $13 Billion, 337m-long flagship aircraft carrier joined the United States Navy in 2017.
Each of the ship in the Ford-class will save $4b in total ownership costs during its 50-year service life.
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An aircraft carrier is a warship which serves as a seagoing airbase. It is a symbol of prestige and power for the navies across the world.
These giant aircraft carriers are equipped with a full-length flight deck capable of carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircrafts.
Acting as the capital ship of a naval fleet in a waterfront, these supercarrier can carry numerous aircraft including fighters Jets, strike aircraft, helicopters, and other types of aircraft.
As of 2021, there are an estimated 46 aircraft/helicopter carriers in service operated by thirteen navies across the world, and the largest of them is the U.S Navy’s Gerald R Ford Class battleships.
The first carrier in Ford Class, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford. It was commissioned by President Donald Trump on 22 July 2017.
The $13 Billion, 337m-long USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is capable of carrying over 75 aircrafts and accommodating a total of 4,539 personnel.
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USS Gerald R. Ford will replace USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which entered service in 1961 and decommissioned in 2017.
USS Gerald R. Ford is armed with :
Surface-to-air missiles:
2 × RIM-162 ESSM launchers
2 × RIM-116 RAM
Guns:
3 × Phalanx CIWS
4 × M2 .50 Cal. (12.7 mm) machine guns
The USS Gerald R. Ford is a $13 Billion, 337m-long flagship aircraft carrier capable of carrying over 75 aircraft and accommodating a total of 4,539 personnel.
Each of the nuclear-powered warship in the Ford-Class, including the USS John F Kennedy (CVN 79), will save more than $4 billion in total ownership costs during its expected 50-year service life.