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Published Nov 27, 2022 8:07 PM by
The Maritime Executive
The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has returned to Naval Station Norfolk after completing a 52-day “service-retained” deployment, her first since she was delivered in 2017.
During her deployment, the carrier trained with warships from several allied navies, and she called at Halifax, Nova Scotia and Plymouth, UK. He sailed a total of about 9,300 nautical miles.
For his first deployment, Ford remained under the control of the US Navy, reflecting her development status. to Ford first deployment is a long time coming. Her launch and recovery gear and her weapon elevators are all electromagnetic, a technological departure from the previous Nimitz-class carrier, and post-delivery installation and commissioning work took more than four years.
His electromagnetically-actuated weapons elevators were among the most difficult systems to complete, and the last was completed by the end of 2021. Now that they are operational, they allow to Ford crew to move ammunition from the magazine to the flight deck at a faster clip, which is essential in developing sorties.
Assets belonging to the navies of Canada, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden are combined Ford and conducted exercises with him on his journey.
“We have sailed with our Allies and partners and trained together, tirelessly, day and night, and we are stronger for it,” said Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, commanding officer of the USS Ford. “We set the stage for running along Ford-class technologies in a deployed environment. We completed more than 1,250 sorties, expended 78.3 tons of ordnance, and completed 13 underway replenishments – and we did it because of what Ford-class aircraft carrier brought into battle.”
Ford is designed to generate 160 sorties in a 12-hour flying day, or 270 sorties in 24 hours at surge capacity. Her sortie generation over the duration of her deployment equates to approximately eight days at the design rate; the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation (DOT&E) decided that the carrier was unlikely to reach the 160-per-day mark.
“The target [rate] The threshold is well above achieved historical rates and is based on unrealistic assumptions, including fair weather and unlimited visibility, along with the expectation that aircraft emergencies, shipboard equipment failures, ship maneuvers, and manning shortfalls will not negatively impact flight operations,” DOT&E concluded in its FY2021 annual report. delay after delay.”
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