HII completes first planned incremental availability for USS Gerald R. Ford
Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departs HII's Newport News Shipbuilding division on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 after its planned incremental availability. (Photo: HII)
On 1 March, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division had completed the first planned incremental availability (PIA) for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
The PIA involved six months of modernisation and maintenance work to ensure the carrier has the most ‘current’ upgrades ahead of its planned maiden deployment this year.
PIA began in September 2021 following full ship shock trials and a post-delivery testing and trials period.
Three further Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, the future USS John F. Kennedy, Enterprise, and Doris Miller, are currently under construction and Newport News Shipbuilding.
The shipyard is also conducting mid-life refuelling complex overhauls on two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, USS George Washington and John C. Stennis, – giving the ships another 25 years of service.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
Lockheed Martin strengthens Spanish SPY-7 radar supply chain
The global defence giant chose a Spanish firm for its work on the Bonifaz-class frigate.
-
Oostende mine countermeasures vessel begins sea trials
The first vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM mine-clearing fleet, the Oostende, has begun its sea trials before officially entering service in 2025.
-
US Navy places $312 million contract with Textron Systems for landing craft
Textron’s latest order for Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) follows on from a contract placed in August 2023 for five LCAC.
-
Japan to boost surface fleet with new destroyers and missile ships
Japan is enhancing its naval capabilities with the construction of the 13DDX advanced destroyer and Aegis System Equipped Vessels (AESV), aiming to strengthen its air and missile defence amid increasing security threats, particularly in East Asia.