The United States Navy announced the acceptance of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) from Newport News Shipbuilding, part of HII, on September 29, 2026. This acceptance followed the successful completion of acceptance trials in August and allows the ship and its crew to conduct sea tests and enhance their operational skills.
Progress Stages of the Ship and Future Plans
The acceptance enables the Navy to take the fastest possible route to deliver the ship and prepare it for military operations. The Navy expects the official delivery of this ship to occur in March. Captain Mark Johnson, the program manager for the Gerald R. Ford class fleet, stated: "Achieving acceptance marks a new phase for the ship and its crew, allowing them to become more familiar with their waterline and enhance their skills during testing and training at sea."
Details of Construction and Remaining Tests
The USS John F. Kennedy is currently about 99% complete, with all of its main systems ready. The builder is conducting final tests of the ship's systems, including testing four advanced weapons elevators. After years of delays, this multi-billion dollar ship went to sea for the first time, and its builder's sea trials were completed in early February. The second ship of the Ford class also completed its acceptance trials in mid-August.
The Navy has announced that the ship has now left the Newport News shipyard and has been transferred to Naval Station Norfolk, where its final elements will be completed. However, this ship still faces extensive testing and training before it is deployed on its first mission. The Navy is confident that it can expedite this process and face fewer challenges by leveraging the experiences gained from the Gerald R. Ford ship.
Additionally, the third ship of the Ford class, USS Enterprise (CVN-80), is also facing delays and is expected to be delivered in 2030. Newport News has announced that work on the fourth ship, USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), has begun. However, there are rumors that the Pentagon and the Trump administration are considering renaming this ship, and it is unlikely to be delivered before 2034.
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