FORD-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS The Next Generation The successor of the Nimitz-Class is the USS Gerald R. Ford. It's a new class of carrier, expected for delivery in 2015. It's represents the Navy's focus on super-advanced technology, efficiency and capabilities. An advanced reactor design gives it more power than the Nimitz class. It has stealth features to help reduce radar profile. For defense, a Ford-Class carrier features an evolved missile system and powerful AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar. Even the way it launches planes has changed – the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) replaces steam pistons with powerful magnets to launch jets. All these technologies and more makes Ford-Class carriers the premier assets for crisis response and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. (U.S. Navy photo illustration courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding/Released)
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