USS John F. Kennedy Aircraft Carrier Starts Sea Trials After Decade-long Construction

The future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the U.S. Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier, has put to sea for the first time, beginning builder’s sea trials after more than a decade of construction marked by repeated delays.

The nuclear-powered carrier departed Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia on January 28 starting a trial phase that will test propulsion, power generation, navigation, and other core ship systems under operational conditions.

Laid down in 2015, the roughly 100,000-ton carrier is designed to operate with a reduced crew of about 2,600 sailors and is equipped with electromagnetic aircraft launch systems. The ship has been modified to support F-35C Lightning II fighter jet operations.

The program has faced repeated delays, with delivery slipping from July 2025 to March 2027, according to U.S. Navy budget documents. The setback is linked to ongoing work to complete and certify the Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevators, both new Ford-class systems.

In 2020, the Navy scrapped a two-phase delivery plan in favour of a single-phase approach, adding about two years of design and construction work, according to Fiscal Year 2024 budget documents, and installing the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar in place of the dual-band radar used on USS Gerald R. Ford.

Images released by the shipbuilder show noticeable differences in John F. Kennedy’s island structure compared with Gerald R. Ford, partly linked to the radar changes. Newport News Shipbuilding’s president said in December that the carrier was expected to reach preliminary acceptance by mid-2026, ahead of its planned delivery in 2027.