The Gerald R. Ford-class carrier was originally scheduled to begin full deployment in 2017 but was delayed until May 2023 primarily because the ship's 11 advanced weapon elevators were not functional at commissioning, with only 2 of 11 certified operational by early 2019 and certification not completed until 2021, demonstrating risk in fielding new ship classes.
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Speaker
Unidentified Speaker — The Future of the Aircraft Carrier - New Threats, Power Pro… [Wv2C6EZW3Oc]Evidence Quote
“The Gerald Ford was commissioned into the United States Navy in July 2017. In early 2019, two of those 11 weapon elevators were certified and operational...The Ford would finally begin its first full-length deployment in May 2023.”
Created: 8/10/2026, 10:22:30 PM
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