Further setbacks have hit the delivery schedules of two new aircraft carriers, a continuation of previous delays, according to recent Navy budget plans.
The upcoming Ford-class aircraft carrier, named the John F. Kennedy, has had its delivery postponed by an additional two years, as outlined in the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget documents.
Originally expected to be delivered this month, the handover of the John F. Kennedy has now been rescheduled to March 2027. Prior to this, the carrier’s delivery had already faced a delay of about one year.
In a similar vein, the delivery of the future carrier, named the Enterprise, has been pushed back once more. Initially set for September 2029, it is now anticipated to be completed in July 2030. The budget documents attribute this deferment to “delays in material availability and industry/supply chain performance.”
Previously, the Enterprise was scheduled for a 2028 delivery, which was deferred to 2029 last year, as reported by USNI News.
The recent one-year postponement of the John F. Kennedy is tied to the need for completing certification of the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and further work on the Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE), according to the budget documents.
Ford-class carriers, embodying the latest naval technology, come equipped with new nuclear reactors, electric plants, an advanced propulsion system, and an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, among other modern features.
Both the AAG and AWE systems, which are experiencing delays on the forthcoming John F. Kennedy, are already operational on the USS Gerald Ford. This carrier recently left Norfolk, Virginia, leading its strike group on a deployment to Europe amid rising tensions with Iran.
These ongoing delays in the delivery of new aircraft carriers highlight the persistent challenges the Navy faces in modernizing its fleet, a struggle that has spanned several decades.
Adm. James Kilby, acting chief of naval operations, recently expressed to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that the Navy is experiencing delays across various ship classes, amounting to several years in each case.
In response, the Pentagon is taking steps to address these issues by issuing contracts to enhance ship production, advancing unmanned systems, and upgrading historic shipyards to better support the construction of new ships.
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Jamal Peterson reports on defense, aerospace, and tech policy. With a military background and a strategic mind, he dissects complex subjects with clarity, offering readers sharp, reliable insights.
