According to reports recently shared with specialized media, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), which will be part of the U.S. Navy, is facing significant construction delays that could postpone its entry into service by an estimated two years—an issue that would temporarily reduce the number of available aircraft carriers in the fleet. In line with this, the Navy’s 2026 budget submission indicates that the carrier would now be delivered in March 2027, rather than this month as projected in last year’s presentation.
Quoting directly from the submission: “The delivery date of CVN 79 was changed from July 2025 to March 2027 (preliminary acceptance to be determined) to support the completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued work on the Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE).” The AAG is the system that detects and facilitates aircraft landings on the carrier’s deck, while the AWE is used to transport munitions throughout the ship. Both are new technologies specifically introduced for the Ford-class carriers.
It is worth noting that the construction of the USS John F. Kennedy has already experienced previous delays. In 2023, the Navy postponed the original delivery date from June 2024 to July 2025 to allow the shipyard to complete work typically done during the Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) phase. Similar delays were observed in the construction of the lead ship of the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), particularly regarding the integration of its eleven weapons elevators and the development of the AAG system.
Meanwhile, the USS Enterprise (CVN-80), the third aircraft carrier planned as part of the six-ship Ford-class program, is also encountering setbacks that could delay its delivery by up to a year—from September 2029 to July 2030. According to U.S. Navy budget documents, the primary reason lies in the shortage of key components from industry suppliers, with ongoing efforts to close those gaps.
Returning to the point mentioned earlier, it is important to highlight that before the new CVN-79 delivery date projected by the Navy, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is scheduled to be retired in May of next year after 50 years of service. If this timeline remains unchanged, the Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered carriers would drop from 11 to 10 for a full year until the new ship arrives—putting added pressure on an already heavily tasked force to sustain deployments and rotations across the globe.
Notably, the Nimitz began its final deployment this March, departing from San Diego toward the Indo-Pacific region. Accompanied by Carrier Air Wing 17 and escorted by Destroyer Squadron 9, its mission was to take over the position of the USS Carl Vinson as that carrier sailed toward the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. By June, the Nimitz had followed a similar course to bolster Washington’s presence in support of its main regional ally, taking part in a large-scale deployment of aircraft and air defense systems.
Images used for illustrative purposes only
You may also like: The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington made a port call in the Philippines as part of its first Pacific patrol since arriving in Japan
