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The United States Navy's most sophisticated aircraft carrier left Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday for its first deployment to participate in a military drill with partners in North America and Europe, according to a CNN report.
According to the US Navy, more than 40 years have passed since a new aircraft carrier was developed, making the USS Gerald Ford a historic ship. The construction of the US Navy Aircraft carrier began in November 2009 and concluded in 2017.
Business Insider reported that the USS Gerald Ford has departed for its maiden deployment after years of delays and expensive setbacks that totaled a $13 billion price tag, joining the competition of warships from superpowers like Russia and China.
A Pioneer in Its Class
The US Navy's latest aircraft carrier is the pioneer of the Ford class. The Navy has started building the USS Kennedy and USS Enterprise, two more carriers in the Ford class.
The Navy claims the US Navy Aircraft carrier is equipped with cutting-edge technology such as "almost three times as much electrical power" compared to Nimitz-class carriers and the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).
Instead of using a steam-powered catapult to launch planes from the ship, the EMALS system employs electricity. One US Navy officer claims that the technique will shorten the intervals between launches and reduce the strain on the aircraft during takeoff from the carrier.
The ship is equipped with dual-band radar, a more modern radar system. According to the official, it will be the only carrier in the forward class equipped with this type of radar.
According to a US Navy official, the carrier strike group, which includes the USS Gerald Ford, would engage with friends and partners in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The source also said that this operation would last shorter than the usual six months.
USS Gerald Ford Exhibits a Part of US Military Power
In a statement, Carrier Strike Group 12 Commander Rear Adm. Gregory Huffman said that the deployment of the US Navy Aircraft carrier is "an opportunity to push the ball down the field" and to showcase the innovations that "Ford and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 bring to the future of naval aviation."
The US Navy mentioned in its statement that an estimated "9,000 people from nine nations, 20 ships, and 60 aircraft" would be involved in the deployment. Moreover, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden will participate in the military drill.
Other ships in the carrier strike group will join the USS Gerald Ford on Wednesday, a second Navy official said.
The drills will highlight American military capability and commitment to NATO, said Bradley Martin, a senior policy analyst at think tank RAND.
The drills will occur seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine and amid rising hostilities between Moscow and the West.
Martin noted that the USS Gerald Ford could function "with a few hundred fewer sailors and support a larger range of aircraft" due to its advanced structure, as per a report published by Yahoo! News.
He also mentioned that several difficulties troubled the new US Aircraft carrier, including malfunctioning aircraft launch systems and elevators transporting missiles and explosives to the flight deck.
He explained that the first ship of a new class often has some quirks to enhance. Nevertheless, the USS Gerald Ford showcases how powerful the US Navy is.
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