The aft section between the hangar bay and flight deck recently was placed on the aircraft carrier John F Kennedy (CVN 79). Credit: Ashley Cowan / HII.

The US Navy’s second Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy (CVN 79) has reached 50% completion in its construction.

The construction milestone was reached by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division with the installation of one of the largest units on board.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Known as a superlift, the approximately 905 metric tonne ship unit is one of the heaviest of the planned steel structures.

The aft section was placed between the hangar bay and flight deck of the nuclear-powered US Navy ship.

The superlift comprises 19 smaller units. It enabled Newport News Shipbuilding to install a majority of the outfitting equipment such as grating, pumps, valves, electrical panels, mounting studs, and ventilation before the structure was hoisted into the dry dock using the shipyard’s 1,050 metric tonne gantry crane.

“The aircraft carrier is due to be moved from the dry dock to an outfitting berth in the fourth quarter of next year, approximately three months ahead of schedule.”

The superlifts will be joined together to complete the construction of the Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carrier.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

CVN 79 programme director Mike Butler said: “This superlift represents the future build strategy for Ford-class carriers.

“Not only did we build this superlift larger and with significantly more pre-outfitting, we managed much of the work on the deckplate with new digital project management tools as part of our integrated digital shipbuilding initiative.”

The aircraft carrier is due to be moved from the dry dock to an outfitting berth in the fourth quarter of next year, approximately three months ahead of schedule.

The USS John F Kennedy will have a full load displacement of approximately 100,000 long tonnes and will be able to sail at a speed of more than 30k.

On 5 June 2015, HII secured a $3.35bn contract for the detail design and construction of the aircraft carrier, while the keel on the ship was laid on 22 August 2015.