Navy replaces troubled part on Ford carrier after test cancelation

NAVY SHARE OF THE DAY

Navy replaces troubled part on Ford carrier after test cancelation
By Megan Eckstein
Feb 3, 10:45 AM
Sailors assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) air department perform jet blast deflector maintenance and cleaning prior to fight operations on Jan. 21, 2020. (MC1 Gary Prill/U.S. Navy)

WASHINGTON — A key system on aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford forced the cancelation of an at-sea test in August, but the ship successfully completed an overseas mission in the fall after the U.S. Navy installed a new replacement part.

A Pentagon test and evaluation office noted in a January report the Ford’s jet blast deflector — the large panel that raises just before a jet is catapulted off the flight deck to protect the ship and sailors from intense heat — was among the systems with ongoing reliability problems that hindered the ship from reaching its promised efficiency.

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