Posted on Apr 7, 2023
Navy: USS Gerald R. Ford Set to Deploy in May, Kennedy Deployment Schedule Unaffected by Delivery...
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First-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is set to deploy the first week of May following the completion of a series of certification exercises, service officials said on Tuesday.
Ford returned on Sunday from its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) that served as a month-long, high-pressure stress test for the carrier, air wing and its escorts ahead of its first world-wide deployment. Carrier Strike Group 4 engineered the test for Ford, Carrier Air Wing 8, its escorts and Carrier Strike Group 12.
While the Navy hasn’t said where it will operate, USNI News understands it will continue the consistent carrier presence in the Mediterranean Sea that the U.S. began in December 2021 ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Last month, USNI News visited the carrier ahead of the graduation exercise. The chief test for the air wing was the carrier strike group’s blue water certification, which is the ability for the air wing to safely operate at sea and out of range of a land-based runway.
Ford returned on Sunday from its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) that served as a month-long, high-pressure stress test for the carrier, air wing and its escorts ahead of its first world-wide deployment. Carrier Strike Group 4 engineered the test for Ford, Carrier Air Wing 8, its escorts and Carrier Strike Group 12.
While the Navy hasn’t said where it will operate, USNI News understands it will continue the consistent carrier presence in the Mediterranean Sea that the U.S. began in December 2021 ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Last month, USNI News visited the carrier ahead of the graduation exercise. The chief test for the air wing was the carrier strike group’s blue water certification, which is the ability for the air wing to safely operate at sea and out of range of a land-based runway.
Navy: USS Gerald R. Ford Set to Deploy in May, Kennedy Deployment Schedule Unaffected by Delivery...
Posted from news.usni.orgPosted in these groups: 
Aircraft Carriers
Aircraft Carriers
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."This solution — an operational employment of about three months, on both sides of the ocean, showing off the full range of missions and capabilities — seems to strike a good balance for Navy leaders.
“Could we afford to have more aircraft onboard? We could. Those aren’t programmed or budgeted flying hours right now, so we’re effectively doing that out of hide, if you will — so that’s the increased flying that that air wing is going to do is well ahead of its normal funding, budgeted profile. We think that’s important enough, though, and a high enough priority that we need to do that, to demonstrate all the attributes of the Ford carrier, all the integration with partners and allies, maneuver, range, lethality, all those sorts of things,” Meier said.
Ford is currently wrapping up its first planned incremental availability maintenance period, after going through explosive shock trials last summer to test out the ship and its systems against damage from mines and missiles. Once repairs from the blasts are made, and the carrier receives final upgrades and systems installations that weren’t done during the construction phase, the carrier will join its air wing and carrier strike group for training, certification and a deployment, Navy leaders have said.
On Jan. 21, the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, Rear Adm. Jim Downey, told reporters that Ford’s maiden deployment would take place “by the fall” and would involve multiple theaters and multiple allies.
Based on Downey’s and Meier’s comments, Ford is likely to be on its service-retained employment until late 2022, come back for a maintenance period in early 2023, and then begin a full work-up process for the GFM deployment in late 2023 or early 2024, in accordance with joint force plans."
..."This solution — an operational employment of about three months, on both sides of the ocean, showing off the full range of missions and capabilities — seems to strike a good balance for Navy leaders.
“Could we afford to have more aircraft onboard? We could. Those aren’t programmed or budgeted flying hours right now, so we’re effectively doing that out of hide, if you will — so that’s the increased flying that that air wing is going to do is well ahead of its normal funding, budgeted profile. We think that’s important enough, though, and a high enough priority that we need to do that, to demonstrate all the attributes of the Ford carrier, all the integration with partners and allies, maneuver, range, lethality, all those sorts of things,” Meier said.
Ford is currently wrapping up its first planned incremental availability maintenance period, after going through explosive shock trials last summer to test out the ship and its systems against damage from mines and missiles. Once repairs from the blasts are made, and the carrier receives final upgrades and systems installations that weren’t done during the construction phase, the carrier will join its air wing and carrier strike group for training, certification and a deployment, Navy leaders have said.
On Jan. 21, the program executive officer for aircraft carriers, Rear Adm. Jim Downey, told reporters that Ford’s maiden deployment would take place “by the fall” and would involve multiple theaters and multiple allies.
Based on Downey’s and Meier’s comments, Ford is likely to be on its service-retained employment until late 2022, come back for a maintenance period in early 2023, and then begin a full work-up process for the GFM deployment in late 2023 or early 2024, in accordance with joint force plans."
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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Awesome Share, PO1 William "Chip" Nagel!!! So great to see this beauty on the world's Seas & Oceans!!!
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