Celebrating 25 Years
August 3, 2020 – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed an Air Intercept Control (AIC) event on July 30. A first for the crew, this accomplishment was another milestone of Ford’s operational progress as she passes the half-way point of her 18-month Post-Delivery Test and Trials (PDT&T). USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed an Air Intercept Control (AIC)…
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July 23, 2020 – Program Executive Office (PEO) Aircraft Carriers announced the on-schedule certification and turnover of a sixth Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), July 22. Designed to move ordnance efficiently from the ship’s forward magazine to the flight deck, via the forward weapons handling and transfer area, Lower Stage Weapons Elevator (LSWE) 1…
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June 2, 2020 – The Commanding Officer of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Capt. J.J. Cummings and Commander, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Capt. Josh Sager, announced the largest air wing embark to date, and Ford’s first ordnance movement from a lower deck magazine to F/A-18E Super Hornets using Ford’s state-of-the-art Advanced Weapons Elevators during a teleconference, June 1.…
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May 18, 2020 – General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has been awarded a contract for ongoing engineering and logistics sustainment of Gerald R. Ford-class Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) systems by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent, MD. GA-EMS will provide critical engineering, technical, configuration management and program support for EMALS…
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May 14, 2020 – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the only carrier qualification (CQ) asset regularly available on the East Coast this year, commenced its second round of CQs for Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) pilots May 10, with a healthy and mission-focused crew. Ford, operating at-sea at the same time as four other U.S. aircraft carriers, is conducting its…
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May 14, 2020 – The Navy’s newest and most technologically-advanced aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), contributed to another milestone for naval aviation during carrier qualifications (CQ) for the “Wallbangers” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW-117) May 12. Ten VAW-117 pilots successfully completed CQ with assistance from the “Greyhawks” of VAW-120 in the operation of the E-2D…
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April 22, 2020 – Program Executive Office (PEO) Aircraft Carriers announced the certification of a fifth Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) this week. The first-of-class aircraft carrier logged this important milestone at its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, just after completing a rigorous 32 days at sea, where the ship attained flight deck…
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April 21, 2020 – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) pulled away from the pier for three hours into the Elizabeth River to conduct a rare weighted inclining experiment, April 16. The purpose of the inclining experiment is to calculate the ship’s weight and center of gravity. Information from the test is also used to determine the ship’s stability in…
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April 14, 2020 – A student naval aviator logged a key milestone in Naval Aviation history April 8 when he landed a T-45C Goshawk aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during carrier qualifications (CQ), marking the 2,000th trap for the ship. The first-in-class aircraft carrier employs state-of-the art Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (ALRE) unique to Ford:…
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April 12, 2020 – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) concluded its first-ever Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) carrier qualifications (CQ) for Naval aviators while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, April 4. The mission of the FRS is to train pilots, naval flight officers and maintainers on the specific front-line aircraft they have been assigned to fly. Some pilots may be…
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