Gerald R. Ford Class CVN

fightingirish said:
President Biden has announced, that the next two Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN 83).
Source:
www.whitehouse.gov

Statement from President Biden Announcing the Names of CVN 82 and CVN 83 | The White House

I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and
www.whitehouse.gov www.whitehouse.gov
No offence, but now we can certainly predict, that the future CVN-84 and CVN-85 will be named after POTUS 44 and POTUS 45/47.:(
Sorry, I just wish former aircraft carrier names like USS Saratoga, USS Lexington or even the USS Nimitz again etc. should be chosen instead.:)
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CVN-84 might be called the USS Lewinsky. A special ops Ford-class carrier specifically configured for Project Blue Dress. The goal of PBD is to acquire militarily, all Cuban cigar developmental and manufacturing technology without leaving a stain or trace of the operation.
 
TomS said:
ESSM drops its TVC module fairly close in, as soon as the missile has turned horizontal out of the launcher.

The concern about ESSM debris fallback on carriers was something I heard from folks in PEO Ships back in the day.
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Thank you, I knew I wasn't losing my mind! (this time)

I would have addressed that by installing the VLS block(s) with a 5-10 degree outboard angle, but for whatever reason that apparently was either insufficient or not considered. Which is extremely unfortunate, since a single 8-cell Mk41 module would hold 32x ESSMs ready to launch, as opposed to the 8x that the box launcher has ready. I believe in arming carriers with enough onboard missile defenses to handle a Russian or Chinese bomber regimental attack, ~48x aircraft carrying up to 4x missiles each.

I'd want 4x modules on the carrier in 2 sets of 2, 2-3x RAM (since it's highly unlikely that the USN would adopt the OTO 76mm Sovraponte), and 2-3x CIWS.

The other option would be some fancy programming for the TVC module, to know where it was relative to the ship and not drop the TVC until the missile was clear of the ship (including wind drift)
 
To help with re-supply and crew rotation--perhaps future scuttling of Navy ships can be done atop shallow sea-mounts--with oil derricks relocated there as a cheapo JMOB.

Sitting duck though it may be, you would just have low cost supplies.

Should a Ford be struck--it might sail over the top of an oil platform with added legs whose surface is beneath the waves.
 
www.navalnews.com

SECNAV names two future U.S. Navy aircraft carriers - Naval News

SECNAV announced the names of two upcoming Gerald R. Ford-class of aircraft carriers as the future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83).
www.navalnews.com www.navalnews.com

www.defensedaily.com

Navy Names Two Carriers After Presidents Clinton And Bush, Future SSNs and Third SSBN - Defense Daily

The Navy and Biden administration on Monday announced the names of the next two aircraft carriers, the third Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine
www.defensedaily.com www.defensedaily.com
 
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Scott Kenny said:
Thank you, I knew I wasn't losing my mind! (this time)

I would have addressed that by installing the VLS block(s) with a 5-10 degree outboard angle, but for whatever reason that apparently was either insufficient or not considered. Which is extremely unfortunate, since a single 8-cell Mk41 module would hold 32x ESSMs ready to launch, as opposed to the 8x that the box launcher has ready. I believe in arming carriers with enough onboard missile defenses to handle a Russian or Chinese bomber regimental attack, ~48x aircraft carrying up to 4x missiles each.
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This is what the Angled Adaptable Deck Launcher (formerly Cocoon) is intended for. I'm very surprised the Navy never adopted it.

 
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So are there any up to date estimates on when might USS Bill J. Clinton be laid down? Old estimate for 2027 seems way out of date. I'd think if USS BJ Clinton can get laid by 2029, USN should count itself lucky. With 2030 being more likely.
 
TomS said:
ESSM drops its TVC module fairly close in, as soon as the missile has turned horizontal out of the launcher.

The concern about ESSM debris fallback on carriers was something I heard from folks in PEO Ships back in the day.
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I recall the ESSM's TVC being jettisoned after the turnover maneuver.
 
Scott Kenny said:
That's a much flatter angle than I had intended. I meant 5-10 degrees off vertical, or whatever putting the doors of the inboard cells vertically over the base of the outboard cells ends up being.
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There are enough advantages to the flatter angle, especially for a self-defense launcher, to justify that rather than fiddling around with just a few degrees.
 
TomS said:
It's less than 3 seconds after launch. That should be clear of the ship, usually, but isn't a certainty.
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FR Charles de Gaulle also uses VLS to launch Aster , and I remember the Aster's booster also only burns for a few seconds. any different?
 
CIC-TAO said:
FR Charles de Gaulle also uses VLS to launch Aster , and I remember the Aster's booster also only burns for a few seconds. any difference?
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The TVC on ESSM isn't propulsive, it's just an add-on sitting in the exhaust stream of the main missile motor. So it comes off before the missile has done most of its acceleration, unlike the ASTER booster, which comes off after the dart is fully accelerated. So, the TVC has to be falling closer to the ship than an ASTER booster.
 
Here an interesting video about the Ford Class Aircraft Carrier program, uploaded by former USN RIO Ward Carroll today.
Be aware, this video is also political, because it brings up older comments on steam versus electromagnetic catapults by POTUS Trump in his first term.
View: https://youtu.be/t23y2PM6TjU?si=QdXTJj_gmxSCrCzE
 

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