U.S. Navy orders third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier ship
NewsMay 26, 2016
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. U.S. Navy officials ordered a third Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship from Huntington Ingalls Industries. The contract valued at $152 million is for the advance planning and construction of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80).
Under contract, engineers will provide design, planning, and procurement of long-lead-time material. All advance planning work will be performed at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding unit through March 2018.
In 2018, construction is scheduled to begin on the new Enterprise aircraft carrier. Officials say it will eventually replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) when it enters the fleet in 2027.
“Advance planning allows us to begin applying lessons learned from CVN 78 and CVN 79 more effectively, while providing stability to our workforce and the industrial base," says Mike Shawcross, Newport News’ vice president of CVN 79 and CVN 80 construction.
