The Newport News Shipbuilding unit of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has completed about 74% of Ford-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), HII CEO Mike Petters confirmed on 6 August.
Newport News Shipbuilding is nearly three-quarters complete with the building of aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, which was launched in December. (Huntington Ingalls Industries)
“The team remains focused on compartment completion and completion of our single-phase delivery proposal for submission to the navy,” Petters told investment analysts during HII’s quarterly earnings call.
Work continues apace on the ship, he noted despite workforce disruptions due to the impacts of Covid-19 and the yard’s mitigation efforts to prevent infection.
Construction hotwork was temporarily halted aboard the carrier following a 20 July fire as a general safety measure meant to ensure the US Navy (USN) and shipyard have all the right protocols in place, James Geurts, assistant secretary of the navy for research, development and acquisition, told reporters on 30 July during a telephone press conference.
Hotwork resumed on the ship on 22 July, HII confirmed to Janes on 5 August.
As the yard continues to build and install compartments and other systems on the ship, HII is still negotiating the single-phase delivery of the ship. The USN had initially contracted for a dual-phase Kennedy delivery – the first phase being the hull and associated systems, followed by the second delivery of combat systems and other equipment.
“There are a lot of moving parts right now,” Chris Kastner, HII executive vice president and chief financial officer, said during the 6 August quarterly earnings call.
Kennedy
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