Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) completed its first planned incremental availability. (Michael Fabey)
The Newport News Shipbuilding unit of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) completed the first planned incremental availability (PIA) for aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), HII confirmed on 1 March.
CVN 78 is the lead ship of the Ford-class carriers being built at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia.
Shipbuilders noted the PIA experience for the work on Ford will provide lessons learned for similar work on later carriers.
“We look forward to folding what we learned into the entire Gerald R Ford class,” said Lucas Hicks, vice-president of the Gerald R Ford and John F Kennedy (CVN 79) aircraft carrier programmes.
The PIA involved six months of modernisation and maintenance work to ensure Ford has the most current upgrades before the carrier's maiden deployment later this year, company officials noted.
The ship entered the PIA in September 2021 after completing full ship shock trials and a successful post-delivery test and trials period.
Looking to read the full article?
Gain unlimited access to Janes news and more...
