USS John F. Kennedy completes last Navy tests before joining the fleet

USS John F. Kennedy has completed the Navy’s acceptance sea trials, one of the final steps before the much-delayed $13.2 billion second USS Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier officially joins the fleet.

The 100,000-ton nuclear-powered ship, built by HII Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, went through builder’s sea trials in February. It completed the acceptance trials Saturday.

“During builder’s trials, the shipyard demonstrates the ship’s performance,” according to the website of Naval Sea Systems Command. “During acceptance trials, the Navy is effectively the customer, independently verifying that the ship meets specifications before taking ownership.”

Acceptance trials are conducted by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), to independently assess whether a new ship meets contract and Navy requirements. Over several days, tests include propulsion, maneuvering, navigation, combat systems, communication, damage control, aviation operations, crew quarters habitability, anchoring and general seaworthiness. The ship’s performance at various speeds and during hard turns is tested.

“At the end of the trials, INSURV documents deficiencies and makes recommendations regarding acceptance,” says the NAVSEA website. “Significant deficiencies may require correction before delivery, while less serious items can be tracked for later completion. Once the Navy is satisfied, the ship is formally delivered and enters service preparation prior to commissioning.”

Kennedy was christened Dec. 7, 2019, but design changes and construction delays put the project behind schedule. The Navy has announced plans to commission Kennedy in March 2027.

The Navy said the delays were due in part to issues with the Advanced Arresting Gear certification and ongoing work on the Advanced Weapons Elevator, which uses electromagnets to move weapons from within the ship to the flight deck.

Design changes to Kennedy’s flight deck will allow the carrier to accommodate the Navy’s latest strike fighter, the F-35C Lightning II. The flight deck was changed from the Ford’s to give jets more room to maneuver on deck and use stronger jet blast deflectors. Ford has operated only F/A-18 Super Hornets as the strike fighter in its air wing. 

Kennedy was also retrofitted with the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, which is not on Ford. It’s designed to better detect incoming threats against the ship and coordinate with air defense response.

Ford, Kennedy and the next carrier under construction, USS Enterprise, use electromagnetic-driven catapults and elevators. But President Donald Trump has directed that, beginning with the fourth ship, USS Doris Miller, the systems will revert to steam-driven catapults and elevators used on Nimitz-class carriers.

After commissioning, Kennedy is scheduled to operate from the Naval Station Norfolk before moving in 2029 to its new homeport at Naval Base Kitsap near Seattle. 

Ford-class carriers use three times the electricity of a Nimitz-class carrier when in port. To prepare to homeport Kennedy, Naval Base Kitsap and the adjacent Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are undergoing a $145 million electrical systems upgrade.

Delays in the Ford-class program have led the Navy to put off the retirement of its two oldest carriers, Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, commissioned in 1977. Nimitz was originally scheduled to retire in 2025, followed by Eisenhower in 2026. The Navy now plans to retire Nimitz in March 2027 while Eisenhower will remain in the fleet until at least 2030.