NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson came to Newport News Shipbuilding, where the $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford is undergoing a post-shakedown availability, and said he has a "high level of confidence" in the warship.
His visit followed an internal Pentagon report last week that questioned the ship's capability to quickly generate aircraft sorties, saying the Navy had "unrealistic assumptions" about the Ford's all-new electromagnetic aircraft launch system and the advanced arresting gear.
Nearly two years after its commissioning, the Ford just got the first of its 11 advanced weapons elevators this past December.
The CNO watched a demonstration as the ship's first working elevator went up and down without a hitch.
"You are going to crush every record that has ever been set for an aircraft carrier," Richardson said to sailors aboard the ship.
Richardson said he believes all challenges related to the Ford will be overcome.
"There might be something unforeseen," he said. " I can guarantee we'll tackle that with a great sense of urgency and we'll work through that problem. I'm not saying it's clear sailing all the way forward. I'm not that naive. But I know we've got the right team on it."
The Pentagon approved a plan last week for a $15.2 billion "block-buy" of two more Ford-class carriers.
The news of more problems raised the question of whether all of these issues can be resolved by the time the next Ford-class carrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy, gets commissioned in 2024.