The ocean is big. Really big. But the USS Kennedy CVN 79 is a 1,100-foot slab of American steel designed to make it feel much smaller. Honestly, when you look at the sheer scale of the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, it’s easy to get lost in the "gee-whiz" numbers. 100,000 tons of displacement. Two nuclear reactors. A price tag that makes accountants weep. But focusing on the size misses the point of what's happening at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding right now. This isn't just a bigger boat. It’s a massive, floating power plant that just happens to launch fighter jets.
The Navy is moving away from the Nimitz class, which has served us since the 70s. Those old ships are great, but they’ve hit a wall. They can’t generate enough juice for the lasers and sensors of the future. The USS Kennedy CVN 79 fixes that. It’s built with a "digital backbone" that feels more like a Silicon Valley data center than a traditional warship.
The Electromagnetic Leap: Goodbye Steam, Hello EMALS
For decades, if you were a pilot getting shot off a deck, you relied on steam. Massive pistons filled with high-pressure vapor would hurl a 60,000-pound jet into the air. It worked, but it was violent. It tore up the airframes. It required hundreds of sailors to maintain miles of piping.
The USS Kennedy CVN 79 swaps that out for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS. Think of it like a railgun for airplanes. Because it uses electricity, the crew can fine-tune the power. You can launch a heavy F/A-18 Super Hornet and then, minutes later, launch a light, fragile drone without snapping it in half.
It’s smoother. It’s faster. And crucially, it requires fewer people.
But here’s the thing: EMALS had a rough start on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). There were "reliability issues." That’s Navy-speak for "it broke a lot." Critics jumped all over it. However, the data coming out of the Atlantic lately suggests the kinks are being ironed out. The Kennedy is benefiting from every single mistake made on the Ford. By the time the Kennedy hits the fleet, the "new tech" jitters should be a memory.
Why the Island Moved
If you look at a photo of the USS Kennedy CVN 79, something looks "off" if you’re used to old carriers. The island—the tower where the captain sits—is further aft (toward the back) and smaller than on the Nimitz class.
This wasn't an aesthetic choice. It creates more room on the flight deck for "pit stops."
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In the old days, moving planes around the deck was like a game of Tetris played with millions of dollars and high explosives. By moving the island, the Navy created a massive "re-arm and refuel" area. It’s basically a NASCAR pit row for F-35Cs. This allows the Kennedy to generate a higher "sortie generation rate." Basically, it can fly more missions per day than any ship in history. Efficiency sounds boring until you realize it’s the difference between winning a conflict and just sitting in the water.
Powering the Unthinkable: 600 Megawatts of Potential
Let’s talk about the Bechtel A1B nuclear reactors. They are smaller and simpler than the old A4W versions. But they put out nearly three times the electrical power.
Why do we need that much power?
Right now, we don't. Not for the current planes. But look at what’s coming. Directed energy weapons. Lasers. High-powered microwave defenses. These systems eat electricity like a starving teenager. The Nimitz class couldn't handle them without blowing a fuse. The USS Kennedy CVN 79 has the "headroom." It’s future-proofed for weapons that haven't even been fully fielded yet.
It’s also worth noting the ship uses "all-electric" utilities. No steam lines running through the living quarters. That means it’s quieter and, honestly, a lot more comfortable for the 4,500+ sailors living aboard. It’s still a warship, not a cruise liner, but not having steam pipes bursting in your berthing area is a definite upgrade.
The Cost Controversy and the Two-Phase Delivery
You can't talk about the Kennedy without talking about the money. It’s expensive. Roughly $11 billion and counting.
There was a whole drama about the "Two-Phase Delivery" plan. Initially, the Navy wanted to deliver the ship in two chunks to save money upfront. Phase one would be the ship; phase two would be the F-35 integration and some electronics.
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Congress hated this.
They basically told the Navy, "No, give us a whole ship that can actually fly our best planes from day one." So, the plan shifted. The USS Kennedy CVN 79 is being built to be "single-phase," meaning when it’s handed over, it’s ready for the F-35C Lightning II. This was a smart move, even if it shifted some budget lines around. Delivering a carrier that can't launch your premier stealth fighter in 2026 is like buying a Ferrari that only runs on kerosene.
Logistics: The Unsung Hero of CVN 79
Everyone loves the jets, but the elevators are where the real magic happens. The Kennedy uses Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE).
On the old ships, these were cable-actuated. They were slow. On the USS Kennedy CVN 79, they use linear induction motors. No cables. These magnets move tons of bombs and missiles from the guts of the ship to the flight deck at high speeds.
Again, the Ford had massive trouble with these. They were a nightmare to certify. But the lessons learned there have been applied to the Kennedy. The goal is to move ordnance faster than the planes can drop it. If the elevators stop, the carrier is just a very expensive target. The Navy knows this. They've put a massive amount of engineering hours into making sure the Kennedy’s "supply chain" inside the hull is unbreakable.
A Living Tribute: The Name Matters
This is the second carrier named after the 35th President. The first was CV-67, the "Big John," a conventional carrier that retired in 2007.
There’s a lot of weight to that name.
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When Caroline Kennedy, the ship’s sponsor, smashed the bottle of sparkling wine across the bow during the christening, it wasn't just ceremony. For the crew, there’s a sense of legacy. The ship’s motto, "Serve with Courage," is pulled directly from JFK’s own rhetoric. In an era of drones and long-range missiles, the Navy is betting heavily that the human element—and the symbolic power of a massive carrier—still matters.
What People Get Wrong About the Kennedy
I see this a lot online: "Carriers are obsolete because of Chinese 'carrier killer' missiles."
It’s a valid concern, but it’s a bit simplistic. The USS Kennedy CVN 79 doesn't sail alone. It’s the center of a Carrier Strike Group. It’s protected by Aegis destroyers, submarines, and its own massive radar suite (the Dual Band Radar or the new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar).
Moreover, the Kennedy is designed to stay further away and still strike. With the integration of the MQ-25 Stingray—a drone tanker—the Kennedy’s air wing can reach out and touch someone much further away than before. It changes the math of the "no-go zones" that adversaries try to create.
Actionable Reality: The Timeline for 2026 and Beyond
If you're tracking the progress of the USS Kennedy CVN 79, here is what actually matters over the next 18 to 24 months.
- Final Outfitting: The ship is in the water, but the interior "guts" are being finalized. Watch for news regarding the installation of the radar arrays and the final testing of the EMALS catapults on the pier.
- Sea Trials: This is the big one. This is where the ship goes out and gets thrashed. They test the engines, the rudders, and the flight deck. If you see headlines about "successful sea trials," the ship is on the home stretch.
- Post-Delivery Availability: Even after the Navy "takes" the ship, it won't deploy immediately. There will be a period of "shakedown" where they find everything the shipyard missed.
- Air Wing Integration: The real test happens when VFA (Strike Fighter) squadrons start landing. Watch for the first trap and cat-shot by an F-35C. That’s the moment the Kennedy becomes a weapon.
The USS Kennedy CVN 79 represents a massive bet on the future of American power. It’s a bet that says technology can overcome the sheer danger of the modern battlefield. It hasn't been a smooth road—the Ford class has been criticized by everyone from the GAO to the White House—but the Kennedy is the proof of concept that the Navy is finally getting it right.
Keep an eye on the Newport News shipyards. The Kennedy isn't just another hull; it's the template for the next fifty years of naval aviation.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts and Analysts
- Monitor official NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) updates for the transition from "Post-Delivery Test and Trials" (PDT&T).
- Track the progress of the MQ-25 Stingray drone program, as its success is directly tied to the Kennedy's long-range relevance.
- Look for GAO reports on CVN 79 cost caps to see if the Navy is staying within the legislative limits set by Congress.