Carrier John F. Kennedy Delivery Delayed 2 Years

The delivery of the new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy to the U.S. Navy has been delayed by two years.

The U.S. Naval Institute reported on this.

The delay is due to technical challenges in integrating advanced systems, including the electromagnetic catapult, weapons elevators, and other innovations.

Instead of the originally planned 2025, the carrier will now join the fleet in 2027. This will result in a temporary reduction in the number of aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy from 11 to 10 for at least one year.

The situation is further complicated by a shortage of qualified specialists and delays in component supply – similar issues are currently affecting the Columbia-class submarine construction program.

Due to the delay in the delivery of the USS John F. Kennedy, the Navy will be forced to decommission the aging USS Nimitz earlier, as it nears the end of its service life.

This means that, for the first time in decades, the United States will temporarily operate with only ten aircraft carriers, potentially limiting its ability to respond swiftly to crises in various parts of the world, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The U.S. Navy has stated that it is already reviewing the aircraft carrier rotation schedule and plans to optimize fleet deployment to minimize the impact of the reduced number of operational warships.

It is important to note that, as of today, the U.S. shipbuilding industry is facing significant challenges. Chief among them are difficulties in planning and a critical shortage of skilled specialists.

Additional complications stem from the lack of operational reliability in many systems, which has led to significant delays, particularly in the construction of new nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

Militarnyi previously reported that the U.S. defense industry is also encountering problems with the implementation of the Navy’s large-scale Constellation-class frigate program.

Currently, the program is running three years behind schedule, which is already a critical factor in the U.S. Navy’s expansion efforts amid strategic competition with China’s rapidly growing fleet.