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W. Bush, enters service in 2009, but the next-generation is on its way. The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford_class_aircraft_carrier" target="_blank">Gerald R. Ford CVN 78</a> is the first ship in the first new carrier class in over 40 years. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751/http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/cvn21/about.html" target="_blank">Northrop Grumman</a> has received a $5.1 billion, seven-year contract for construction of the CVN 78, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015.</p> <p>Northrop Grumman began advance construction of the Gerald R Ford in 2005, under a separate $2.7 billion contract. Roughly one third of the ship’s 1,200 structural units are currently under construction, with the keel scheduled to be laid in 2009. The Navy is expected to build 11 of the carriers, each worth approximately $8 billion, continuing construction into 2058.</p> <p>The Gerald R Ford class carriers will have a larger flight deck, improved weapons handling, a smaller island, a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, an Advanced Arresting Gear, and a new A1B nuclear propulsion and electricity generation system. The technological advancements in the Ford design result in a 25% increase in sortie generation, a 25% reduction in necessary manpower, a threefold increase in electrical generating capacity, improved self defense capability, increased launch/recovery capability, increased ability to incorporate future upgrades, and increased operational availability.</p> <p>By changing the layout of the flight deck, and pushing back the island, the carrier minimizes aircraft movements and decreases the workload for personnel. The centralized re-arming location, and the use of robots to move ordnance, also boosts efficiency and allows aircraft to re-arm in “minutes instead of hours.”</p> <p>The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS) has a higher level of control than the steam-powered catapults employed by Nimitz-class carriers. EMALS can launch heavier and lighter craft, making it compatible with UAVs. EMALS is more efficient, smaller lighter, more powerful, easier to control, and places less stress on airframes by gradually increasing the aircraft’s speed. UAV integration is also made possible by the Advanced Arresting Gear System, which uses electromagnetism, rather than hydraulics, to capture aircraft.</p> <p>The inability of current aircraft carriers to effectively handle UAVs is a reminder of the need to plan for technological advancement. While the USS Enterprise, (the ship being replaced by the Ford), is still serving 50 years after it was laid down, it is increasingly unable to adapt to upgraded systems. With currently planned systems on the CVN 78 consuming only half of its generated power, the ship is well prepared to incorporate future energy-hungry systems such laser guns, dynamic armor, and new tracking devices. </p></body></html></p>  <div id="bottom_unit"> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751js_/http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script> </div> </div>  <span class="title">Share</span> <div id="article_share" class="dotsontop"> <span class="as_button"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751/http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-via="gizmag">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751js_/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> twttr.events.bind('tweet', function(event) { if (event) { var targetUrl; if (event.target && event.target.nodeName == 'IFRAME') { targetUrl = extractParamFromUri(event.target.src, 'url'); } _gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'twitter', 'tweet', targetUrl]); } }); twttr.events.bind('retweet', function(){ var targetUrl; if (event.target && event.target.nodeName == 'IFRAME') { targetUrl = extractParamFromUri(event.target.src, 'url'); } _gaq.push(['_trackSocial', 'twitter', 'retweet', targetUrl]); }); function extractParamFromUri(uri, paramName){ if(!uri){ return; } var uri = uri.split('#')[0]; //remove anchor var parts = uri.split('?'); //check for query params if(parts.length == 1){ return; //no params } var query = decodeURI(parts[1]); //find the url param paramName += '='; var params = query.split('&'); for(var i = 0, param; param = params[i]; ++i){ if(param.indexOf(paramName) === 0){ return unescape(param.split('=')[1]); } } } </script> </span> <span class="as_button"><script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751js_/http://www.stumbleupon.com/hostedbadge.php?s=1"></script></span> <span class="as_button"><g:plusone size="medium" count="true" href="http://www.gizmag.com/northrop-grumman-to-build-first-new-aircraft-carrier-class-in-40-years/10017/"></g:plusone></span> <span class="as_button"><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751js_/http://platform.linkedin.com/in.js"></script><script type="in/share" data-counter="right"></script></span> <span class="as_button"><script type="text/javascript">reddit_newwindow='1'</script><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751js_/http://www.reddit.com/static/button/button1.js"></script></span> <fb:like href="http://www.gizmag.com/northrop-grumman-to-build-first-new-aircraft-carrier-class-in-40-years/10017/" send="false" width="450" show_faces="false" font="" id="facebook_like"></fb:like><script type="text/javascript">_ga.trackFacebook();</script> </div>   <div id="tags"> <span class="title">Tags</span> <div class="dotsontop"> <ul> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/aeroplanes/" rel="tag">Aeroplanes</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/construction/" rel="tag">Construction</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/design/" rel="tag">Design</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/military/" rel="tag">Military</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/naval+warfare/" rel="tag">Naval Warfare</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/northrop+grumman/" rel="tag">Northrop Grumman</a></li> <li>» <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/tag/uav/" rel="tag">UAV</a></li> <li class="clear_both"></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="bing_unit"></div>  <span class="title" id="comments">User Comments (2)</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="comment_dots">  <div id="comment-73573" class="a_comment"> <p>Aircraft will be obsolete in 40 years. </p> <img src="/web/20111016003751im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Stefan Padureanu</span> <span class="date">- August 12, 2011 @ 08:18 am PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="comment-80104" class="a_comment"> <p>In forty years humans will be obsolete. Unfortunately there will be a couple more billion people on this planet then there is today, and a vast majority of them will be jobless. Technology gives one man the abilities to do the work of the thousand men it just made redundant. </p> <img src="/web/20111016003751im_/http://www.gizmag.com/images/comment.png" alt="comment"> <span class="name">Nelson</span> <span class="date">- September 16, 2011 @ 10:16 am PDT</span> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> </div> <span class="title">Post a Comment</span> <div class="dotsontop" id="comment_form_div"> <div id="comment_form" data-article="10017"> <div id="comments_login"> <form action="" style="clear: both; padding-top: 0px;" name="login_form" id="login_form" onsubmit="return false;"> <p><strong>Login with your gizmag account:</strong></p> <p id="login_status"></p> <label for="email">Email</label><input type="text" class="text" name="email" id="email" value=""/><br/><br/> <label for="password">Password</label><input type="password" class="text" name="password" id="password" value=""/><br/> <div> <input type="submit" style="float: right" id="submit" value="Log In"/> <div id="options"> <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/register/">Register here</a>       <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/new_password/">Forgotten your password?</a> </div> </div> <input type="hidden" id="expired_comment" value=""/> </form> </div> <div id="facebook_login"> <p>Or <strong>Login with Facebook:</strong></p><br/> <fb:login-button scope="email" max-rows="1" onlogin="loginFUser(10017);" autologoutlink="true"></fb:login-button> </div> </div> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <br/> <span class="title">Related Articles</span> <div class="dotsontop"> <div id="related_articles"> <div class="pair"> <div> <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/x-47b-first-flight-the-era-of-the-autonomous-unmanned-combat-plane-approaches/17817/" class="image" style="clear: both" title="X-47B first flight: the era of the autonomous unmanned combat plane approaches"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20111016003751im_/http://images.gizmag.com/related/northrop-grumman-x-47b-first-flight.jpg" alt="X-47B first flight: the era of the autonomous unmanned combat plane approaches"/></a> <a style="clear: both" class="blue" href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/x-47b-first-flight-the-era-of-the-autonomous-unmanned-combat-plane-approaches/17817/">X-47B first flight: the era of the autonomous unmanned combat plane approaches</a> </div> <div> <a href="/web/20111016003751/http://www.gizmag.com/go/7776/" class="image" style="clear: both" title="RQ-4 Global Hawk - 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