At a cost of around 13,000 million dollars, this ship has " problems of poor or unknown reliability " that weaken its ability to defend itself.
The aircraft carrier of the US Navy most expensive ever built is not ready for combat due, among other problems, having difficulty airplanes take off and land on deck, according to Pentagon documents cited by Bloomberg.
This is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), whose cost amounts to 12,900 million dollars, in addition to the obstacles takeoffs and landings of aircraft, also presents system failures responsible for weapons and ammunition the aircraft carrier. These systems have "problems of poor or unknown reliability" that weaken its ability to defend itself.
"These defects will affect much of flight operations. Unless they are resolved, which would probably require a redesign, will significantly limit the ability of CVN-78 to carry out combat operations," he said in a document to the Pentagon Michael Gilmore, director of operational testing and evaluation of the Department of Defense
In addition , the reliability of dual-band radar used for air traffic control and self-defense against aircraft and missiles " is unknown ," lamented Gilmore. The USS Gerald R. Ford is capable of carrying 75 aircraft and more than 4,500 people . Since its construction will start in 2008 , the cost has increased by more than 22 % to almost 13,000 million.
The design of this great ship, 340 meters long by 76 wide, allows up to 25 % more takeoffs and landings than their predecessors per unit time . Delivery was initially scheduled for September 2014, and is now expected later this year , although at present it is unknown whether these new defects influence the deadline.