La USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) sarà la seconda portaerei della classe Gerald R. Ford

La USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) sarà la seconda portaerei della classe Gerald R. Ford, dopo la capoclasse CVN-78. Vi sono poche indiscrezioni intorno a questa unità a parte il nome. Attualmente la nave è in allestimento. Utilizza i nuovi reattori nucleari A1B e sostituirà la USS Nimitz (CVN-68), mentre la USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) sostituirà la USS Enterprise (CVN-65).

Come previsto, il 2 novembre 2020 la US Navy (USN) ha ordinato ai cantieri Newport News Shipbuilding di Huntington-Ingalls Industries (HII) modifiche contrattuali che modificano la consegna della portaerei John F.Kennedy (CVN 79) allo scopo di attuare modifiche alla portaerei per agevolare le operazioni di volo del Lockheed Martin F-35C. Con questa modifica, la portaerei nucleare verrà consegnata tre mesi prima di quanto inizialmente previsto con il vecchio programma. I cantieri Newport News Shipbuilding di Huntington Ingalls Industries hanno varato la portaerei John F. Kennedy nel 2019 e subito dopo la Us Navy ha modificato il piano di consegna della nave. Newport News Shipbuilding riceverà 284,3 milioni di $ di incentivi fissi ed una modifica non superiore a 30,7 milioni di $ per la realizzazione della consegna monofase della CVN 79 e delle capacità dell’F-35C. 

La marina Usa sta passando ad un approccio di consegna monofase per soddisfare sia i requisiti della flotta che il mandato del Congresso di garantire che la CVN 79 sia in grado di operare e dispiegare aerei Joint Strike Fighter prima di completare la disponibilità post-shakedown come codificato nell'anno fiscale 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Le modifiche forniscono un finanziamento iniziale per l'approvvigionamento di materiale e pianificazione a lungo termine. La data di consegna monofase è prevista per il 30 giugno 2024 per la seconda nave dei vettori classe Ford, ha osservato la US NAVY. Il Congressional Research Service (CRS) ha ribadito che la Kennedy era stata programmata per la consegna alla marina nel settembre 2024.

La classe Gerald R. Ford (conosciuta anche come progetto CVN-21) è una nuova classe di superportaerei a propulsione nucleare della U.S. Navy, che sostituirà le unità della classe Nimitz. Il nome di questa classe, e della prima unità, è quello di Gerald Ford, 38º Presidente degli Stati Uniti d'America.

La nuova classe ha un reattore nucleare A1B di nuova progettazione, una caratteristica più stealth per ridurre la visibilità ai radar e una forte presenza di apparecchiature avanzate per l'automazione della nave, per ridurre il personale imbarcato e quindi i costi di esercizio.

È prevista la costruzione di 10 portaerei, delle quali quattro sono già state annunciate:

• USS Gerald R. Ford (2017) — ha rimpiazzato la USS Enterprise (CVN-65), che è stata posta in disarmo nel 2012, dopo 50 anni di servizio
• USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) (2020) — prevista per rimpiazzare la USS Nimitz
• USS Enterprise (CVN-80) (2025) — prevista per rimpiazzare la USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
• USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) (data di entrata in servizio ancora non determinata).

ENGLISH

USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier being built for the United States Navy. The ship was launched on October 29, 2019 and christened on December 7, 2019.

Naming

On 7 December 2007, the 66th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Congressman Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) proposed naming this ship USS Arizona. In 2009, Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ) proposed naming either CVN-79 or the subsequent CVN-80 Barry M. Goldwater, after Barry Goldwater, the late senator from Arizona. On 29 May 2011, the Department of Defense announced that the ship would be named for John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th President of the United States, who served in the navy during World War II. She will be the third navy ship named after members of the Kennedy family, and the second aircraft carrier named John F. Kennedy, succeeding USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), which served from 1968 to 2007.

Construction

On 15 January 2009, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding was awarded a $374 million contract for design work and construction preparation for John F. Kennedy. On 30 September 2010, Northrop Grumman announced that preparations were under way to begin construction. On 25 February 2011, the Navy conducted the First Cut of Steel ceremony at Northrop Grumman in Newport News, signalling the formal start of construction for John F. Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy was originally planned to be completed in 2018. This was extended to 2020 after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced in 2009 that the program would shift to a five-year building program so as to place it on a "more fiscally sustainable path". By late 2012, delays had occurred in construction, and the Navy Department was investigating extending the construction time of both Enterprise and John F. Kennedy by an additional two years which could delay the carrier's entry into service until 2022. In September 2013, the Government Accountability Office recommended delaying the detail design and construction contract for John F. Kennedy until programmatic shortfalls are sorted out. The Navy and Defense Department have rejected the recommendation. The Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to completing Gerald R. Ford, including producing systems prior to demonstrating their maturity to meet required installation dates. Gerald R. Ford had costs increase by 22% to $12.8 billion, and additional increases could follow due to uncertainties facing critical technology systems and shipbuilder under performance. Risk is introduced in the Navy's plan to conduct integration testing of key systems at the same time as initial operational test and evaluation. One action the GAO says could be taken to ensure Ford-class carrier acquisitions are supported is conducting a cost-benefit analysis of required capabilities and associated costs.

The ship's keel was laid in Newport News, Virginia on 22 August 2015. As part of the traditional keel laying ceremony, the initials of ship sponsor Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy and the sponsor of the previous John F. Kennedy, were welded into the ship's hull. As of late June 2017 the ship was 50% structurally complete. On 28 February 2018, Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding division had built 70% of the structures necessary to complete John F. Kennedy. On 30 April 2018, Huntington Ingalls Industries announced that she was "75 percent structurally erected and more than 40 percent complete." On 3 May 2018 Huntington Ingalls President & CEO Mike Petters reported that John F. Kennedy was to be launched three months ahead of schedule on 29 October 2019. On 30 May 2019 the 588-ton bridge and island was installed. Under the island Captain Todd Marzano placed his wings and the first Kennedy half dollar which was donated by Caroline Kennedy was put in place. Next to these Rear Admiral Brian Antonio (program executive officer, Aircraft Carriers, ret.), Rear Admiral Roy Kelley (commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic), and Jennifer Boykin (president, Newport News Shipbuilding) placed coins each embossed with quotes from President Kennedy and parts of the ship's motto. Caroline could not be present, so the order was given via radio for the crane operator to lift the island and set it down on the deck over the ceremonial items and entombing them in the ship's superstructure. The ship reached 100% complete on 11 July 2019 with the installation of the upper bow and launch deck consisting of the ships two forward catapults.

On 1 October 2019, the ship's crew was activated for the first time as Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) John F. Kennedy at a ceremony aboard the vessel at Newport News Shipbuilding. On 29 October 2019, Newport News Shipbuilding began flooding the dry dock where John F. Kennedy has been under construction. The process of filling the dry dock with more than 100,000,000 US gallons (380,000,000 l; 83,000,000 imp gal) of water took place over several days, and it marked the first time the ship has been in water. Once the ship was afloat, it was moved to west end of the dry dock. The ship was christened on 7 December 2019 by Caroline Kennedy who reenacted the bottle bash she did when the first John F. Kennedy (CV-67) was christened 50 years ago.

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