Navy review puts future of highest-tech US aircraft carriers in question
WASHINGTON– The US Navy is reviewing the design and costs of one of its most sophisticated and expensive warships – the Ford-class aircraft carrier – and the service’s top boss is not ruling out canceling future versions of its design.
Navy Secretary John Phelan told reporters Tuesday that the review, which is expected to be completed next month, was “a prudent and practical step” to look at “the costs of designs and systems to make sure they make sense and meet all the systems and requirements we want for the future.”
The design review comes after years of criticism from President Donald Trump, who took issue with some of the carrier’s technology, including its magnetic catapults, which he said “didn’t work” during a speech in the Oval Office last year.
When Phelan was asked whether the review could lead to the cancellation of future Ford-class aircraft carriers, he told reporters only that “it’s too early to tell, but we will have aircraft carriers.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford completed a record deployment of more than 300 days – since June 2025 – that saw the world’s largest aircraft carrier participate in two key military actions of the Trump administration: the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the war against Iran.
Navy budget documents released Tuesday do not list the Ford-class aircraft carriers among the ships the Navy is considering purchasing. The documents simply spoke of “aircraft carriers”. Meanwhile, other ships – such as the Columbia-class submarines and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers – were described by their class name.
A Navy statement released Tuesday praised the Ford-class carrier as “a combat-proven design” that has been capable of launching aircraft at a faster rate than older Nimitz-class carriers and offers “increased combat power and ability to sustain high-tempo global strike operations” in three parts of the world.
Phelan told reporters, however, that he wanted to examine the data.
“I go to the Ronald Reagan school of trust and verify,” Phelan said, before adding that the review would focus on the carrier’s ability to launch and recover aircraft.
The ship’s magnetic catapults are a key part of giving the Ford a leg up on older Nimitz ships when it comes to launching aircraft. They also place less stress on aircraft, require less maintenance and reduce the ship’s need for fresh water compared to older steam-powered variants.
The Navy has three other Ford-class aircraft carriers under construction: the USS John F. Kennedy, the USS Enterprise, and the USS Dorie Millier.
Phelan said the review would look at the next two carriers — named USS William Jefferson Clinton and USS George W. Bush by the Biden administration — that have been planned but not contracted.
Meanwhile, Trump deployed a new warship model dubbed the Trump-class battleship, which is estimated to cost more than $17 billion, or $4 billion more than the Ford-class aircraft carriers. The Navy does not plan to fund the first ship of the new class, the USS Defiant, until the 2028 fiscal year.
Phelan told reporters that the current cost of the Trump-class ship is a “first initial estimate” and he expects the cost to come down as the design is refined and more ships are built. He also did not rule out the ship being powered by a nuclear reactor, which would significantly increase its costs.
