Summary and Key Points – The Ford-Class Is Coming: The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) recently completed a high-stakes deployment off the coast of Venezuela, serving as the centerpiece for “Operation Southern Spear.”
-While the $13 billion supercarrier provided critical air cover for the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and interdicted narco-trafficking vessels, questions remain about its technical readiness.
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 21, 2024) The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), sails in formation with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Kashima-class training ship, JS Kashima (TV-3508), middle, and Hatakaze-class guided missile destroyer JS Shimakaze (TV-3521) while conducting routine operations in the Atlantic Ocean, September 23, 2024. The U.S. Navy and JMSDF continue to train together to improve interoperability and strengthen joint capabilities. For more than 60 years, the U.S.-Japan Alliance has been the corner stone of stability and security and is crucial to the mutual capability of responding to contingencies at a moment’s notice. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly)
USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier At Sea. Image Credit: U.S. Navy.
Despite its massive power from Bechtel A1B reactors and a 90-aircraft wing including the F-35C, the Ford continues to struggle with reliability issues in its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG).
-In the relatively safe waters of the Caribbean, the Ford proved its value as a symbol of American resolve, but its true test against a peer adversary with advanced anti-ship capabilities is yet to come.
Why the USS Gerald R. Ford is the Navy’s Secret Weapon for 2026
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the largest warship ever built. It is 1,092 feet (337 m) long, 256 feet (78 m) wide (measured at the flight deck), and 250 feet (76 m) high. It also displaces 100,000 tons at full load.
That dwarfs the size of the Essex-class carriers, which were the main US carriers during World War II, which weighed 36,000 tons. The enormous carrier is powered by the Bechtel A1B PWR nuclear reactors that deliver three times the power of a Nimitz-class carrier.
These nuclear-powered vessels are designed for sustained high speeds, allowing them to keep pace with other warships and maintain operational flexibility. In Venezuela, where the Ford carrier strike group has been interdicting narcotics trafficking boats, it is fast and flexible enough to meet any contingency.
During its recent deployment to the Caribbean, off the coast of Venezuela, the US’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier has performed admirably, primarily as a show of force and deterrence rather than in active combat.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the “Blacklions” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213 and a F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the “Golden Warriors” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87 fly over the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72), April 11, 2025. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is the Joint Force’s most complex integrated training event and prepares naval task forces for sustained high-end Joint and combined combat. Integrated naval training provides America’s civilian leaders and commanders highly-capable forces that deter adversaries, underpin American security and economic prosperity, and reassure Allies and partners. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) (front) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) participate in an integrated phase training event, March 23, 2025. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is underway in the Atlantic Ocean completing integrated naval warfighting training. Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) is the Joint Force’s most complex integrated training event and prepares naval task forces for sustained high-end Joint and combined combat. Integrated naval training provides America’s civilian leaders and commanders highly-capable forces that deter adversaries, underpin American security and economic prosperity, and reassure Allies and partners.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
The Ford did provide troops and aircraft during the operation to locate and arrest Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, and has taken part in the strikes against narco-trafficking boats carrying illicit drugs from Venezuela. The carrier’s presence aimed to achieve political and strategic goals without engaging in direct conflict, something that did occur in the arrest operation, but it was limited.Was this enough to prove the carrier’s worth? No.
Deterrent and Political Signalling:
The mere presence of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced and expensive warship, was intended to be an unmistakable signal of U.S. military capability and resolve to the Maduro regime. The consensus among defense analysts was that Venezuela’s military lacked any weapons capable of reliably damaging the carrier.
The deployment cemented that the U.S. is the dominant power in the hemisphere. It provided the Trump administration with a high-visibility tool to pressure the Venezuelan government without engaging in direct hostilities.
Operational Performance Has Been Limited:
The deployment has been a “High-Visibility Test.” The deployment served as a real-world test for the new class of carriers, which had faced criticism for cost overruns and technical issues. Its ability to operate in a sensitive area without major incident was a practical success for the Navy’s newest platform.
The carrier strike group was part of a larger, ongoing “Operation Southern Spear,” which included existing counter-narcotics operations and strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels. The Ford’s role is to provide command and control, air cover, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, all of which are standard carrier functions.
Ford-class carriers have faced significant issues with EMALS, including reliability failures, complex maintenance (needing specialized skills), and difficulties meeting sortie generation goals, leading to operational delays and high costs.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) transit the Atlantic Ocean March 20, 2021, marking the first time a Ford-class and Italian carrier have operated together underway. As part of the Italian Navy’s Ready for Operations (RFO) campaign for its flagship, Cavour is conducting sea trials in coordination with the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office’s Patuxent River Integrated Test Force to obtain official certification to safely operate the F-35B. Gerald R. Ford is conducting integrated carrier strike group operations during independent steaming event 17 as part of her post-delivery test and trials phase of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley McDowell)
The Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) was developed to replace the “legacy hydraulic arresting systems with an electromagnetic turbo-electric engine designed to recover a wider range of aircraft weights.” That includes lighter unmanned aerial systems (UAS). It also aims to reduce the stress loads on the aircraft’s airframes during launch.
However, the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) problems center on significant reliability issues, software glitches, and hardware flaws, particularly with the “water twister” shock absorbers, leading to frequent breakdowns, underperformance with lighter aircraft (like drones), complex troubleshooting, and significant cost overruns, delaying full operational capability and requiring costly fixes despite AAG’s promise for gentler, more efficient landings.
The issues with the Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs) primarily complex integration problems, software glitches, and installation errors with the new electromagnetic (maglev) system, leading to delays, cost overruns, and reduced operational readiness on the USS Gerald R. Ford, though efforts focused on fixing these for the first ship and applying lessons to subsequent carriers like CVN-79, intending to increase sortie rates.
We have yet to see any reports that these issues have been resolved.
Other Limitations and Criticisms:
The Ford’s mission has not been a “War Stopper.” Some critics argued that a multi-billion-dollar aircraft carrier was an inefficient tool for combating decentralized issues like organized crime and drug trafficking, suggesting it wouldn’t stop those activities.
The deployment was viewed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as “saber rattling” and “imperialist intimidation,” which prompted Venezuela to mobilize its own forces in response.
The Ford-Class Carrier Carries Plenty Of Punch:
The Ford can carry up to 90 aircraft, including the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing EA-18G Growler, Grumman C-2 Greyhound, Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II, Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, and unmanned combat aerial vehicles.
In addition to the aircraft carried, the Ford carrier is armed with:
2 × Mk 29 Guided Missile Launching Systems, 8 × RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) each
2 × Mk 49 Guided Missile Launching Systems, 21 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles each
3 × Phalanx CIWS
4 × Mk 38 25 mm Machine Gun Systems
4 × M2 .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns
Other Ford-class Features:
The Ford class also has an integrated active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. Raytheon’s dual-band radar (DBR) was being developed for both the Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyers and the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers.
The island was reduced in size by replacing six to ten radar antennas with a single six-faced radar. The DBR works by combining the X-band AN/SPY-3 multifunction radar with the S-band AN/SPY-4 Volume Search Radar (VSR) emitters, distributed into three phased arrays.
MORE – China’s Stealth J-35A Might Be Much More Than Some F-35 Fighter Copycat
MORE – The Largest Air Force On Earth Will Soon Have a B-52 Bomber Firing Hypersonic Missiles
MORE – China’s New J-35A Stealth Fighter Has 1 Mission That Has the U.S. Air Force A Little Worried
Ultimately, the Ford proved its worth as a formidable symbol of power and a functional operational base in a complex geopolitical scenario, and conducted airstrikes in Venezuela itself as part of the Maduro arrest operation.
The fact that it was chosen for this operation is a good start to conducting complex operations for the Navy in the US’s backyard. However, because Venezuela has no real weapons it can bring to bear, it still has a long way to go before proving its worth.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
John f Dilatush BT1 ret
February 11, 2026 at 7:55 pm
The big question that still realky needs to be answered… can the crew take poop without the toilets overflowing… having spent time on a carrier I can honestly say there is nothing worse than getting off watch and not being able to shower and shave and $&1t in your own berthing head.
Sweepers sweepers Man your broom's
February 12, 2026 at 1:11 am
Hydraulic system aircraft carriers can still operate in a electronic pulse, electronic system aircraft carriers systems shut down in an empty.