Jane Edwards
A U.S. Navy official has said the service branch expects Huntington Ingalls Industries to deliver the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in April after “first-of-class issues†have been addressed in recent months, The Virginian-Pilot reported Thursday.
Capt. Thurraya Kent, a spokeswoman for the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said in an email the military branch expects sea trials to start in March now that the construction of the $12.9 billion aircraft carrier is almost complete.
Courtney Mabeus writes the Defense Department was scheduled in October to commence an assessment of the Ford, which was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2014, in an effort to gain insights on the vessel’s construction.
