US Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy Begins First Sea Trials Ahead Of 2027 Delivery

The future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the U.S. Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier, has sailed for the first time, beginning builder’s sea trials ahead of its planned delivery in 2027.

The carrier left Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia on Wednesday.

This marks the start of builder’s trials, a phase in which the shipbuilder tests key systems and equipment at sea before the vessel is handed over to the U.S. Navy.

Huntington Ingalls Industries said the trials will focus on checking how important ship systems perform under operating conditions. Builder’s trials take place after construction is largely complete and are a standard step before delivery.

USS John F. Kennedy is currently scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in March 2027. The carrier has faced several delays during construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Earlier plans had called for delivery in July 2025, according to U.S. Navy budget documents. However, the schedule slipped again last year due to ongoing difficulties in integrating new technologies and completing system work.

In 2020, the Navy changed its original plan to deliver the ship in two phases, instead opting for a single-phase delivery.

Fiscal Year 2024 budget documents show this decision added about two years of extra design and construction work to the programme.

The additional work included modifications to allow the carrier to operate the F-35C Lightning II fighter jet and the installation of the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, replacing the dual-band radar fitted on the first Ford-class carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford.

The latest Fiscal Year 2026 shipbuilding budget documents state that the delivery date was pushed back to allow time to complete and certify the Advanced Arresting Gear system and to continue work on the Advanced Weapons Elevators.

Both systems are new to the Ford-class carriers. The arresting gear is used to recover aircraft, while the weapons elevators move ordnance around the ship.

Although the full level of outfitting has not been disclosed, images released by the shipbuilder show clear differences between John F. Kennedy’s island and that of USS Gerald R. Ford, partly linked to the radar changes.

Newport News Shipbuilding’s president said in December that the carrier was expected to reach preliminary acceptance by mid-2026, ahead of its planned delivery to the Navy in 2027.

Reference: USNI

Source: Maritime Shipping News