When the Navy announced in April 2023 that USS Gerald R. Ford would finally head out on her first operational deployment, it marked a quiet but significant turning point for the newest generation of American carriers. The ship, designated CVN-78 and commissioned in May 2017, had spent years in testing and trials before being declared ready to sail as the fleet’s flagship of the future. Paired with a $1,044,529,113 contract awarded in November 2023 for the Constellation-class frigates FFG-66 and FFG-67, these milestones point to a gradual reshaping of how the United States projects power at sea.
Both the Ford-class carriers and the Constellation-class frigates are entering the force without fanfare, yet they carry design choices and procurement bets that will shape operations into the 2030s. From electromagnetic catapults and smaller crews on CVN-78 to AEGIS Baseline 10 combat systems on the new frigates, the Navy is trying to squeeze more capability and efficiency out of each hull while replacing aging platforms that no longer match current threats.
The Ford-Class Carriers: From Testing to Operational Readiness
According to an Official Navy deployment announcement, USS Gerald R. Ford, hull number 78, is set to depart on her first full-length carrier strike group deployment in April 2024, shifting from a lengthy test program into routine fleet operations. The Navy describes this deployment as the moment when CVN-78 transitions from primarily developmental work into sustained presence and deterrence missions alongside allied navies. That timeline follows a commissioning in May 2017 and a series of early flight operations that began the same year, when the first carrier-based aircraft launched and recovered from the new flight deck.
A separate Official Navy narrative on Ford’s journey notes that post-delivery test and trials were largely wrapped up by 2022, clearing the way for the ship to train as the centerpiece of a full carrier strike group. In that account, the carrier strike group commander frames Ford’s role in direct terms, saying the ship is being prepared as a visible tool of deterrence that can reassure allies and complicate any adversary’s planning calculus. The message is that the long testing period was a down payment on future reliability and sortie generation rather than a sign of a troubled platform.
Key Technological Leaps in the Ford-Class Design
The most visible technical shift on CVN-78 is the move to an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS, which replaces the steam catapults used on Nimitz-class carriers. As described in Official Navy materials that are Useful for explaining Ford’s systems, EMALS is part of a broader suite of advanced technologies integrated into the ship’s flight deck to increase the number of sorties over time. The Navy has linked the completion of post-delivery tests by 2022 to a goal of finishing major trials of these systems by 2024, so that Ford and follow-on carriers can rely on the new equipment for normal operations rather than experimental use.
Another central design choice is crew size. According to Official Navy explanations that are Useful for understanding the manning concept, the Ford-class was built to operate with roughly 500 fewer sailors than a comparable Nimitz-class carrier. That reduction is tied to more automated systems and reworked maintenance routines, and the Navy argues it will reduce long-term operating costs while freeing personnel for other missions. If those assumptions hold through the end of trials in 2024, the class could become a template for future large-deck ship designs that seek more output from smaller crews.
Introducing the Constellation-Class Frigates: A New Multi-Mission Backbone
The Constellation-class frigates trace their roots to the FFG(X) concept studies that the Navy launched in 2017 to define a new small surface combatant. In that early contracting phase, the service paid multiple shipbuilders to refine requirements and specifications for what was then simply called FFG, work the Pentagon described as Useful for maturing the design before committing to full construction. Those studies fed into the Constellation program and set the stage for detail design and production of a new class intended to handle escort, patrol, and presence missions that do not require a destroyer.
A later Official NAVSEA release on the option exercise for FFG-65, the fourth Constellation-class frigate, lays out the baseline mission areas and combat systems that will define the class. The Navy states that the ships will be built around the AEGIS Baseline 10 combat system, paired with the Mk 41 VLS and an enterprise air surveillance radar to give each hull credible anti-air warfare capabilities. By embedding these systems in a frigate-sized ship, the service is trying to create a multi-mission backbone that can plug into carrier strike groups, amphibious formations, or independent deployments with a common set of sensors and weapons.
Recent Procurement Milestones for Frigates
The shift from concept to fleet reality became more concrete with a major contract action for the next two Constellation-class hulls. In a detailed Primary procurement announcement, the Pentagon reported a modification to contract N00024-20-C-2300 valued at $1,044,529,113 for the construction of FFG-66 and FFG-67. That document identifies the Constellation program by name and confirms that FFG-65 is the lead ship, while FFG-66 and FFG-67 follow as serial production hulls under the same Primary contract vehicle.
The same Primary announcement breaks down the workshare, noting that roughly 60 percent of the effort will take place at U.S. locations, with the remainder spread among other specified sites, and sets an expected completion date in April 2030. By locking in both the price tag and the schedule for these two ships, the Navy is signaling confidence that the Constellation design is mature enough for a production tempo that extends well into the next decade. It also offers a clearer picture of how frigate procurement will overlap with the later stages of Ford-class carrier construction and integration.
Strategic Reshaping: Why These Ships Matter Now
Viewed together, Ford-class carriers and Constellation-class frigates represent a deliberate attempt to rebalance the surface fleet around fewer, more capable platforms supported by a larger number of multi-mission escorts. The Official Navy framing of CVN-78’s first deployment stresses deterrence and alliance reassurance, particularly in contested regions where a carrier strike group’s presence can influence crisis calculations. At the same time, the Navy’s emphasis on AEGIS Baseline 10 and Mk 41 VLS in its Official NAVSEA description of Constellation suggests that each frigate will bring credible air and missile defense to those same waters.
Navy officials have repeatedly linked the Constellation program to the need to replace aging littoral combat ships and older escorts, and they have discussed a goal of building around 20 frigates into the 2030s, although that figure remains Unverified based on available sources. What is documented is the trajectory from FFG(X) concept contracts in 2017 to the Navy decision to fund detailed design work that was Useful for launching the class, followed by the Primary award that locked in funding for FFG-66 and FFG-67. As Ford sails with a full air wing and Constellation hulls move down the ways, the fleet mix is set to tilt toward platforms that can operate longer, share data more effectively, and distribute combat power across a wider set of ships.
Uncertainties and Challenges Ahead
The path to this reshaped fleet has not been smooth. Congressional oversight reports have highlighted cost overruns on the Ford-class that push the total price of the first carrier above $13 billion, a figure that has fueled scrutiny of whether the Navy can afford to repeat the design at scale. While Official Navy accounts emphasize that the long test period for CVN-78 was Useful for ironing out problems before deployment, lawmakers have warned that any further delays or technical surprises could strain already tight shipbuilding budgets.
On the frigate side, the Primary contract for FFG-66 and FFG-67 sets a clear target of April 2030 for completion, but that schedule will depend on supply chains and industrial capacity that have faced pressure across the defense sector. The Navy’s own description of the FFG(X) concept work as Useful for maturing the design before full production, as recorded in the earlier Navy contracting notice, reflects an awareness of those risks. Whether the service can hold to its timelines for both Ford-class carriers and Constellation-class frigates will determine how quickly the quiet reshaping of the fleet becomes visible on the world’s oceans.
More from Morning Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
