Washington: Although US President Donald Trump has given Iran a month to reach a nuclear deal, Washington's military maneuvers continue. After sending the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to the region, the USS Gerald R. Ford will now join the fleet. This aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and belongs to the US Navy, which was commissioned in 2017. She is the flagship of the "Gerald R. Ford" class of ships. Its weight is more than 100,000 tons while its length is 337 meters. According to the British Encyclopedia "Britannica", it is the largest floating warship in the world. It has a capacity of about 4600 people including crew and air wing.
The US Navy has announced that the aircraft carrier is equipped with new technologies and features that reduce the monitoring and maintenance workload on the crew. USS Gerald R. Ford is powered by two nuclear reactors, Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and Dual Band Radar (DBR).
The ship's structure and power plant have been designed to accommodate new systems, including directed energy weapons, during its 50-year service life. This latest US Navy aircraft carrier has a maximum payload capacity of 10,000 tons. According to the website 'Military', the US Navy relies on the ship for multiple missions such as crisis response and early decisive strikes in major combat operations.
Similarly, this aircraft carrier is equipped with an integrated electronic scan search and track radar system. According to the Sea Forces website, it is also equipped with the Raytheon Company's "Sea Sparrow" missile, which defends against high-speed and highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles.
The USS Gerald R. Ford can carry up to 90 aircraft, including F-35s, FA-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, MH60R helicopters and drones. Its EMALS system replaces the "C-13" steam catapults traditionally used to launch aircraft, expanding the range of future manned or unmanned aircraft launches.
The National Security Journal further reported that the aircraft carrier is capable of carrying 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 2, Skorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and combat drones.