U.S Navy Reviews Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers Amidst Reports Of Future Ship Project Cancellations

The US Navy is reviewing the design and costs of Ford-class aircraft carriers.

Navy Secretary John Phelan told the media that the review will be complete by next month, calling it prudent and practical, aimed at ensuring that the basic design and technology are something that the Navy wants going forward.

The extensive review comes after President Donald Trump commented on the aircraft carrier’s magnetic catapult system, saying it did not work properly.

Reporters asked Phelan if future Ford-Class Aircraft Carriers could be cancelled, to which he replied, “It’s too early to say, but we will have carriers.”

The Navy made budget documents public, and in that, it did not list the Ford-class among the ships that the Navy plans to purchase.

The documents simply mentioned ‘aircraft carriers’, although other ships like the Columbia-class submarines and the Areligh Burke-Class destroyers were mentioned along with their class name.

However, navy officials have recently time and again praised the Ford-class design, in comparison to the old Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

Ford’s magnetic catapults are its main feature, which gives it an upper hand. They enable the smooth launching of aircraft while reducing the stress on the planes.

This class of carriers also require less maintenance and fresh water than older steam-powered variants.

The Navy is building three more Ford-class carriers, namely the USS John F. Kennedy, the USS Enterprise and the USS Dorie Millier.

The review will cover two more carriers, the USS William Jefferson Clinton and USS George W. Bush, which are now in the planning stage.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the biggest aircraft carrier in the world, has been on a long deployment of over 300 days since June 2025. It participated in two crucial operations, involving the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the war against Iran.

Meanwhile, US President Trump has also rolled out a new warship called the Trump-class battleship, estimated to cost more than USD 17 billion.