U.S. Navy
Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat: Pentagon Mulls Buying 2 Ford-Class Supercarriers at Once
The Pentagon continues to evaluate whether procuring two carriers under one contract will save money and time.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is continuing to evaluate a proposal put forward by the U.S. Navy to procure two nuclear-powered Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers under one contract as a cost- and time-saving measure.
“We are conducting an evaluation to ensure we have the warfighting capabilities to compete and win,” U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News on October 19. “Any decision will factor in strengthening the industrial base and delivering best value for taxpayers.”
While U.S. Congress approved the block procurement in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, U.S. ship maker Huntington Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS), the Ford-class’ builder, has far failed to meet the U.S. Navy’s cost-cutting requirements. According to one U.S. Navy estimate, the service would save around $2.5 billion with a single buy.
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WNU Editor: The US Navy is hoping to eventually have 12 Ford-class aircraft carriers, up from the 11 carriers in service today. So yes .... buying more should save money. But the problem has always remained the same .... Pentagon procurement has a long history pf sometimes not giving you what you expect.
