US Navy's future USS John F. Kennedy carrier conducts first propulsion testing.

The future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) completed its first nuclear propulsion tests at Newport News Shipbuilding, Huntington Ingalls confirmed on Sept. 29, 2025.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on September 29 that the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the Navy’s next Ford-class aircraft carrier, conducted its first propulsion testing in the James River at Newport News, Virginia. Shipbuilders turned the vessel using tugboats before returning it to the pier for further trials, marking a major milestone in the carrier’s development. However, past delays to Kennedy’s commissioning will leave the US Navy short one carrier for nearly a year following USS Nimitz’s retirement in 2026.
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Shipbuilders at Newport News had moved the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) aircraft carrier from its pier into the James River using tugboats, turned it for propulsion tests, and returned it to the dock. (Picture source: HII)

Construction of the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) began after the award of contracts in 2009 and saw structural completion milestones such as the laying of the keel in August 2015, installation of the 588-ton island in May 2019, and completion of the forward catapults and bow section in July 2019. Testing has advanced gradually, with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) first trialed in 2022, combat system checks in 2023, and dead-load launches carried out from February to April 2024. The adoption of a single-phase delivery approach, replacing the original dual-phase plan, brought additional scope into construction so the ship would be fully equipped for F-35C Joint Strike Fighter operations and the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar from the outset rather than being added later. This adjustment was made following congressional requirements that all Ford-class carriers be delivered ready to field fifth-generation aircraft.

Two systems remain central to the delays: the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and the Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE). AAG replaces legacy hydraulic arresting systems with an electromagnetic turbo-electric engine designed to recover a wider range of aircraft weights, including lighter unmanned aerial vehicles, by reducing stress loads on airframes. Development difficulties have slowed certification, with work still ongoing in 2025. The AWE, which uses electromagnetic linear motors to vertically transfer ordnance from magazines to the flight deck, is intended to increase throughput and reduce handling times compared to cable and hydraulic elevators. However, installation and reliability challenges similar to those seen on USS Gerald R. Ford have required further adjustments, with final systems not yet fully certified. These two subsystems, combined with persistent shipyard workforce shortages and supply chain disruptions, were cited as the direct causes of the new 2027 delivery estimate.

The John F. Kennedy’s radar and sensor configuration is another significant distinction. The ship employs a combination of the AN/SPY-3 X-band multifunction radar with the new AN/SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) operating in S band, rather than the Dual Band Radar (SPY-3 plus SPY-4) fitted to Gerald R. Ford. The SPY-6(V)3 is a three-faced fixed array radar using gallium nitride semiconductors and digital beamforming for greater sensitivity and lower maintenance compared to mechanically steered radars. It provides 360-degree coverage, with performance advertised at up to 35 times greater sensitivity than legacy SPY-1D systems, allowing detection of smaller objects at longer ranges. This transition reduces procurement costs by several hundred million dollars per ship and aligns carriers with the same radar family now used on Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers. The combination of SPY-3 and SPY-6(V)3 provides volume search, target tracking, and fire control support functions suited for integration with the Ship Self-Defense System.

Once active, the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) will be a nuclear-powered carrier of approximately 100,000 tons full load, with a length of 337 meters, a waterline beam of 41 meters, and a flight deck width of 78 meters. Propulsion comes from two Bechtel A1B reactors, each more powerful than the A4W reactors used on the Nimitz class, generating greater electrical output for ship systems. These reactors supply power to four shafts, allowing speeds above 30 knots, and are designed for 20 to 25 years of operation before refueling. Complement is projected at around 4,660 personnel, a reduction compared to Nimitz-class levels due to automation and improved systems layout. Defensive armament includes two Mark 29 launchers for RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, two Mark 49 launchers for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, three Phalanx Block 1B close-in weapon systems, and four .50 caliber heavy machine guns. Aviation facilities include a 333 by 78 meter flight deck designed to operate more than 80 aircraft, with surge capacity to carry up to 90, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2 Hawkeyes, C-2 or CMV-22 aircraft, F-35C fighters, MH-60 helicopters, and unmanned systems.

The programmatic implications of Kennedy’s delays are significant. The US Navy has considered accepting the ship with some non-essential work unfinished, such as painting, to accelerate fleet entry. Officials are also exploring preliminary acceptance before formal delivery to reduce the operational gap caused by Nimitz’s retirement. In terms of infrastructure, the Navy has proposed to homeport the carrier at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton no earlier than 2029, requiring extensive electrical distribution upgrades. Work would include replacing an existing substation, building a new pier substation, and upgrading transformers and switchgear, with construction expected to last almost four years. These changes are necessary because Ford-class carriers consume significantly more electrical power for advanced systems compared to the Nimitz class. Once complete, the move would bring around 2,800 personnel and dependents to the region, with the ship’s reduced crew size reflecting Ford-class design efficiencies.

Contracts for John F. Kennedy included a $3.35 billion fixed-price incentive award and a $941 million cost-plus-incentive modification in June 2015 for final design, construction, and material procurement, both under the Naval Sea Systems Command. These awards covered the completion of detailed design, steel fabrication, unit assemblies, research and development tasks, and life-cycle support data preparation. Progress has been slower than initially projected for the carrier, which was launched in October 2019 and christened in December of that year, and is now scheduled for delivery in March 2027 rather than its previously planned July 2025 handover date. As the second of ten planned Ford-class ships, CVN 79 will replace USS Nimitz and operate until at least the 2050s, while subsequent carriers such as Enterprise (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81) are already in construction. The original USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67), decommissioned in 2007, has been transferred to Texas for dismantlement, closing one chapter of the name as the nuclear-powered successor approaches fleet service.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.