The United States deploys its newest aircraft carrier for the first time
The US Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, left for its first deployment yesterday from Norfolk, Virginia, and is designed to carry out exercises with allies in North America and Europe, according to CNN.
Construction of the carrier officially began in November 2009, and it is the first aircraft carrier of the Ford class, and the Navy began building the next two aircraft carriers of the Ford class, the USS Kennedy and the USS Enterprise.
The aircraft carrier has advanced new technology including nearly three times the amount of electrical power, compared to Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and uses an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, according to the Navy. The carrier also has dual-band radar, which is a more advanced radar system.
The USS Gerald Ford and the strike group will work with allies and partners in the Second and Sixth Fleet areas of responsibility in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, and the deployment will include approximately 9,000 personnel from nine countries, 20 ships and 60 aircraft, a US Navy official said in a statement.
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