USS Gerald R Ford achieves key milestone during PDT&T period 27 Apr 2021 (Last Updated April 27th, 2021 14:45)
The US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) has achieved a key milestone during the final independent steaming event of an 18-month Post Delivery Test & Trials (PDT&T) period.
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An F/A-18 lands on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) during the ship’s post delivery test and trails (PDT&T). Credit: U.S. Navy photo.
The US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) has achieved a key milestone during the final independent steaming event of an 18-month Post Delivery Test & Trials (PDT&T) period.
By Duane J. Truitt
The U.S. Navy is faced with several big challenges in maintaining undersea warfare dominance – the domain of the fast attack nuclear submarine or “SSN.”
These challenges include the reemergence of a near peer naval threat that is a direct challenge to the entire U.S. Navy, including our SSN force. The current and growing undersea threat includes both advanced technology attack submarines (including nuclear, diesel-electric, and air independent propulsion variants) with advanced torpedoes and cruise missiles, and much increased numbers of adversary submarines, particularly in the Indo-Pacific theater. Another challenge comes from the rapidly escalating procurement and sustainment costs of ever-larger and more complex U.S. SSNs since the end of the Cold War.