Washington — The US Navy is Review design and costs From one of the most high-tech and most expensive warships – the Ford-class aircraft carrier – the head of the service does not rule out canceling future versions of its design.
Navy Secretary John Phelan told reporters on Tuesday that the review, which is scheduled to be completed next month, was a “prudent and pragmatic” move aimed at examining “the costs of the designs and systems to make sure they make sense and that they have all the systems and requirements we want moving forward.”
The design review comes after years of criticism from President Donald Trump, who objected to some of the technology used on this type of aircraft carrier, including magnetic catapults, which he claimed “didn’t work” during her term. Remarks in the Oval Office last year.
When asked if the review might lead to the cancellation of future Ford-class aircraft carriers, Phelan told reporters only: “It’s too early to say, but we will have aircraft carriers.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford was on a voyage Post setting records More than 300 days – since June 2025 – have seen the world’s largest aircraft carrier participate in two major military operations by the Trump administration: Arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and The war against Iran.
Navy budget documents released Tuesday did not list Ford-class aircraft carriers among the ships the Navy plans to buy. Instead, the documents simply said “aircraft carrier.” Meanwhile, other ships – such as Columbia-class submarines and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers – were described by the class name.
A Navy statement issued Tuesday praised the Ford-class carrier as a “battle-proven design” capable of launching aircraft at a faster rate than older Nimitz-class carriers and providing “increased combat power and ability to sustain high-tempo global strike operations” in three parts of the world.
But Phelan told reporters he wanted to review that data.
“I follow Ronald Reagan’s school of ‘trust and verify,'” Phelan said, before adding that the review would look at the carrier’s ability to launch and recover aircraft.
The ship’s magnetic catapults are a key element in giving Ford an advantage over older Nimitz ships in launching aircraft. They also put less stress on the aircraft, required less maintenance and reduced the ship’s need for fresh water compared to older steam-powered types.
The Navy has three other Ford-class aircraft carriers under construction: USS John F. Kennedy, USS Enterprise, and USS Dory Miller.
Phelan said the review will examine the next two carriers — named USS William Jefferson Clinton and USS George W. Bush by the Biden administration — that were planned but not contracted.
Meanwhile, Trump put forward A Design of a new warship dubbed the Trump-class warshipIts cost is estimated at more than $17 billion – or $4 billion more than the Ford-class carriers. The Navy does not plan to pay for the first ship in the new class, the USS Defiant, until budget year 2028.
Phelan told reporters that the current cost of the Trump-class ship is an “early preliminary estimate” and he expected the cost to decrease as the design is improved and more ships are built. He also did not rule out that the ship would be powered by a nuclear reactor, which would cause its costs to rise significantly.