Report: Further 20-Month Delivery Delay for Carrier John F. Kennedy

A report to the U.S. Congress in the U.S. Navy’s budget revealed that the new carrier John F. Kennedy is now scheduled for delivery in March 2027. Bloomberg highlighted the 20-month delay in the program, reporting that shipbuilder Newport News is still working to resolve issues with the Advanced Weapons Elevator system and complete certification of the Advanced Arresting Gear.

During Congressional hearings in April, the U.S. Navy confirmed that a further delay was expected for the massive carrier, which had been scheduled for delivery this month without specifying the new date. Bloomberg quoted Navy Secretary John Phelan telling Congress, “All our programs are a mess.” HII highlighted that Phelan visited the Kennedy in April along with a Congressional delegation and witnessed topside testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).

It is not the first delay for the carrier or challenge HII has faced with these systems. The first ship of the class, Gerald R. Ford, was delivered in 2017, but it took till 2021 for all the elevators to be fully certified. In 2023, the Navy cited a change in strategy for the carriers and authorized additional work and budget to HII for the Kennedy. The Navy reported an additional $400 million in its budget to allow HII to complete more "baseline work" on the ship before it delivers, rather than catching up after delivery in the post-shakedown availability period. They said that would push back delivery for June 2024 to July 2025.

The Navy also altered the plan for the Kennedy in 2020, adding two years to the schedule to allow for modifications. This included fixing problems identified during the construction of the Ford, the substitution of a different radar system, and changes to accommodate the F-35C stealth fighter.

Bloomberg quotes a Navy spokesperson saying it is, “exploring opportunities for preliminary acceptance of the vessel prior to formal delivery and is coordinating closely with stakeholders to ensure the fastest possible transition to fleet operations,” for the Kennedy.

Since the pandemic, HII has been citing supply challenges, delays in material availability, staffing shortages, and supply chain performance for the carrier program. The new budget document again cites these issues reporting delivery of the third carrier, Enterprise, is being delayed from September 2029 to July 2030. The report does not indicate if dates will be impacted for the fourth carrier, Doris Miller, which began dry dock work this year. She is scheduled to be commissioned in 2032.

HII told Bloomberg that it was learning from the early phases of the program, especially with the Ford, but that the Kennedy was in a “fairly advanced stage,” making it difficult to incorporate all the lessons learned. The hope is that the lessons learned will improve the process for the later carriers. In addition, HII reported last week that it was testing a new approach, including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a partnership with C3 AI to employ advanced algorithms for its yards' work scheduling and planning.

The delays present challenges for the Navy and the Trump administration, which has promised a strengthening of the armed forces. The U.S. Navy needs the new carriers to replace the aging Nimitz class, which is approaching its scheduled end of service. The USS Nimitz was commissioned in May 1975 and is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. The urgency is magnified as the sistership Dwight D. Eisenhower is likely to follow the Nimitz in 2027, and the Carl Vinson is only five years younger.