The U.S. dispatched a group of warships, including the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78), to support Israel following Hamas’ attacks. The U.S. has also sent another carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the region.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group consists of Carrier Strike Group 12, Carrier Air Wing 8, Destroyer Squadron 2, USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS McFaul (DDG 74), and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116).
The ship deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on May 2 and has been conducting training, exercises, and operations to support maritime stability and security in defence of U.S., Allied, and partner interests.
Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduced 23 new technologies, including Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevators (AAGAWE). The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20 per cent smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.
