The US Navy's Gerald Ford aircraft carrier will undergo explosive tests this summer. They are necessary to confirm the reliability of all ship systems and units.
On this occasion, the US Navy said: it is possible that the ship will be damaged. The military notes that the consequences of the explosive tests will be dealt with quickly, after which the aircraft carrier will return to service, writes the Defense News publication.
Extended testing on the Gerald Ford has been underway since October 2019. Check the operation of the systems: deck, navigation and flight control, weapons. We also tested RIM-116 anti-aircraft systems, Sea Sparrow, and Phalanx artillery systems. To do this, they used drones that simulate flying missiles, as well as towed drones and robotic boats.
Blasting operations are carried out as follows. At different distances from the ship and at different depths, devices are installed, which then undermine and study the damage received by the ship. The analysis is carried out with the help of hundreds of sensors that record the entire process. Tests are considered successful if the ship remains afloat after the explosion, and all its systems continue to work.
"Gerald Ford" - the lead aircraft carrier of the project. On May 31, 2017, she was commissioned into the US Navy. Displacement - about 100 thousand tons. Length-337 meters, width-38. The range of navigation is unlimited. The crew - 2.5-2.7 thousand people plus an air group of 2480 people and about 70 military personnel of the headquarters. It carries 90 aircraft, helicopters and drones.
Svetlana Tsygankova
