Future Aircraft Carrier Options

In executing its long-range shipbuilding plan, the U.S. Navy is facing financial challenges that require it to evaluate potential lower-cost options for its most-expensive platforms. We examine potential alternatives for replacing later Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers CVNs as they reach the end of their planned service lives in2030 and beyond. Some in Congress, among others, have criticized the Gerald R. Fordclass nuclear aircraft carriers USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78, USS John F. Kennedy CVN 79, and USS Enterprise CVN 80, which are now in construction or early long-lead procurement, for high acquisition cost, and the Navy has been directed to consider lower-cost alternatives. The study reported here was an effort to consider those alternatives by asking what platform options should be considered, how different platforms would perform in various operational environments, and the costs of alternative platforms. This report provides an unclassified summary of a longer, restricted-distribution companion report.