Авианосец USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)

USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is the second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class built for the United States Navy. The ship was launched on October 29, 2019, and officially christened on December 7, 2019. Delivery to the U.S. Navy is currently planned for March 2027.

The naming of CVN-79 was the subject of several proposals over the years. On December 7, 2007, marking the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congressman Harry Mitchell of Arizona suggested naming the ship Arizona. In 2009, Congressman John Shadegg proposed that either CVN-79 or the follow-on CVN-80 be named Barry M. Goldwater, in honor of the late U.S. Senator from Arizona. On May 29, 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the carrier would instead be named after John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States and a World War II Navy veteran. This makes CVN-79 the third U.S. Navy ship named for members of the Kennedy family and the second aircraft carrier to bear the name, following USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), which served from 1968 to 2007.

On January 15, 2009, Huntington Ingalls Industries, then operating as Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, was awarded a $374 million contract covering design development and construction preparation for the new carrier. Preparatory work began in September 2010, and the formal start of construction was marked by the First Cut of Steel ceremony on February 25, 2011, held at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia.

Originally scheduled for completion in 2018, the program timeline was revised after the U.S. Department of Defense adopted a five-year carrier construction cycle in 2009 to improve long-term budget stability. Subsequent delays pushed projected completion dates further, as the Navy addressed technical, design, and construction challenges associated with the lead ship of the class, USS Gerald R. Ford. Cost growth, technology integration risks, and concurrency between testing and construction affected the overall schedule of the Ford-class program.

The keel of John F. Kennedy was laid at Newport News on August 22, 2015. During the ceremony, the initials of ship sponsor Caroline Kennedy were welded into the hull, continuing a naval tradition. By mid-2017, the carrier was approximately 50 percent structurally complete, reaching 70 percent by early 2018 and 75 percent by April of that year. In May 2019, the ship’s 588-ton island and bridge structure was installed. Ceremonial items, including coins and personal mementos, were placed beneath the island before it was permanently set onto the flight deck.

On October 1, 2019, the ship’s crew was activated as Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy. Later that month, the dry dock at Newport News was flooded, allowing the carrier to float for the first time. The christening ceremony took place on December 7, 2019, with Caroline Kennedy serving as sponsor.

In November 2020, Huntington Ingalls Industries received a major contract modification to implement a “single-phase delivery” approach and integrate F-35C Joint Strike Fighter capabilities prior to post-shakedown availability. The carrier conducted initial testing of its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System in 2022, followed by combat system testing in 2023. That same year, the Navy awarded an additional contract to upgrade the ship’s flight deck, island, and weapons systems.

In early 2024, dead-load testing began, and the first aircraft launch sleds were fired from the flight deck during the spring. Adjustments to the construction and testing sequence shifted additional work into the base construction period, with the goal of reducing post-delivery completion time.

On April 8, 2025, the U.S. Navy announced that the carrier would miss its previously planned July delivery date. The revised delivery schedule now targets March 2027.

On January 28, 2026, USS John F. Kennedy departed Newport News Shipbuilding to begin her initial sea trials.