The USS Gerald R. Ford was supposed to be America’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier. It was also supposed to be ready to deploy in 2014. Instead, the 100,000 ton supercarrier is still riddled with so many problems that it’s not fit for combat, despite the fact that it’s the most expensive aircraft carrier ever built.
According to a Defense Department memo that was obtained by Bloomberg, the ship’s arresting gear, which is designed to catch landing aircraft, can’t be used more than 25 times without failing. The launching system can’t be used more than 400 times without needing maintenance. Weapon elevators can’t lift munitions, and the radar is problematic. If the USS Gerald R. Ford were deployed to combat, it would quickly live up to its namesake (i.e. it would put itself in danger on a regular basis.)
So how much did this wonderful ship cost? So far it’s up to $12.9 billion, which is $2.9 billion over budget. That’s in addition to $4.7 billion spent on research and development. Once the ship is finally completed, whenever that may be, the US Navy plans to build two more.
And once again, the military-industrial complex reaps billions of tax dollars, and delivers utter crap.
Image Credit: Anthony Freda
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger.
Wasn’t President Ford a dud too?
If they were going to spend that much money on something that didn’t work they should have named it after a black guy.
The problem with the USA is they don’t build anything anymore, thats right take a look at how much off shoring of jobs left the USA and where it is made now mostly in China.And China is putting out close to 10,000 engineers a year along with 1500 PHDs.Russia’s education system is three times advanced as US colleges and look at how advance both China and Russia are in military tech compared to the US and for a fraction of the cost and now that Russia and China are going to combine there military tech with each other there won’t be a country on the planet that can come close to there advancement in military hardware. Both China and Russia have a missile that can go out in space and take out all of US military satellites in space. What would all that hardware be able to do if it can receive instruction.Useless!
Do we have any more steel mills in America that provide the steel for our ships or are we using Chinese or other counties to provide it.There was a time in America when our manufacturing was tops in the world,but then we started closing steel mills, now they are after coal,and recycling is how we are to save America?
Name the forrestal and no one will say a thing.
Russia did the same when it kicked out the Bolsheviks who killed the Czar and family, screwed up the Soviet Union, and slaughtered millions and sent more to the Gulags. It took the Russian Christian leaders over 60 years, but they did it, and guess where the Bolshevik families went to? They were welcomed with open arms by the Rockefeller brothers. In appreciation of that gesture, the Bolsheviks murdered 2 of the brothers, and then set up their “Think Tanks”. Using the US as a base, they are now intent on “dining on the fatted calf” (USA), and destroying the planet (their “Samson” option). Think Fukushima was a natural disaster? Think 9/11 was a Saudi job? Think Aceh tsunami was a natural disaster? Think MH370 was pilot error? Think MH17 was a Russian shoot down? Think Hillary is a Democrat? I could go in and on…
Well, with your insightful/accurate/well thought out comment, I no longer need to feel so completely alone any longer.
Thank you!
Who writes the contracts where we receive crap, but pay full price anyway?
Perhaps they should change its name. It seems to be acting just like the president who couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time!