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An F-35C Joint Strike Fighter has completed its first landing aboard a Ford-class aircraft carrier, trapping on the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). The milestone advances integration of the Navy’s fifth-generation fighter with its newest carrier class after years of delays and technical challenges.
Aircraft Carrier
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The landing aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy marks the first time an F-35C has touched down on a Ford-class aircraft carrier. Unlike the class’s first ship, the Kennedy is expected to enter service equipped to operate the stealth fighter.
France’s navy chief said the United States has not yet decided whether to abandon the electromagnetic launch system used to launch aircraft from carriers. His comments came two months after President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to drop the technology, which France has selected for its next aircraft carrier.
An F-35C Joint Strike Fighter has completed its first landing aboard a Ford-class aircraft carrier, trapping on the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). The milestone advances integration of the Navy’s fifth-generation fighter with its newest carrier class after years of delays and technical challenges.
The U.S. Navy says two aircraft carriers are ready to fly Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray autonomous refueling drone. The system is set to operate from the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the Pacific, adding carrier-based aerial refueling capability to the Navy’s autonomous aircraft plans.
The U.S. military is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group, carrying roughly 9,000 troops, to the Middle East amid a stalemate in the Iran conflict. President Donald Trump has warned that additional strikes against Iran could be imminent, raising the prospect of broader regional escalation and higher oil prices.
The Pentagon is preparing a major reinforcement of U.S. naval and Marine forces in the Middle East, including the USS Makin Island, roughly 2,200 Marines and sailors, and potentially a third carrier strike group. The buildup follows threats of escalation against Iran and an ongoing blockade.
The five-ship Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and three-ship Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group have deployed back-to-back from the U.S. West Coast, marking the movement of two major naval formations operating from the region.
The U.S. Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding a contract for the USS Harry S. Truman’s mid-life nuclear refueling and complex overhaul, scheduled through November 2031. The work is intended to extend the aircraft carrier into the second half of its service life, while the shipyard also advances CVN-79 testing and crew familiarization.
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