HII Hits Milestone on John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Carrier

Rhea-AI Summary

HII (NYSE: HII) announced a milestone at its Newport News Shipbuilding division for the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). The shipyard has completed the construction of the 1,000^th compartment out of 2,615 total spaces, indicating significant progress toward the Navy's delivery scheduled for 2024. More than 9.8 million feet of cable have been installed, enhancing training capabilities for sailors. HII continues to innovate with digital construction processes as it works on other carriers in the Ford class.

Positive

• Milestone reached with the completion of 1,000^th compartment of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).
• Progress towards 2024 delivery to the Navy.
• Over 9.8 million feet of cable installed, enhancing ship training for sailors.
• Innovation through digital construction processes improves efficiency.

Negative

• None.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII), America’s only builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and leading provider of mission-driven defense technologies, announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has reached a significant milestone in the compartment and systems construction of aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).

Newport News recently turned over to the ship’s crew the 1,000^th compartment of the 2,615 total spaces. The milestone reflects the shipyard’s steady progress toward delivery of the ship to the Navy. Newport News has also installed more than 9.8 million feet of cable, or more than 1,800 miles, of the approximately 10.5 million feet of cable on John F. Kennedy.

The most recently completed spaces include electrical and engineering. This allows sailors assigned to the pre-commissioning unit to increase training on the ship while final outfitting and testing progresses.

Photos accompanying this release are available at: https://newsroom.hii.com/releases/hii-milestone-john-f-kennedy-cvn-79-carrier.

“Our shipbuilders are highly skilled, determined and working incredibly hard to bring Kennedy to life,” said Lucas Hicks, vice president, New Construction Aircraft Carrier Programs CVN 78 and CVN 79. “This is about equipping our sailors with the most advanced aircraft carrier ever built for the U.S. Navy. We are proud to execute for the customer, and finalize the remaining equipment, systems and compartments that will bring us closer to delivering the ship to the Navy.”

John F. Kennedy, the second in the Ford class, is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2024. Two other Ford-class aircraft carriers are currently under construction at Newport News: Enterprise (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81).

The Ford-class aircraft carriers are the first to be designed 100% digitally. Although the ships were designed in a digital environment, paper drawings are still used during the construction process. John F. Kennedy represents a transition to a new digital construction process, with shipbuilders beginning to use visual work instructions on laptops and tablets rather than paper drawings. Enterprise will be the first carrier totally built using the digital tools.

Ford-class enhancements incorporated into the design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island, all resulting in increased aircraft sortie-generation rates. The Ford class also features new nuclear power plants, increased electrical power-generation capacity, allowance for future technologies, and reduced workload for sailors, translating to a smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy. Construction processes on Ford-class carriers are enabled by workforce learning that took place on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and those lessons are being applied throughout the Ford-class.

As America recognizes the 100-year legacy of aircraft carriers this year, all nuclear-powered aircraft carriers operating in the U.S. Navy fleet today were built at Newport News.

HII is an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as America’s largest shipbuilder. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable an all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

• HII on the web: https://www.hii.com/
• HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
• HII on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
• HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c7fe596-b996-49ef-b4de-6e2e0f3656cb

Contact:

Todd Corillo
Todd.T.Corillo@hii-co.com
(757) 688-3220

FAQ

What milestone did HII announce regarding the <em>John F. Kennedy</em> (CVN 79) aircraft carrier?

HII announced the completion of the 1,000^th compartment in the construction of the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) aircraft carrier.

When is the <em>John F. Kennedy</em> (CVN 79) scheduled to be delivered?

The John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2024.

How much cable has been installed in the <em>John F. Kennedy</em> (CVN 79)?

More than 9.8 million feet of cable have been installed in the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).

What class is the <em>John F. Kennedy</em> (CVN 79) aircraft carrier part of?

The John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is the second in the Ford class of aircraft carriers.

What is significant about the construction process of the <em>Ford</em> class carriers?

The Ford class carriers are the first to be designed 100% digitally, transitioning to new construction processes.