US Navy to increase funding for Gerald R. Ford-class carrier program

The US Navy’s aircraft carrier force is set to receive a new wave of funding under updated shipbuilding plans, with continued investment in both existing operations and the long-term replacement of ageing vessels.

According to the Navy’s recently released Future Year Defence Program (FYDP), the carrier replacement initiative—aimed at transitioning from the Nimitz-class to the Gerald R. Ford-class—will receive approximately $4.07 billion in Fiscal Year 2027, rising to a cumulative $22.34 billion through FY 2031, Caliber.Az reports, citing Naval.

Of that total, $4.2 billion is allocated for the advanced procurement of CVN-82 and $3.9 billion for CVN-83.

Annual funding for carrier programs is projected as follows: $4.067 billion in FY 2027, $4.822 billion in FY 2028, $5.358 billion in FY 2029, $5.027 billion in FY 2030, and $3.066 billion in FY 2031.

In parallel, the Navy plans major investments in infrastructure, including $6.7 billion for the surface ship industrial base and $7.2 billion for nuclear shipyard capabilities over the same period.

The increased funding reflects continued confidence in aircraft carriers as the Navy’s primary strike platform, even as concerns persist about evolving anti-access and area-denial threats. The Gerald R. Ford-class is highlighted for its ability to operate next-generation aircraft and for projected reductions in lifecycle costs compared to older designs.

Recent operational use of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has been cited as evidence of improved capability, with the carrier reportedly conducting more than 10,500 fixed-wing launch and recovery operations across multiple missions and demonstrating strong sortie generation performance.

Fleet availability, however, may fluctuate in the coming years as older Nimitz-class carriers are retired before enough Ford-class ships enter service. Current projections indicate a potential dip in total carrier numbers during the transition period, with temporary gaps in certain years where the fleet could fall to 10 active carriers.

Maintaining carrier numbers has long been a priority for both the Navy and Congress, which has traditionally supported a minimum fleet of 11 carriers. A brief drop to 10 carriers has occurred before, during the transition between the commissioning of CVN-78 and the retirement of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), but another similar shortfall may emerge as the fleet modernises.

This transitional period highlights ongoing concerns about sustaining carrier capacity, which remains one of the most strategically important elements of U.S. naval power.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov