U.S. Navy’s Costliest Carrier Was Delivered Without Elevators to Lift Bombs
- Huntington Ingalls ship lacked 11 elevators needed for warfare
- Futuristic elevator’s ‘uncommanded movements’ among problems
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The $13 billion Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship, was delivered last year without elevators needed to lift bombs from below deck magazines for loading on fighter jets.
Previously undisclosed problems with the 11 elevators for the ship built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. add to long-standing reliability and technical problems with two other core systems -- the electromagnetic system to launch planes and the arresting gear to catch them when they land.