CVN-79 Kennedy
The second Ford-class supercarrier, built with F-35C modifications included from the start.
Nuclear supercarrier and a mobile air base inside the Western Pacific.
STRENGTHS
- F-35C modifications built in during construction
- EMALS catapults and more power for future systems
- A base that moves, unlike Kadena or Guam
WEAKNESSES
- A high-value target for anti-ship ballistic missiles
- Air wing range limited by today's jets
- Ford-class technology caused delays: delivery promised for 2024, now spring 2027
The future USS John F. Kennedy completed acceptance trials on 15 August 2026, and the Navy took preliminary acceptance on 29 September 2026 with the ship about 99 percent complete. She was built with F-35C modifications included during construction, as Congress required in the FY2020 defense bill.
In stealth mode the F-35C carries only about 5,000 lb of weapons inside its bays, less than a Super Hornet carries on its pylons, so the carrier's real reach depends on the missiles that fit inside it, like the AIM-424 Malice revealed in August 2026, and on the drones and tankers flying with it.
