NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced on August 15, 2026, that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has completed acceptance sea trials for the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the U.S. Navy’s second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The approximately 100,000-ton carrier departed Newport News on August 12 and returned to the shipyard on August 15 after a series of at-sea tests and evaluations. The completion of acceptance trials moves the ship toward preliminary acceptance and the next phase of Navy testing before delivery.
During the trials, Newport News Shipbuilding shipbuilders, sailors assigned to John F. Kennedy and other Navy personnel worked together to evaluate the carrier while underway. Testing examined the operation and performance of major systems and components, including propulsion, navigation, combat systems and aviation infrastructure.
“It is an honor to take Kennedy to sea to demonstrate the quality work and commitment by our shipbuilders,” said Derek Murphy, Newport News Shipbuilding vice president of new construction aircraft carrier programs. “This critical set of sea trials is a testament to the entire nuclear shipbuilding enterprise and the work of thousands across our country to prepare CVN 79 to join the fleet.”
The acceptance trials follow the carrier’s successful builder’s sea trials earlier this year. John F. Kennedy departed Newport News on January 28 and returned on February 4 after its initial at-sea testing of propulsion, navigation, combat systems and other equipment.
After those trials, the carrier returned to Newport News for additional construction work, correction of discrepancies and system integration ahead of the latest acceptance testing.
Ford-Class Systems
As the second ship of the Gerald R. Ford class, John F. Kennedy incorporates design and technology changes compared with the older Nimitz-class carriers. The ship includes the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) and next-generation aircraft launch and recovery systems intended to support a higher volume of flight operations.
CVN 79 is also being completed under a congressional requirement for a “single-phase delivery approach.” Under this approach, the carrier is intended to be capable of operating and deploying F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft upon delivery rather than requiring post-delivery modifications for that capability.
With acceptance sea trials complete, the next step is preliminary acceptance of the carrier. This will allow the Navy to begin underway testing and evaluation of systems unique to John F. Kennedy.
The carrier remains a pre-commissioning unit until formal acceptance and commissioning. Its delivery to the U.S. Navy is currently projected for March 2027, while work continues on remaining systems ahead of delivery.
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