Aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) construction: ~$6.65B — the Navy's award to Huntington Ingalls for the lead ship of a new carrier class (USAspending)
Per USAspending, the U.S. Navy awarded construction of the nuclear aircraft carrier "CVN-78 (Gerald R. Ford)" to shipbuilding giant Huntington Ingalls. The value is about $6.65 billion ($6,645,710,960), a definitive contract running August 2008–September 2022. It is the lead ship of the new-generation Ford-class carriers, the core platform that carries and coordinates a naval strike group's aircraft.
Contract key facts
- RecipientHuntington Ingalls
- Contract value$6,645,710,960 (≈$6.65B)
- BranchNavy
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDepartment of the Navy
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2008-08-01 〜 2022-09-30
- Contract ID (PIID)N0002408C2110
Contract scope (original)
TAS::17 1611::TAS CVN 78 SHIP CONSTRUCTION
Key points
- The Navy awarded construction of nuclear carrier CVN-78 "Gerald R. Ford" to Huntington Ingalls. Cumulative ~$6.65B ($6,645,710,960).
- Definitive contract, performance August 1, 2008 – September 30, 2022.
- Lead ship of the Ford class (new-generation nuclear carrier) — a lead ship that concentrates developmental work and cost.
- This site's E-2D early-warning aircraft and F/A-18 carrier fighters are operated from such carriers.
- Billions per ship — among the most expensive assets underpinning U.S. power projection.
A nuclear aircraft carrier is a mobile air base at sea — carrying fighters, early-warning aircraft, and helicopters to project power worldwide, an emblematic platform of the U.S. Navy. This contract's subject, CVN-78 "Gerald R. Ford," is the lead ship of the new-generation "Ford class" that replaces the long-dominant Nimitz class.
A lead ship concentrates developmental work and construction cost, because it realizes a new design for the first time, so its cost tends to stand out — a cumulative ~$6.65B over a long build from 2008 to 2022 reflects that character.
The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early-warning aircraft and F/A-18 carrier-based fighters that this site has separately covered are precisely the aircraft operated from such a carrier. Only by combining the costly "vessel" of the carrier with the "eyes" and "fists" it carries does a naval strike group cohere into a single combat system. The contracts are separate, but reading across the spending data reveals the whole picture.
This contract's description (USAspending) is simply "CVN-78 construction"; it does not detail specific outfitting or installed equipment (this site does not fill in what the description omits). What can be read is that a nuclear carrier, reaching billions of dollars per ship, is among the most expensive assets underpinning U.S. naval power and, by extension, global power projection.
Why it matters
A nuclear carrier is among the most expensive assets underpinning U.S. global power projection, reaching billions of dollars per ship. Being the lead ship of the new Ford class shows the cost structure of a first-of-class vessel that concentrates development spending. Because a strike group only functions by combining the carrier, its early-warning aircraft, and its fighters, reading spending data across categories yields the full picture and scale of naval power. Useful to readers tracking the defense industry, shipbuilding, and security.
FAQ
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Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：N0002408C2110