Category Archives: modern military conflict

Echoes of Fleet Week by the Golden Gate

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Today’s San Francisco is a far cry from the city it was during WWII, but it can still turn out for the Navy at Fleet Week.

U.S. Navy photo

U.S. Navy photo

Check out this view of the Parade of Ships under the Golden Gate, past Alcatraz, possibly including the last passing of a cruiser and an LSD.

You will see USS Ashland (LSD-48), USS Cape St. George (CG-71), and USCGC Munro (WMSL-755). You will also see USCGC Benjamin Bottoms (WPC-1132) and the former USS Potomac (AG-25)/USCGC Electra (WPC-187).

A Decent Looking CSG by any measure

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How about this great PHOTEX featuring the 30,000-ton F-35-equipped Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550), her companion strike group, and the multi-national squadron of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2), sailing together during Exercise Mare Aperto (Italian for “Open Sea”) ’26 in the Western Mediterranean.

The Freedom-class littoral combat ship off Cavour’s port side is actually TCG Burgazada (F-513), an Ada-class ASW corvette of the Turkish Navy, which is almost a dead ringer for the LCS but with some decent sub-busting gear.

Note the collection includes 13 escorts and three replenishment ships. At least six are FREMM class frigates (Italian Bergamini class, French Aquitaine class) with their very distinctive tall silhouettes are visible.

The exercise runs until 24 October in the waters around Sardinia, with the Cavour group at its core.

For those curious, SNMG2 is under the command of Greek Commodore Georgios Kypriotis on his flagship, the Elli (Kortenaer) class HS Kountouriotis (F462), with the Spanish Bazan-class frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo (F103), Italian FREMM (Bergamini)-class ITS Federico Martinengo (F596), Turkish corvette TCG Burgazada (F513), and Spanish AOE ESPS Patiño (A14).

Gremlins and Hornets: Gun Industry Leaning into Drone-on-Drone Combat

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Last week, Federal, Mossberg, and SIG quietly announced new initiatives to arm unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for future air-to-air combat.

SwarmShot

Federal Ammunition, Mossberg,  and the Palladyne AI Corp have teamed up to develop “SwarmShot,” which is being described as a modular, autonomous airborne counter-UAS system. In other words, an armed drone that is capable of shooting down other drones.

Designed to counter hostile drone swarms affordably and effectively, the system will integrate Federal’s unnamed specialized counter-UAS shotshell ammunition, a lightweight Mossberg airborne weapon module (we guess based on the 990 Aftershock autoloader), and Palladyne’s IntelliSwarm autonomy software.

One of these, san grips, fore arm, and anything else not needed, fired via solenoid:

Gremlin-X has a 10-pound payload and the 990 Aftershock, loaded 5+1, only goes a bit over 7, with furniture, which won’t be needed.

Initially launching as a modular mission add-on for Palladyne’s Gremlin-X quadcopter mini-bomber, which will let a single aircraft toggle between precision-strike and counter-drone missions, effectively a small drone “fighter bomber,” the technology is planned to expand into a kit for drones made by others.

“One SwarmShot-equipped aircraft is a reusable interceptor. Multiple aircraft operating through IntelliSwarm become a coordinated kinetic swarm,” said Ben Wolff, President and CEO of Palladyne AI. “Gremlin-X gives us the first complete system, and the multi-OEM kit gives the partnership a path to scale.”

As for Mossberg, they are engineering the weapon module around a set of unique requirements of recoil, remote actuation, reliability, and safety. Meanwhile, Federal, building on recent counter-drone work with the U.S. Army, will determine the best loads for the module.

“Federal provides the terminal effect. Mossberg provides the weapon. Palladyne AI provides the reach, intelligence and teammates,” Wolff said.

SIG Debuts the Hornet

This week at the Association of the United States Army trade show in Washington, D.C., SIG Sauer exhibited not only its staple small arms but also a whole slate of drone technologies including the fixed-wing Scythe in two different sizes and the 5-inch Saber quad-copter.

 

The XRAY9 C-UAS optic, sure to see at least some trials with the NGSW…

And a super interesting .22 LR “payload attachment.”

Dubbed the MH322 M-Hornet, the module is a light (under 21 ounces), electronically actuated, remote-controlled .22 LR firearm designed to be used “across compact unmanned platforms.”

The SIG M-Hornet. (Photo: SIG)

Servo-activated, it has a 20- or 25-round magazine and offers visible or IR laser aiming. With the “322” designator, you have to wonder how much of the Hornet is based on the P322 pistol, which uses a stainless steel internal chassis that holds the fire control unit and is one of the neatest new rimfire handguns on the market.

At SHOT Show earlier this year, we saw SIG with an underslung M250 6.8mm light machine gun on an APUS-60 quadcopter UAV, so it’s nice to see a more compact kinetic option as well.

The future is now, guys.

Building DDG News

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Been lots of updates in the past few days.

I stopped by the Point in Pascagoula over the weekend and saw these greyhounds in the river.

(Photo by Chris Eger)

Above, we have the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129) and George M. Neal DDG-131 in the river, with HII’s 70,000-ton capacity Chinese-built drydock uncharacteristically empty. The future USS Sam Nunn (DDG-133) is on shore, waiting to transition to the water early next year.

All are Flight III Burkes, with Denton expected to commission sometime in 2027, while the others are sometime off.

Further, from Bath on 12 October, a great shot of the future DDG-127 passing old Fort Popham in Phippsburg, Maine, as she heads out to sea for a commissioning scheduled for March 2027 at Pier 88 in New York City. In related news, Bath just got certified to build their DDGs two at a time. 

This afternoon, the future USS Patrick Gallagher sailed from Bath Iron Works, heading down the Kennebec River to join the fleet. This milestone reflects the efforts of thousands of shipbuilders whose dedication and expertise delivered the last Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class ship to the U.S. Navy.

Fair Winds and following seas! Be Brave and Be Bold!

And of course, the Flight III USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) was commissioned at Whittier, Alaska, earlier this month, the first time a Navy ship was commissioned there since USS Anchorage (LPD-23) in 2013. Stevens, a longtime Alaska lawmaker, also earned a DFC flying C-46s over the Hump in the CBI theatre in WWII.

With Stevens in the fleet, we now have 76 of the class in service, a record not seen since the 98 Gearings of the mid-to-late 1940s.

Prime Chance West?

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Marine Corps AH-1Z Vipers of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367 “Scarface” execute flight operations aboard USS Canberra (LCS 30), showing off something which a littoral combat ship could excel at—providing a forward lily pad for maritime sea control.

A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter, attached to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367, is folded on the flight deck of Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) as part of Navy-Marine Corps integration in the White Beach, Okinawa, Oct. 3, 2026. A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter, attached to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367, approaches the flight deck of Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) while conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 1, 2026. 

Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) moors at White Beach, Okinawa, with a U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter, attached to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 367, aboard during Navy-Marine Corps integration, Oct. 3, 2026.

A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 364 (Reinforced), 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, flies over Oahu, Hawaii, Oct. 7, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Fernando Cruz Martinez)

Canberra is working with DESRON 7 overseas.

“As the Navy’s forward-deployed destroyer squadron (DESRON) in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of assigned ships in the Southeast Asia area of operations.”

The Navy has a history of running “green” light attack helicopters from small decks, hosting Task Force 117/118 Army OH/AH-58C/Ds and AH/M-6 Little Birds operated as “Sea Cavalry” during Operation Prime Chance in the Persian Gulf (1987-89) followed by Desert Shield/Storm and off Haiti in Uphold Democracy.

US Army OH-58D Kiowa Warrior of TF 118’s 4 Sqn., 17 Cav., 18 Aviation Brig. “Thugs” overflying USS Curts (FFG-38). Academy model top box art.

Task Force 118, OP Prime Chance, a Navy FFG with A/OH-58D Kiowa embarked

With the Army giving all its Kiowas a dirt nap in without replacement, and the Apache just a beast, the Viper could be up.

The Marines have been using Vipers and companion UH-1Y Venoms in a series of very kinetic maritime interdictions in both the Middle East and Eastern Pacific. Perhaps LCS has found a mission it can do.

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24, flies over a vessel of interest being destroyed during a Maritime Interdiction Operation while in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 05, 2026. The vessel of interest was boarded and cleared before being destroyed. U.S. military forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in support of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, Department of War-directed operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland through continuous presence. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

JFK and the Salty Dogs Bring in Navy’s 251st in Style

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The future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) marked a milestone on October 13 (the Navy’s official birthday) by recovering her first aircraft, an F-35C Lightning II assigned to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23.

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck aboard PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), marking the first time an F-35C lands on a Ford-class aircraft carrier. John F. Kennedy is underway conducting Aircraft Compatibility Testing, which assesses the ship’s aircraft launch and recovery equipment with U.S. Navy aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ka

It was the first F-35C recovery aboard a Ford-class carrier.

That is important, as just four of the Navy’s 11 carriers, all Nimitz-class, can operate the F-35C: Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington

Two F-35 test pilots from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), fly F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft to the PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) in the Western Atlantic Oct. 13, 2026. 

An F-35 test pilot from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), flies an F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft to the PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) in the Western Atlantic on Oct. 13, 2026. 

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to the “Salty Dogs” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck aboard PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), marking the first time an F-35C lands on a Ford-class aircraft carrier. 

Now roughly 99 percent complete following sea trials in August, Kennedy received preliminary Navy acceptance on 29 September 29 and moved to Norfolk Naval Station to begin crew training and system testing.

Shipbuilders are finalizing certification for the carrier’s last four Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) ahead of an adjusted formal delivery date and commissioning in March 2027.

Army to Start Fielding SIG M8 Next Gen Squad Weapon in December

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The Army’s planned SIG Sauer-made replacement for the M4 Carbine is slated for delivery to troops before year’s end.

As we previously reported, SIG won the Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon, or NGSW, competition in April 2022, securing a 10-year contract for two weapons chambered in the new hybrid 6.8×51 Common Cartridge. The weapons are intended to replace the Army’s 5.56 NATO small arms in front-line service.

The rifle, initially designated the XM5 and now type-classified as the M7, is based on SIG’s MCX Spear platform and will replace the M4 and M4A1. The SIG LMG-6.8, adopted as the M250 light machine gun, will replace the FN-made M249 SAW.

Now, the lighter, more compact XM8 is the Army’s rifle of choice, as shown by the service’s FY27 budget request, which debuted earlier this year, and by this week’s reporting from Military Times. 

The outlet reports the XM8 will reach troops in December, and SIG reps say the new rifle is far better than the “old” new rifle.

“From our perspective [the M8 is] a far superior rifle to the M7,” Dave Buehler, SIG’s vice president of manufacturing, told the outlet. “On the M7, our hands were kind of tied [with what] the design criteria or characteristics of the contract required – even if we didn’t like them, we had to meet them. So now, the M8 considers our feedback, the soldiers’ feedback. And we can’t wait to get it out there.”

The XM8, seen here, is a carbine variant of the M7 Rifle. While the M7 has a 13-inch barrel, the XM8 runs an 11-incher. Coupled with other improvements, this delivers a more M4-like experience while retaining the common 6.8×51 cartridge.  (Photo: Aliyah Harrison/U.S. Army)

Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle showcased a Soldier with an XM8 at the opening of the 2026 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., this week.

XM8 rifle
In addition to the XM8, the Soldier has an OpsCore AMPs/FAST headset and AN/PSQ-42 ENVG-B Thermal Fusion goggles, both of which the Army has fielded in limited numbers since 2019. (Photo: Christopher Kaufmann/U.S. Army)

A closer look at the gun shows a Vortex UH-1 holographic sight with a Vortex 3X Magnifier, Leonardo FWS-I (AN/PAS-35) clip-on thermals, and a B.E. Meyers DAGIR NIR illuminator. (Photo: Christopher Kaufmann/U.S. Army)

M7 rifle with M157 optic
The M7 is intended to field with the bulky Vortex-made M157 “smart” optics system, seen here in a 2024 test with the 101st Airborne, but the Army has a “M7 Surrogate Fire Control Program” which has seen other platforms used until M157 production catches up. The Vortex optic offers 1-8×30 magnification and combines a laser rangefinder and ballistic computer in an overlaid display to increase first-round hit probability. Even if the high-tech add-ons take a dirt nap, the backup etched reticle should still allow the sight to work as akin to an LPVO. (Photo: Capt. Andrew Lightsey IV/U.S. Army)

While the XM8 and M7 shown above both are seen with the standard steel 20-round magazine, the Army has also been trialing a 25-round magazine developed by SIG for the NGSW.

Further, what appear to be 25-round Magpul PMAGs were seen in the field with the guns earlier this year.

 

Welcome back, Big Abe!

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Sure, the Hegseth speech quickly became a Saturday Night Live cold open, but you have to salute the crew of Carrier Strike Group Three’s USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, who just completed 322 days deployed and earned a hard-won Presidential Unit Citation without an aircraft mishap.

She steamed into San Diego on Friday looking good, thanks to a quick five-day touch-up by local yard personnel in Laem Chabang Port, Thailand, on the way home, while her crew got some much-needed Libo at Pattaya Beach.

U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) returns to its home station at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., Oct. 8, 2026, following 10 months of operations in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandon Roberson)

Check out the “scoreboard,” similar to those seen on WWII fleet carriers, including 10 submarines and 33 surface ships, not to mention the drones and cruise missiles.

Sailors man the rails as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, returns to its home port of San Diego, Oct. 8, 2026. Navy Seaman Edward Martisius 100826-N-LG060-1237

By the numbers:

  • The ship steamed more than 93,000 nautical miles, conducted 72 replenishments-at-sea, and received more than 20.5 million gallons of aviation fuel during the operations.
  • The 322 days nearly eclipse the epic 326-day cruise of USS Gerald R. Ford, which holds that dubious post-Cold War record, and nearly match the Vietnam-era deployment of USS Midway, which topped 332 days.
  • She went 265 days without a port call.
  • Over the deployment, the air wing safely completed 14,037 aircraft sorties and accumulated 31,460 forward-deployed flight hours.
  • Operation Epic Fury saw CVW-9 launch into a 38-day air and sea campaign “to degrade Iranian power projection capabilities and defend our national interests. The air wing destroyed offensive missile sites, production facilities, military infrastructure, and naval combatants before an early April ceasefire.”
  • This included 160 straight combat hours at the start of the operation.
  • CVW-9 expended 1,499 precision weapons, delivering over 1.37 million pounds of ordnance against U.S. Central Command priority targets during the air and sea campaign, “while simultaneously executing robust defensive operations to shield the strike group from attacks.”
  • The strike group shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships, and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles.

The nine squadrons in the air wing are:

  • Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 (F-35Cs)
  • Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 14, VFA-41 and VFA-151 (F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet)
  • Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 (EA-18G Growlers)
  • Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 117 (E-2D Hawkeyes)
  • Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 (MH-60R Seahawks)
  • Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 (MH-60S Seahawks)
  • Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 (CMV-22B Osprey COD)

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group consists of:

  • The flagship Abraham Lincoln with the embarked staff of Carrier Strike Group 3, Destroyer Squadron 21, and CVW-9.
  • The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) serves as the integrated air-and-missile defense commander. She returned home last week and, over 300 days, conducted 45 replenishments-at-sea, sailed over 85,000 nautical miles, safely transferred over 7,544,486 gallons of F-76 fuel and 175,288 gallons of JP-5 fuel, and completed 1,094 hours of flight quarters.
  • DESRON 21’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), which are underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. 5th Fleet areas of operations, supporting global maritime security operations.

Lincoln is scheduled to enter a dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for several months of post-deployment maintenance and a dry dock overhaul, including deep corrosion removal, flight deck resurfacing, and in-depth catapult maintenance.

Lincoln’s place was taken by sister USS George Washington.

For reference, the Essex-class fleet carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) holds the all-time at-sea record, with 495 days deployed in the tail end of WWII (February 29, 1944, to July 7, 1945), taking part in major operations including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and strikes against Japanese forces and ships, including the Yamato.

Welcome aboard, here’s your FNC

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How about these great images of the incoming batch of conscripts (Värnpliktig) reporting for service with the Stockholms Amfibieregemente (Amf 1, the 1st Marine Regiment) in Sweden?

On day one, before they even go for their equipment draw or haircut, they meet their new (to them, at least) Automatkarbin 5, or Ak5.

The Swedes had gotten away from conscription in 2007 then resumed it in 2017 as Russia got increasingly, well, Russia. Note that big winter triggerguard, something needed in Sweden, and the super comfy sling. I love a wide sling.  

Today, just 8,000 youth see mandatory service annually, training anywhere from 6 to 15 months; plans are to ramp this up to over 10,000 in the next couple of years. About 30,000 inductees report, and the upper tier is selected to serve. 

For reference, Sweden has about 29,000 men and women on active duty, a figure that would triple when the reserves and home guard (Hemvärnet) are activated.

Amf 1 was formed in 2000 as part of the Swedish Amphibious Corps. Originally raised from the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment, KA 1, it was renamed to its current title in October 2021. Its strength fluctuates between 800 and 1,100 depending on the number of Värnpliktigs on the rolls.

The country has a long tradition of conscripts watching the coast, going back to at least the 9th century ledungen. Here, Landstormen held down the task in 1914–1915.

Sweden has about 200,000 Ak5s, an FN FNC variant produced under license domestically by Bofors Carl Gustaf AB. While FN stopped producing the 5.56 long-stroke gas piston (like the Kalashnikov) carbine in 1999, the Swedes kept producing them until 2006 and still have arsenal-level workshops keeping them going.

They will soon be passed into the reserves, replaced by the incoming Ak24, a variant of the short-stroke piston Finnish Sako ARG 40.

HST out, JFK (almost) in

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With a $20 billion outlay of taxpayer dollars this week, the Navy is getting two flattops, kinda.

This week, the service issued a big-fat Refueling and Complex Overhaul award to HII in Newport News for USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was built at Newport News over 54 months, from November 1993 to June 1998, for $4.5B at the time.

She returned from her last deployment (her 12th) in June 2025 and has obviously been prepping for her RCOH since then

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Arrival for RCOH

Her RCOH, which will give her another 25-30 years of life, is expected to run (at least) 48 months until November 2031 and cost just under $5.2B.

The Navy and HII, as shown in the images above, have been doing a lot of advance work to meet those 48 months, or perhaps even cut it shorter.

Per HII

“We’ve taken a proactive approach, from ordering long lead-time materials to conducting thousands of inspections and preliminary work, to ensure the RCOH of USS Harry S. Truman is successful,” said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of program management. “This extensive engineering and construction project to ready the ship to rejoin the fleet is a team effort, across shipbuilders, suppliers and our Navy partners, and we are honored to do our part.”

Per DOD

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $5,099,973,132 fixed-ceiling incentive contract for the accomplishment of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) refueling and complex overhaul. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $5,183,380,744. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia and is expected to be completed by November 2031.Fiscal 2026 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $547,826,087 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1), this contract was not competitively procured. Only one responsible source, Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, has the knowledge, experience, and facilities required to accomplish this without an unacceptable disruption of Navy-wide overhaul and repair schedule. Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maritime, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-26-C-2175).

JFK, inbound

Also this week, HII announced that it had achieved preliminary acceptance of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Ford-class carrier, and, so far, has cost $13.2B.

Preliminary acceptance, the final step before formal delivery to the U.S. Navy, allows the Navy to begin underway test and evaluation of Kennedy’s unique systems and for the crew to gain operational proficiency. CVN 79 successfully completed acceptance trials in August.

JFK is expected to commission in March 2027.

Where are the other carriers?

The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group with CVW-11 aboard just got underway from the West Coast, bound for the Middle East, replacing her sister, the exhausted Abraham Lincoln, which has been underway for over 300 days.

USS George H.W. Bush and sister USS George Washington remain in and around the 5th Fleet’s AOR, conducting operations against Iran.

USS Carl Vinson is in San Diego and just completed her eight-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in July. Expect her to deploy soon.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) is working up along the Virginia Coast, and recently lost a VAQ-130 Growler but not its crew.

Nimitz, the grand old lady, has officially finished her last cruise but is still “around” for training tasks out of Norfolk as she heads towards deactivation. Expect her to remain loosely available but running on two angry electrons duct-taped inside her reactors until JFK commissions.

Offline: 

USS Ronald Reagan is wrapping up a major 18-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) maintenance period at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where she has been since last Spring.

USS Gerald R. Ford, suffering from a brutal deployment and a fire that was apparently bigger than anyone knew, just started her own at least eight-month PIA at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

USS John C. Stennis is still mired in her RCOH at Newport News, which she started back in May 2021. Her expected redelivery is targeted for late 2026 / early 2027.

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