【福特級航母】美軍“福特”號航母在戰鬥系統戰備演習中獲得“綠色”認證|世界上個頭最大造價最高的“神兵利器”終於要出鞘！

The "Ford" aircraft carrier is the first ship of the US "Ford" class aircraft carrier. It is the 11th aircraft carrier in the US Navy. The "Ford" aircraft carrier cost about 13 billion US dollars and is the most expensive ship in the history of the US Navy . Adopting a lot of high-tech, mainly including integrated electric propulsion and electromagnetic catapult technology , it will become the backbone of the US military 's maritime strike force in the 21st centuryFebruary 7, 2022 The US "Defense News" said that the "Ford" will be deployed for the first time this fall, and the aircraft carrier In fact, it has been in service for 5 years . The aircraft carrier "Ford" started on August 11, 2005 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dock Company. On November 13, 2009, the keel was laid . On November 9, 2013, it was officially launched . April 2017 Sea trials began on July 8, 2017, and officially entered service in the U.S. Navy . The "Ford" class aircraft carrier is the first aircraft carrier in the United States to be designed using computer-aided tools. The virtual image technology is applied in the design process to accurately simulate every design detail and Resolving related layout issues up front Increases accuracy of how each component is actually manufactured Also allows multiple teams to design and develop separately at the same time Saves time Total build cost of the Ford was $12.9 billion R&D cost $4.7 billion Just in terms of cost, it is far from other aircraft carriers . The "Ford" has a total length of 337 meters, a ship width of 41 meters, a flight deck width of 77 meters, a draft of 12 meters, a full- load displacement of 112,000 tons, and a speed of more than 30 knots. The power system is 2 A1B nuclear reactors The shipborne weapons it is equipped with mainly include 2 RIM-162 evolved version of the "Sea Sparrow" missile system , 2 RIM-116 "Ram" missile launchers, 3 MK-15 Phalanx, short-range defense weapon systems and 4 12.7 mm The M2 machine gun carries more than 75 carrier-based aircraft, so what are the reborn changes of the new-generation "Ford" -class aircraft carrier that the United States spent a lot of money on ? The layout of the large and improved "Ford"-class aircraft carrier island is placed at the rear of the deck, the bridge design is low , the closed mast is used , and the island and the bridge are integrated. This layout method can not only arrange the carrier-based aircraft more reasonably Improve the efficiency of aircraft take-off and landing, but also reduce the radar reflection area. Equipped with radar, electromagnetic and other stealth technologies, it can have certain stealth capabilities. Second , the "Ford" class aircraft carrier has adopted a large-scale power system. Its power plant uses a new generation of A1B nuclear reactor power . Compared with the "Nimitz" class aircraft carrier, it has increased by more than 25%. At the same time, it is equipped with a 13,500-volt power distribution system. The power supply capacity is as high as 200,000 kilowatts , which is almost three times that of the "Nimitz" class . Normal power is maintained for most of the service period, and the hull life of the entire "Ford" class aircraft carrier is no more than that, so this type of aircraft carrier can It is said that there is no need to replace the nuclear reactor until it is used for scrapping, and because the "Ford"-class aircraft carrier uses all -electric propulsion, the efficiency is very high, and the design difficulty is greatly reduced . "Killer" has preliminarily determined that the new concept weapons to be installed on the "Ford" aircraft carrier in the future include electromagnetic railguns, high-energy laser weapons, particle beam weapons , etc. Ship Provides good prerequisites The "Ford" class aircraft carrier also uses a large number of advanced detection, electronic warfare systems, command automation systems and automation equipment, various types of phased array radars on the ship , satellite communications, data transmission chains, electronic warfare systems and joint precision approach The antenna of the landing system is integrated into the bridge structure or placed on the lightweight mast on top of the bridge. The overall degree of automation of the Ford class is much higher than that of the Nimitz class. This effectively reduces the manpower requirement. Carrier operators will From 3,190 people in the Nimitz class to about 2,000 people , the main carrier aircraft on the "Ford" aircraft carrier will be fully replaced by the F-35C fighters with stealth performance to replace the F-18 super "Hornet" in service. The F-35C fighter jet can cruise at supersonic speed, with a maximum combat radius of more than 1,000 kilometers, and can carry out long- range precision strikes on various targets . Early warning and battlefield assessment can also undertake tasks such as supporting anti-submarine and emergency rescue. Finally, let's talk about the most iconic "Ford" equipped with electromagnetic catapult system and electromagnetic arresting device. The electromagnetic catapult system represents the most advanced catapult system on the world 's aircraft carriers. Level The steam catapults used in the past have relatively large volume and weight, complex overall layout and structure , and the range of ejection weight is also limited, about 20-30 tons, and cannot eject some heavy carrier-based aircraft and relatively light UAVs, which will greatly weaken the combat effectiveness of the aircraft carrier. Increase casualties Steam catapults need to consume a lot of fresh water and produce a lot of smoke during ejection Different models of ejection need to set the corresponding parameters separately Insufficient flexibility The working principle of electromagnetic catapults is similar to maglev trains, driven by electricity and realized through guide rails The first advantage is that the structure is relatively simple , small size, light weight, easy to arrange, electromagnetic catapult , no need for seawater desalination equipment, high pressure water pump, heating boiler, water storage and other high pressure vessels . Only one-third of the steam catapult takes up less space on the hull of the ship . The second advantage of the electromagnetic catapult is its quick response. The preparation time only takes ten minutes , which will greatly improve the efficiency of the catapult aircraft. The sunrise momentum of the carrier aircraft can be calculated by The original 120 sorties were increased to 160 sorties , and its maximum sunrise momentum was also increased from the original 220-240 sorties to 270 sorties. The third advantage of the electromagnetic catapult is that it is easy to control And adjustment , the types of catapult carrier aircraft will be greatly improved . Not only fighter jets of dozens of tons can be boarded, but light drones weighing several tons can also be catapulted into the air with this device. The landing of drones means the future mode of naval warfare. A revolutionary change may occur because the combat radius of the drone will greatly exceed the attack distance of manned aircraft. According to data , the maximum combat radius of the X-47B drone can reach about 2,700 kilometers, which is more than twice that of the F-35C. The advanced electromagnetic arrester and its control computer can analyze the real-time force of the intercepting cable and feed it back to the motor to give the arresting cable proper tension, so that the carrier-based aircraft can obtain a relatively even force during the entire arresting process. However , it is a pity that The "Ford" aircraft carrier joined the U.S. Navy on July 22, 2017, but has not yet completed its actual combat deployment . The most important reason is that a series of problems have occurred with its electromagnetic ejection system and electromagnetic arrester. According to the Pentagon , the system is responsible for A report by Robert Baylor, the director of the test, said the electromagnetic catapult should fail only once in an average of 4,166 ejections, but in the actual test, the interval between each failure was only 181 on average . Two failures in 2020. More It's the new electromagnetic arrester that caused the catapult to be deactivated for 3 days . There is also a problem with the new electromagnetic arrester on the USS Ford. The theoretical failure frequency of this device should be 1 in 16,500 , but according to Baylor's report, the arrester has an average of every 48 aircraft After landing, there will be failures. The failure rate is much higher than the steam catapult system equipped with the "Nimitz" class aircraft carrier. In addition, due to the imperfect design of the four electromagnetic catapults on the "Ford" If there is one If it fails , the other three cannot be used. It can be seen that a series of technical problems have restricted the service of the "Ford" aircraft carrier, making it unable to form effective combat effectiveness after 5 years of delivery . August 4, 2022 The US Department of Defense stated that "Ford" USS just passed a major milestone Earning 'Green' certification during combat systems readiness exercise, an assessment that determines the ability of the ship's combat systems and personnel to respond to threats from a hypothetical enemy Exercise tests USS Ford to neutralize airborne threats capabilities, including threats from manned or unmanned aircraft , as well as waterborne drones. During the exercise, the Ford tested the CIWS close-in weapons system and the MK-38 Viper 25cm cannon against aerial simulation drones. Threats Demonstrate the resilience of the Ford to assessors Next step the Ford will participate in a multinational exercise Demonstrating flight deck operations with a portion of the carrier wing The exercise will include engagements with carriers from France and the United Kingdom, as well as other seven-nation navies The coordinated event "Ford" will test the electromagnetic catapult system in the next multinational exercise, which will be operated by at least 4,500 personnel and a task force , including 75 military aircraft F-35C stealth fighters and F/A-18E/F super Hornet fighter The mission will be carried out after the carrier is fully deployed. Although the lead ship of the Ford-class aircraft carrier has experienced delays in the final deployment schedule, the combat system readiness exercise has convinced the US military that the Ford will be ready for combat in the shortest possible time. 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