#15: Gerald R. Ford-class: The Most Expensive Warship Ever Built
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) cost approximately $13.3 billion to build, making her the most expensive warship in history. Her electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) replaces steam catapults with linear induction motors that can launch everything from 7-pound drones to 100,000-pound aircraft, and do it with less stress on airframes, extending the service life of every plane in the air wing.
The Ford-class represents the most significant leap in carrier defense technology in 40 years. Advanced arresting gear, a redesigned island, a new nuclear reactor design (A1B) generating three times more electrical power than previous carriers, and a reduced crew requirement of several hundred fewer sailors compared to the Nimitz-class all point to a ship built for the next 50 years of naval warfare. She can generate over 160 sorties per day, a 33% increase over the Nimitz-class. With a planned class of four ships, the Ford-class will anchor American power projection well into the late 21st century.
