WASHINGTON, D.C. - USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) arrived at Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, July 14 to begin a yearlong maintenance and upgrade period.

The ship’s post-shakedown availability/selected restricted availability (PSA/SRA) follows the ship's successful completion of its post-delivery test and evaluation.

Operating at sea for 81 days through eight independent steaming events, USS Gerald R. Ford successfully completed fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft integration and compatibility testing, air traffic control center certification, JP-5 fuel system certification, daytime and nighttime underway replenishment capability demonstration, ship's defensive system demonstration, Dual Band Radar testing and propulsion plant operations. The ship completed nearly 750 shipboard aircraft launches and recoveries against a plan of approximately 400.

The scheduled 12-month PSA/SRA will install remaining combat systems, complete deferred work and correct remaining discrepancies identified during sea trials and shakedown. The longest sequence of events, or “critical path” for this PSA/SRA period are Advanced Weapons Elevator construction and Advanced Arresting Gear upgrades.

Following the PSA/SRA, USS Gerald R. Ford will conduct further trials and testing, including full-ship shock trials, prior to its first deployment. The ship will work up for deployment in parallel with its initial operational testing and evaluation.

Source: U.S. Navy
Associated URL: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/1575182/uss-gerald-r-ford-begins-post-shakedown-availability/