{"id":29007,"date":"2023-03-09T23:46:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T23:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2023\/03\/09\/aircraft-carrier-ford-embarks-with-full-air-wing-for-first-time\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:58:52","slug":"aircraft-carrier-ford-embarks-with-full-air-wing-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/2023\/03\/09\/aircraft-carrier-ford-embarks-with-full-air-wing-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Aircraft carrier Ford embarks with full air wing for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is operating with a full carrier air wing<\/a> for the first time as part of its Composite Training Unit Exercise, known as COMPTUEX, ahead of a full-length deployment later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While roughly 80 percent of the air wing embarked on the ship during the carrier\u2019s brief 2022 deployment, Ford is now operating with all of Carrier Air Wing 8 during COMPTUEX to allow its crew to navigate flight deck and hangar bay operations with more aircraft than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll give us an opportunity to continue to refine how we\u2019re going to manage the flight deck, how we\u2019re going to operate, and get the aircraft off and back on safely,\u201d Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, told reporters March 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expansive training exercise, which kicked off on March 2, is required to certify for deployment while aiming to integrate carrier strike group elements as a cohesive force, according to the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ford\u2019s build design, meanwhile, places its command center for flight-deck operations \u2014 and the ship as a whole \u2014 further aft than Nimitz-class carriers, freeing up additional space on the flight deck so the air wing has more aircraft ready at any given point. Such changes, coupled with the new technology installed on the ship, were designed to support a 30-percent higher sortie generation rate, according to the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crew expects to conduct an unprecedented level of sorties during COMPTUEX, during which time personnel will focus on streamlining flight operations and executing smooth approaches, according to the Ford\u2019s commanding officer Capt. Paul Lanzilotta.<\/p>\n\n\n\t