US Navy modifies carrier Kennedy contract for F-35 and delivery changes

As expected, the US Navy (USN) awarded the Newport News Shipbuilding unit of Huntington-Ingalls Industries (HII) contract modifications on 2 November that shift the delivery of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) to a single-phase process and incorporates changes in the ship to accommodate Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter flight operations.

With the change, the ship will be delivered three months earlier than initially planned, according to the previously reported schedule.

Newport News Shipbuilding received a USD284.3 million fixed-price-incentive (firm target) modification and a not-to-exceed USD30.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification “for the accomplishment of CVN 79 single-phase delivery and Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) capabilities”, the USN said in a press release on 2 November.

“The navy is transitioning to a single-phase delivery approach to meet both fleet requirements and a congressional mandate of ensuring that CVN 79 is capable of operating and deploying Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) aircraft before completing the post-shakedown availability as codified in the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act,” the navy said. The modifications provide initial funding for the procurement of long-lead material and planning, HII said.

The single-phase delivery date is planned for 30 June 2024 for the second ship of the Ford-class carriers, the navy noted. In a 7 October report on the Ford-class vessels, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that Kennedy had been scheduled for delivery to the navy in September 2024. Kennedy