When the USS Gerald R. Ford was delivered in 2017, it was still years away from deployment as an aircraft carrier. Most of the 11 Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE) didn’t work. The electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) that make up the Ford’s next-generation aircraft launch and retrieval capabilities were very unreliable. The new Dual Band Radar (DBR) system had problems. Even the toilets were not working. Some predicted that the ship would not be ready to deploy until 2024. Critics referred to the most expensive warship the world has ever seen as a $13 billion dollar berthing barge.

Now, it appears that the Ford may be ready to deploy in 2022, still years late and billions over budget but earlier than the worse case predictions. Just days before Christmas, the Navy announced that the last of the 11 weapons elevators was finally functional, fulfilling a promise made by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, that the last of the troublesome elevators would be operational by the end of the year.

“This is a significant milestone for the Navy, ship, and her crew,” said Rear Adm. James P. Downey, program executive officer for aircraft carriers. “With completion of this final AWE (advanced weapons elevator), we now have the entire system to operate and train with.”

The Ford is now back at the yard for a final check-up before launching into the training required for deployment. It will come out of the yard on schedule in the spring, Downey said.