Skull One. @Cyclone9650

EMALS - newer tech, smoother acceleration which means less stress on aircraft being launched. Also, the force of a cat-launch can be better programmed than steam cat, adjustable for smaller drones (which are the future).

Brian Mistrot @brian_mistrot

a day ago

This isn’t my wheelhouse so I am tagging my friend @AmyMcGrathKY: It was my understanding the Navy went to the new launch system bc the steam catapults have too narrow of a range to be able to launch lighter aircraft (such as some drones).

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The Navy’s air boss spoke last year about the "glory of the Ford" and provided helpful data. With over 1,000 passes under his belt, a recent one using the new tech was the “best pass” the air boss had “ever seen.” After coming around the corner, Admiral Cheever landed on point. “Literally, the ball didn’t move, and I landed exactly where I wanted to land. Incredible capability.” With the island now shifted, it reduces wind on deck and makes stability a feature. The command center for flight-deck operations, the island’s real estate change has also created future margin growth to cope with evolving threats and challenges and the ability to quickly absorb new tech onto the carrier. Moving the island rearward further increases parking availability and makes it “quick and easy” for pilots. The Ford’s EMALS generates 25% more daily sorties than the Nimitz-class. With this dramatic increase in flights per day, the Ford has improved the “most important metric of carrier lethality.” Operating on the Ford flight deck is also safer. After landing, pilots quickly get into their parking spot under the new weapons elevators. Almost immediately, the aircraft take on more ordnance, and then execute mission. Jumping from just 3 elevators on the Nimitz carriers to the dozen electromagnetic weapons elevators aboard the Ford today means faster rearming and relaunching of aircraft. And by rearranging the process to favor moving munitions to strike fighters instead of the other way around, alongside other improvements in automation and technology, time has been freed up for military commanders to use for more productive purposes. This means more tails in the air rather than maneuvering around the deck-plates. Calling the Ford a “huge leap” in capability, the Admiral closed by noting the “entirety of the Ford class carrier is air conditioned.” Air conditioning makes for more productive crews and less heat and humidity wear on platforms. This is important as the air wing morphs into a more blended manned-unmanned mix with greater variety of aircraft and weapons. The U.S. Navy’s Ford-class air wing can accommodate fourth-, fifth- and eventually sixth-generation fighters, support aircraft along with new unmanned systems like the MQ25 and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft. It can operate them more smoothly with more efficient processes and more productive crews.

The U.S. Navy is considering a major redesign of its new Ford-class aircraft carriers to better match President Trump’s preferred aesthetic for the warships, according to seven current and former U.S. officials familiar with the matter who spoke to the Washington Post. The President has expressed concerns over the location of the “island” on the Ford-class of carriers, which operates as the ship’s bridge as well as an air traffic control tower and is located more towards the rear of the vessel, with Trump preferring the multistory tower be moved to the middle of the flight deck, like on aircraft carriers seen during World War ll. Moving that command center would be the second major design change prompted by President Trump, who on Thursday issued a national security memorandum directing the Navy to develop a plan to revert to older steam-powered catapults on future aircraft carriers, scrapping the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) currently employed on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).

#USAF United States Air Force Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia Since mid-to-late January, there has been approximately 38 Naval-coded flights of C-17 and C-5 aircraft to Diego Garcia, 13 being since the start of May, and 7 so far in August. 7 have originated at Norfolk Naval Station, 6 from Travis Air Force Base, and a number from U.S. bases in INDOPACOM and around CENTCOM. There have been additional flights to Diego Garcia, but this is looking specifically at Navy support flights. Additionally, as this data is collected via ACARS (Thanks @thebaldgeek), this excludes aircraft that have flown either discretely, or did not send an MDINI ACARS message with their final leg to Diego Garcia. @MATA_osint @FaytuksNetwork @Osinttechnical @sentdefender @DefenceGeek

I ran the Department of the Navy’s Suicide Prevention Program in the Biden Admin. RE USS Abraham Lincoln Let me paint a picture of things that have each historically been considered “try to avoid” because they put so much stress on Sailors and/or their families: 🧵

BREAKING: The US Navy has shifted its main regional logistics hub 2,200 miles to Diego Garcia after Iran struck and fully destroyed the US Navy base in Bahrain early in the Iran war, directly contributing to the supply problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, per NYT. Iran subsequently struck Diego Garcia on March 20 with 2 medium-range ballistic missiles, with 1 falling short into the Indian Ocean and the other shot down by a US Navy warship, with a senior Iranian source familiar with the matter saying "more is to come" regarding strikes on the island. Both US carrier liberty ports (Bahrain + Emirati Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman) are within Iranian missile range. Because of this logistics disruption, the carrier has set a historic record for time at sea, with sailors facing exhaustion, food shortages, water contamination, deteriorating conditions, supply shortages, lack of basic hygiene products, and poor-quality rations. Multiple sailors have tried jumping overboard and attempted suicide. The USS Lincoln crew is also eligible for 5 "beer days" under Navy tradition, given time at sea, but no beer is available due to the shortages.

A 19-year-old aviation mechanic jumped overboard after his chain of command ignored his exhaustion and expired contact lenses. The Navy then waited five days to inform his wife of the suicide attempt, highlighting a severe lack of transparency and basic care for troops.

Furkan Gözükara @FurkanGozukara

a day ago

The 250-day deployment of the USS Lincoln was an ill-thought-out decision made on a whim by the president, argues analyst Tim Miller. With no strategy and no exit plan, sailors are enduring unprecedented stretches at sea for a war that was never pitched to the public.

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Wife of US Service Member on Lincoln reacts to Trump’s statement: I don't think the man thinks before he talks. Take some accountability for what's going on with your military, your ships, and your war.  We heard Hegseth and the president essentially saying that families are lying and service members are lying, even though the proof is right here on my phone. It's infuriating that they're not taking accountability and not having any sort of sympathy for our service members that they they claim that they support when it's politically, you know, sound for them—until our troops need support. And now suddenly everyone's lying.  I so badly would love to plaster my face and blow the whistle so loud on social media with my name and be like, this is real. But unfortunately, I have to protect my husband's career

It’s not just happening on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The mother of a sailor who served aboard the USS Tripoli sent me text messages about the poor living conditions her son experienced. She is fearful of her son being retaliated against so she asked to remain anonymous.

On OutFront, Military Times Pentagon Reporter Natalie Oliverio fires back at Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth for calling her reports on the USS Abraham Lincoln “completely misrepresented.” Oliverio, who's also a Navy veteran, says the secretary is “gaslighting our force,” adding her reports are fully backed by organic photos and messages from sailors and families.

@ProjectLincoln I'll believe it... when I see it.

He’s absolutely flailing. This is embarrassing

Trey Yingst @TreyYingst

4 days ago

President Trump issued a new statement on Iran:

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🚨 The mystery of the woman standing next to Trump has been solved! The woman sitting next to Trump moves her hand and presses a device on her stomach, and at that exact moment, Trump suddenly jumps up startled, as if she had given him an electric shock to wake him up in front of the cameras. Very suspicious… 👀

@AdultFoxBeing

@wwgoddesses2 @kelani_wwe All that and a bag of chips. The most underrated, underused superstar.

@HormuzLetter Anyone saying the lack of ammunition is bullshit, doesn't remember Secretary of the Navy during President Reagan, John Lehman, who, when he took over, found the Navy had only 4 days worth of ammo. Yeah, sorry MAGA, you wasted our stockpile 4 nothing.

@TomcatJunkie F-16: Oh dear god, why did I pick on that Tomcat? What the hell was I thinking?

@TomcatJunkie Oh no. Can't have that. Don't you know? Stealth is the new sexy! Practical and functionality isn't.

@AIFoxbeing Yes... thank you... *mumble* *mumble* *mumble*

@nadia_sapphire Yes