The US’s $13 billion supercarrier faces numerous obstacles.
The US’s $13 billion supercarrier faces numerous obstacles.
America’s $13-billion super aircraft carrier is facing a storm of setbacks, delays and technical troubles that are raising serious questions about the future of U.S. naval dominance.
Designed to be the most advanced carrier ever built, the ship was meant to redefine sea power with next-generation radar, cutting-edge combat systems and revolutionary aircraft launch technology. Instead, persistent problems — from key system failures to integration challenges and repeated schedule slippages — have slowed operational readiness and driven costs even higher.
Defense analysts warn that every delay weakens the U.S. Navy’s ability to project power at a time when rival fleets are rapidly modernizing and deploying long-range missiles, drones and hypersonic weapons.
Once promoted as a symbol of unstoppable technological superiority, the troubled $13-billion carrier now reflects a harsher reality: dominance at sea is no longer guaranteed, and even the world’s most ambitious warship programs are vulnerable to complexity, pressure and strategic miscalculation.
