USS Nimitz Decommissioning will leave the Navy with fewer carriers until 2027

The American navy will go from 11 to 10 aircraft carriers for about a year once USS Nimitz is put out of service next year, because recent budgetary documents show that a new carrier will be delayed from its original delivery date.

According to budgetary estimates from the Ministry of Defense for the FYP (FY) 2026, Newport News Shipbuilders was to deliver the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) to the Navy by July 2025, but this has since been moved in March 2027.

“The CVN 79 delivery date has increased from July 2025 to March 2027 (TBD preliminary acceptance) to support the completion of advanced certification of stop equipment (AAG) and the work of the advanced elevator of advanced weapons (AWE)”, was read.

Advanced certification of stop equipment and advanced arms elevator work is systems that have been incorporated into Ford class carriers.

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Newport News Shipbuilding is seen from above 2019, in Newport News, Virginia. (Jonathon Gruenke / Newport News Daily Press / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The Naval Construction of Newport News in Hii in Virginia said USNI news that he takes lessons learned and applies them with the new ships in his class.

“More specifically, the construction of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) has been quite advanced when many Ford lessons have been carried out, which excludes the rapid implementation of the lessons learned for Kennedy,” Todd Corillo, spokesperson for HII, told The Publication. “On the other hand, the company (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81) were able to integrate, take advantage and capitalize on Ford lessons learned earlier in the construction process.”

The delivery of the USS Enterprise (CVN-80), which was to be delivered in September 2029, but has since been postponed in July 2030.

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The American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz approaches a naval base in Busan, South Korea, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Yonhap / Reuters)

“The CVN 80 delivery date has increased from September 2029 to July 203 due to delays in the availability of materials and performance of the industry / supply chain,” said the document notes of the document.

Usni reported that the navy was pregnant with a double -phase delivery approach for Kennedy, but has since passed a single -phase delivery, which added two additional years of work to the ship’s design and construction contract.

As part of the new plans, Kennedy would be equipped to manage the F-35C Strike Fighter II of the fifth generation and be equipped with the new air surveillance radar of the company, USNI reported.

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The officials originally thought that the double phase approach saved money to the navy with regard to construction costs and minimizing downtime between the downgrading of Nimitz and Kennedy delivery.

These delays arise while USS Nimitz is preparing to be put out of service.

Commissioned on May 3, 1975, the Nimitz is the oldest active aircraft carrier in the American navy.

He is currently on his last sea trip to the Middle East, because the Nimitz should be put out of service in 2026.

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The deployment is significant because the Nimitz was also deployed in 1980 when its helicopters were part of the failure of the American effort known as the Eagle Claw to save the American hostages which were held at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran. The United States has been in a shadow war against Iran since then.

Danielle Wallace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.