The ("21st Century Aircraft Carrier") is the next generation
Supercarrier for the
United States Navy . It should not be confused with ''CV 21'', the hull designation for the post-World War II carrier
USS ''Boxer'' , which was in service from 1945-1969.
CVN-21 will incorporate many new design features including a new nuclear reactor design (the
A1B Reactor ), stealthier features to help reduce radar profile, electromagnetic catapults, advanced
Arresting Gear , and reduced crewing requirements. The U.S. Navy believes that with the addition of the most modern equipment and extensive use of automation they will be able to reduce the total cost of future aircraft carriers. If the Navy can reduce the cost of constructing and maintaining an aircraft carrier, they will overcome the biggest complaint received in the U.S. Congress — that of funding.
The first hull of CVN-21 (formerly CVNX) line will be
CVN-78 . The CVN-21 uses the basic hull design of the preceding
''Nimitz'' -class, though that is where the similarities will end.
As of
October 2005 , one CVN-21 is planned to start construction in
2007 and finish in
2015 . It is estimated to cost at least $13 billion, but this includes the $5 billion spent on R&D and is not representative of the cost of future members of the class.
Currently there is much debate over what name CVN-78, the first CVN-21 class carrier, should bear. This is elevated by the fact that the name of the lead ship of the class will be extended to all members of the class. As it currently stands, CVN-78 will replace the current
USS ''Enterprise'' , making her name a viable candidate for CVN-78. Others, particularly ex-crewmembers, feel that CVN-78 should be named in honor of the carrier
USS ''America'' , which endured a month long bombardment and was ultimately scuttled
14 May 2005 to help the US Navy better understand how much damage a super carrier could withstand before succumbing to battle wounds. This research will be incorporated into the design and construction of CVN-21 class carriers. Still others feel that CVN-21 class should be named in honor of
Eugene B. Ely , who was the first naval pilot. Other suggested names include
USS ''Lexington'' , in honor of the second United States aircraft carrier, and
USS ''Constitution'' , which has never been used to name a modern American
Warship .
The United States Navy has not yet announced the name of first carrier, leaving the class name open for discussion. CVN-78 is set to be laid down sometime in 2009, so a name for CVN-78 and the CVN-21 class will likely be picked sometime between 2009 and 2015. Modern aircraft carriers since
''USS John F. Kennedy'' (though excluding
''USS Nimitz'' ) are typically named for living or dead politicians. Previous aircraft carriers were named for battles and past famous fighting ships of the Navy. The names of ships are officially selected by the
Secretary Of The Navy , usually after construction of the ship has begun and before the ship is launched.
- Defense Industry Daily: Costing the CVN-21: A DID Primer . Covers the true costs of the CVN-21, how those are calculated, and where the $5 billion savings on operational costs is expected to come from over the ship's planned 50-year lifetime.
