US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Julio Martinez Martinez
Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during its commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, July 22, 2017. Ford is the lead ship of the Ford-class aircraft carriers, and the first new US aircraft carrier designed in 40 years.
President Donald Trump took part in the commissioning of the USS Gerald R. Ford on Saturday, ushering in the first new aircraft carrier design in four decades to the US Navy with in "100,000-ton message to the world," according to Trump.
The Ford will join the US Navy's 10 Nimitz-class flat-top aircraft carriers, which are already the envy of the world. But while the Ford looks much like its predecessors, it has key technological advances that shine a light on what US military planners envision as the future of naval warfare.
Named after President Gerald Ford, the $12.9 billion titan is the first of four planned ships in its class. In the slides below, see how the Fords improve on America's already imposing fleet of aircraft carriers.