U.S. largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls was awarded a contract from the Naval Sea Systems Command for early service life period work on USS Gerald R. Ford nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

The award, announced by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on 12 June, covers support ship repair and modernization during continuous incremental availabilities, planned incremental availabilities, full-ship shock trials and continuous maintenance and emergent maintenance during the ship’s early service life period.

“This contract includes five ordering periods totaling 60 months, with a maximum order value of $687,090,000,” the DoD said.

Work under all five delivery orders is expected to be completed by June 2024.

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the first ship in the nation’s newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and the first new aircraft carrier designed in more than 40 years.

Designed to replace Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the Ford-class features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement, an enhanced flight deck capable of increased aircraft sortie rates, and growth margin for future technologies. Each Ford-class ship will operate with a smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier and will provide increased ownership cost-savings throughout its expected 50-year operational life.