This Is the Nuclear-Powered Ship Deployed in Trump’s War on Drug Boats

The USS Gerald R. FordThe US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is heading to the Caribbean Sea as part of a Pentagon strategy it says is intended to strengthen its countermeasures. drug trafficking in South America.

The news was confirmed late last week by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell. through his social networks. He explained the deployment in his message Gerald R. Ford “It will strengthen the United States’ ability to detect, monitor and destroy illegal actors and activities that compromise the security and prosperity of US territory, as well as our stability in the Western Hemisphere.” Until now, only warships and aircraft were assembled in the area.

Since last month, President Donald Trump’s administration has launched a campaign in Caribbean waters aimed at combating drug trafficking, arguing that the activities of various criminal organizations threaten the safety of the American people. In recent weeks, the US military has targeted several ships and accused their operators of transporting drugs, a situation that has raised US diplomatic tensions with countries such as Venezuela and Colombia.

its dispatch Ford This represents an increase in Washington’s military activity in the region, which experts say could further escalate hostilities.

D Ford Described as the most advanced and expensive in the world. The estimated cost of its construction was $13 billion, according to Military Industry Press. It is the first of a new generation of aircraft carriers slated to replace the Nimitz class, which has been the mainstay of the US fleet since the 1970s.

Site Naval Technology explains that Ford The CVN-21 belongs to the class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Division of Huntington Ingalls Industries for the US Navy as part of the Aircraft Carrier Program.

Bring the big guns

Compared to the Nimitz class, the U.S.S Gerald R. Ford Includes 23 new or improved systems that optimize transportation, communication, tracking, operational performance, weight tolerance and stability functions, among other aspects.

The ship displaces about 100,000 tons, is 333 meters long and 40.8 meters wide, and has a flight deck 78 meters wide. One of its major innovations was its advanced nuclear propulsion system, which improved power generation and distribution by 150 percent over its predecessors. The system, developed by Northrop Grumman, consists of two reactors, four shafts and a zonal electrical distribution system, which allows it to travel for up to 20 years without refueling.

The ship operates with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, which is considered to be its greatest innovation. This process replaces the traditional steam catapult with a linear electromagnetic accelerator motor, which improves control over the acceleration of manned and unmanned aircraft. In practice, this allows vehicles with heavier armament or more fuel to launch at higher speeds, increasing their range, coverage and lethality.