U.S. Navy Advances F-35C Stealth Fighter Jet Integration on USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier.

The U.S. Navy is modernizing USS Gerald R. Ford to integrate the F-35C Lightning II fully, refining aviation systems to support sustained fifth-generation strike operations. The effort strengthens the carrier’s role in high-end maritime warfare and enhances long-range power projection against peer adversaries.

The U.S. Navy is advancing a phased modernization of USS Gerald R. Ford to enable full operational integration of the F-35C Lightning II, aligning the carrier’s aviation infrastructure with the demands of fifth-generation combat aviation. While the lead Ford-class carrier is already deployed with a conventional air wing, planned refinements to flight deck systems, maintenance facilities, and sortie generation processes are intended to maximize the F-35C’s sensor fusion, stealth, and long-range strike capabilities. The effort reflects a broader push to optimize the Ford class for sustained, high-tempo operations across contested maritime theaters, reinforcing the nuclear-powered carrier’s central role in U.S. naval strategy against near-peer competitors.
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An F-35C Lightning II from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA-314 approaches the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) for an arrested recovery on January 24, 2026, illustrating the operational deployment of fifth-generation carrier aviation as the U.S. Navy expands F-35C integration across its carrier fleet. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

From its inception, the U.S. Navy USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was engineered to support future air wing evolution. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear were specifically designed to handle a broader range of aircraft weights and stress profiles than legacy steam catapults. EMALS provides smoother acceleration, reducing structural stress on airframes while enabling more precise control of launch energy across different aircraft types, from heavy strike fighters to lighter unmanned systems. Combined with a redesigned flight deck layout, expanded weapons-handling capacity through advanced weapons elevators, and increased electrical power generation margins from the A1B nuclear reactors, the ship was designed to sustain higher sortie rates and support more technologically demanding aircraft such as the F-35C Lightning II. The class was conceived not merely as a replacement for Nimitz carriers but as an enabling platform for next-generation naval aviation with growth capacity for future unmanned combat air systems and directed energy integration.

USS Gerald R. Ford has already demonstrated technical compatibility with the F-35C. During Developmental Test II in 2022, F-35C aircraft from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23 conducted catapult launches using EMALS and arrested recoveries using Advanced Arresting Gear aboard the carrier. These trials validated launch energy control, arresting loads, deck handling procedures, and aircraft-ship interface performance. The results confirmed that the Ford-class aviation architecture is fundamentally aligned with fifth-generation carrier operations. The current modernization effort, therefore, focuses not on basic flight compatibility but on scaling infrastructure and sustainment capacity to support sustained operational deployment within a full carrier air wing.

However, integrating a fifth-generation aircraft into routine carrier operations involves more than successful launch and recovery events. The F-35C’s Pratt and Whitney F135 engine generates higher exhaust temperatures and concentrated thrust compared to legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. As a result, jet blast deflectors positioned behind the catapults require reinforced structural materials and enhanced cooling capacity to sustain repeated high-tempo launch cycles without long-term thermal stress. These refinements are typically incorporated during planned maintenance availabilities, aligning aviation upgrades with broader ship modernization schedules rather than disrupting operational deployments. The objective is to ensure that the carrier can sustain repeated cyclic flight operations without compromising deck integrity or sortie output under surge conditions.

In parallel, the F-35C introduces new maintenance and digital support requirements. The aircraft’s low-observable coatings, sensor-fusion architecture, and secure mission systems demand controlled-access workspaces, hardened IT networks, and compatibility with the Operational Data Integrated Network that underpins F-35 logistics and diagnostics. Establishing these capabilities aboard Ford involves secure compartments, protected data pathways, specialized support equipment, and adapted storage and handling procedures for sensitive components. These enhancements enable the carrier to perform advanced diagnostics, manage mission data files, and maintain stealth coatings in a deployed environment, ensuring the aircraft retains its low-observable signature and combat effectiveness during extended sea operations.

Operationally, USS Gerald R. Ford is designed to embark approximately 65-75 aircraft, depending on mission configuration. A standard modern Carrier Air Wing typically includes four strike fighter squadrons totaling around 44 strike aircraft. Today, that mix is composed primarily of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, but as integration progresses, F-35C squadrons of roughly 10 to 12 aircraft each progressively replace legacy platforms. In a transitional configuration, Ford could operate a mixed composition of approximately 24 to 30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 10 to 20 F-35C Lightning II fighters, depending on deployment requirements and fleet availability.

Supporting these strike fighters are approximately five EA-18G Growlers for electronic attack and suppression of enemy air defenses, four to five E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for airborne early warning and battle management, and around 19 rotary-wing aircraft, including MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare and MH-60S helicopters for logistics, vertical replenishment, and search and rescue missions. In the near term, the air wing will also integrate the MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed aerial refueling aircraft, with an expected initial detachment of four to six drones. The MQ-25 will significantly extend the combat radius of both Super Hornets and F-35Cs, potentially adding several hundred nautical miles to strike packages and reducing the burden on manned tanking missions.

This composition gives the Ford-class carrier the ability to generate sustained, multi-layered strike packages combining stealth penetration, electronic warfare escort, airborne command and control, anti-submarine screening, and extended-range precision strike within a single deployable formation. Under surge conditions, the ship is designed to generate more than 160 sorties per day and sustain approximately 120 sorties per day over extended operations. Improved deck flow, advanced weapons elevators, and optimized aircraft spotting reduce turnaround time between launch cycles, directly increasing combat persistence.

Strategically, the integration of the F-35C significantly enhances the qualitative edge of this air wing. With an unrefueled combat radius of approximately 1,200 nautical miles (2,225 km), internal weapons carriage for stealth operations, and advanced sensor fusion, the F-35C can operate deep inside contested airspace while sharing real-time targeting data across secure networks. Its AN/APG-81 AESA radar and distributed sensor suite allow it to function as a forward reconnaissance and targeting node. In high-end operational scenarios, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, this enables cooperative engagement with Super Hornets armed with long-range stand-off weapons such as LRASM and JASSM-ER. The result is a distributed kill chain in which stealth aircraft identify and designate targets while other platforms deliver massed firepower from safer distances.

Beyond the F-35C, the broader question of integrating both F-35 variants into naval operations highlights complementary combat roles rather than competition. The F-35C is optimized for catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested recovery, offering greater range and payload flexibility suited to sustained blue-water strike operations. The F-35B provides short takeoff and vertical landing capability for amphibious assault ships and expeditionary bases. While the Ford class is not configured for routine F-35B vertical landing operations due to deck thermal constraints, interoperability between Marine Corps F-35B units and Navy F-35C squadrons expands the overall fifth-generation sensor and strike network across a maritime theater, reinforcing distributed maritime operations and joint force integration.

The layered aviation structure aboard Ford therefore delivers sea control, power projection, electronic dominance, anti-submarine warfare coverage, and extended-range precision strike capability within a single strike group. With the gradual increase in F-35C numbers and the integration of MQ-25 unmanned refueling, the carrier air wing evolves from a primarily fourth-generation formation into a fully networked, fifth-generation-enabled combat ecosystem.

The phased alignment between ship architecture and air wing modernization reflects the deliberate evolution of the U.S. Navy’s carrier concept toward multi-domain maritime operations capable of operating against near-peer adversaries. By integrating quantified fifth-generation capacity into a platform optimized for higher sortie generation, electrical growth margin, and advanced command infrastructure, the Navy strengthens both the scale and sophistication of its carrier-based airpower.

As USS Gerald R. Ford moves toward its next major maintenance period, the incorporation of F-35C sustainment refinements will mark another step in the Navy’s transition toward a fully fifth-generation carrier force. Once complete, the pairing of next-generation launch systems, up to 44 strike fighters, including an increasing share of F-35Cs, dedicated electronic warfare aircraft, airborne command platforms, nearly 20 rotary-wing assets, and emerging unmanned systems will consolidate the ship’s role as one of the most capable instruments of U.S. naval power projection in contested maritime environments.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.