The U.S. Is Losing the Hypersonic Arms Race to China—But Its New High-Powered Lasers are Changing the Game
The Navy's new, $13 billion aircraft carrier is already obsolete. But this high-tech weapon can save it.
BY ALEX HOLLINGSPUBLISHED: JAN 13, 2023
On October 4, America’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed for the first time amid rising tensions across the Pacific and uncertainty about the role these seafaring behemoths will play in the future of warfare.
The $13.3 billion Ford is the largest and most expensive warship ever to sail. It boasts a sprawling five-acre flight deck and new technologies aimed at making it (and carriers like it) the world’s most powerful well into 2050 and beyond. The vessel holds four squadrons of fighters on board and a bevy of support and tactical aircraft—more than 60 planes in all, though it can accommodate as many as 90. Its airpower exceeds that of at least 60 nations, and it houses more stealth fighters than are found in all of Russia’s armed forces.
Ford stands more than nine stories above the waterline and weighs 97,000 tons. That’s 32,000 tons heavier than the largest battleships of World War II. But big doesn’t mean slow. Powered by a pair of advanced A1B nuclear reactors, the ship has nearly three times the power of America’s existing supercarriers, about 300 megawatts of electrical power in all, according to the Navy. Seeing it on the water is like watching a New York City block cruise past at 34 miles per hour.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a42435948/navy-laser-weapon/
