Navy says final four Ford elevators to be complete by end of year

The final four of the 11 elevators for the first-in-class aircraft carrier Gerald Ford (CVN-78) will be complete by the end of the year, a Navy official said Tuesday.

Kevin Cormier, the Navy's deputy program manager for aircraft carriers, said Tuesday at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference the program had to pause work on the elevators for the carrier’s shock trial period since it wouldn't be safe to work on the elevators during the shock trials.

The ship started its shock trial period in May and has completed two trials, Cormier said. The Navy is set to conduct one more before the shock trial period wraps up later this month, he said.

Cormier said two of the four remaining elevators are in the final test and certification phase and will be completed not long after the conclusion of the shock trials.

The other two elevators are in the last stages of construction and will be complete by the end of the year, Cormier said.