
Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers continue to have new systems that have inadequate or unknown reliability that risk the first ship’s Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) timelines, the Defense Department’s head of weapons testing said. Continuing a theme from previous assessments, the DoD Director of Test and Evaluation’s (DOT&E) 2018 annual report found “poor or unknown reliability of systems critical for flight operations including newly designed catapults, arresting gear, weapons elevators, and radar, could affect the ability of CVN…