The command center of the under-construction aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy was installed on Wednesday, a milestone in its completion.

The 588-ton "island house," 56 feet long and 33 feet wide, was installed by crane atop the nuclear-powered vessel at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News, Va., construction facility. It will serve as the flight deck's command center, housing the navigation bridge and primary flight control, radar and other systems.

Lowering the structure onto the carrier is equivalent to installing the mast on a ship or "topping out" a skyscraper, the Naval Sea Systems Command said in a statement on Wednesday.

"With the island landing, John F. Kennedy takes on that distinctive and unmistakable profile of an aircraft carrier," said Rear Adm. Brian Antonio, program executive officer for Navy aircraft carriers. "It symbolizes nearing the end of structural work and the start of bringing the ship to life, transitioning steel and cable to a living ship and crew."

The aircraft carrier is the second of the Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class vessels, and is expected to be the heaviest ever launched. Its christening is planned for November.

Over 3,000 builders and 2,000 suppliers are involved in the construction of the USS John F. Kennedy, HII said.

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Raytheon awarded $246M in two contracts for Navy's jet landing systems
Washington (UPI) May 23, 2019
Raytheon has been awarded two contracts worth $243.6 million for jets' landing systems on the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers. One contract is worth $234.6 million for 23 joint precision approach and landing systems, and another one is for a replacement GPS sensor for the JPALS, the Defense Department announced Wednesday. The contract for the systems also includes three production and installation engineering development model unit upgrade kits, engineering change proposals and associated ... read more