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U.S. Navy Adjusts USS Enterprise (CVN-80) Delivery to March 2031 as Construction Passes 50% Completion
The future USS Enterprise (CVN-80) delivery has slipped eight months from July 2030, while the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) faces at least a two-year delay. Huntington Ingalls Industries reported progress on both carriers during its May 5, 2026 quarterly call even as the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) decommissioning is postponed. The delays continue a pattern seen with the USS Gerald R.
May 8, 7:30 PM·2m read1 source
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The future USS Enterprise (CVN-80) delivery date has been delayed from July 2030 to March 2031, Forbes reported. The eight-month slip follows an earlier shift from the warship's original March 2028 target. Construction of the future USS Enterprise (CVN-80) is expected to take just over 12 years.
The future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) delivery is expected to be delayed by at least two years from its previous plan. These cascading holdups occur because delays on one vessel push back the next in line.
U.S. Law requires the Navy to maintain at least 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) was delivered more than two and a half years behind its original schedule. The carrier was commissioned in 2017.
As of May 8, 2026, nine years after commissioning, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) still requires significant upgrades to fully operate the F-35C Lightning II. Delivery of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) was delayed from August 2025 to March 2027.
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) decommissioning has been postponed due to delays with CVN-79. The oldest active nuclear-powered supercarrier is in the final weeks of its homeport shift from Bremerton, Washington, to Norfolk, Virginia, as of May 8, 2026. The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is sailing around South America during its homeport shift.
Although unlikely to deploy again, it will officially remain in service to meet the 11-carrier requirement. U.S. Navy nuclear-powered carriers are built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia.
