Senior U.S. Navy officials have said the service branch launched a study in 2015 to evaluate possible alternatives to aircraft carriers as it prepares to accept and operate the USS Gerald R. Ford ship later this year, Scout Warrior reported Wednesday.
Kris Osborn writes the study aims to assess new acquisition approaches, configurations and technology platforms beyond the Ford-class aircraft carriers in order to reduce costs of such vessels and address future threats.
Officials from the service branch told Scout Warrior that future carriers could be configured to launch more drones and equipped with new defense systems and high-tech sensors against hostile missile threats.
The service branch also considers a plan to replace missile platforms aboard future warships with laser weapons systems, the Navy leaders added.
