Part 9/12:
Building a carrier of this magnitude involves thousands of suppliers across 46 states, delivering about three million parts. This complex supply chain produces tens of thousands of work packages and involves tens of millions of labor hours from the initial steel cut to final delivery.
Budget, Schedule, and Strategic Importance
Procured at approximately $13.2 billion, the USS John F. Kennedy’s construction schedule aimed for a March 2027 delivery. However, shifting from a phased to a single-phase development to meet Congressional mandates for F-35C capability led to delays—originally scheduled for July 2025—and a shift in the critical path, particularly concerning new systems like advanced arresting gear and weapons elevators.