U.S. Navy has taken “preliminary acceptance” of its second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), from HII Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS), on Sept. 29. The preliminary acceptance, which followed the successful completion of acceptance trials in August, will allow the ship and its crew to conduct at-sea testing and build proficiency underway while the shipbuilder completes final ship systems testing prior to formal delivery of the ship in Spring 2027. The carrier departed NNS on Sept. 29 and will transition to Naval Station Norfolk. According to the Navy, John F. Kennedy is approximately 99 percent complete, with all major systems completed. The shipbuilder is currently completing final ship systems testing, including testing of the remaining four Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWEs). A Navy statement said that the “preliminary acceptance allows CVN 79 to be delivered to the U.S. Navy on the fastest path possible to achieve combat readiness.”