The US Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier has been photographed launching fast jets during operations in the Caribbean Sea, as USS Gerald R. Ford continues a major regional deployment.
Images released by the US Navy show an F/A-18E Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 87 launching from the flight deck of the Ford-class carrier on 17 January 2026. The carrier was operating in the Caribbean in support of US Southern Command missions, including counter-narcotics operations and wider homeland security tasks.
At around 100,000 tonnes full load, Gerald R. Ford is the largest and most powerful warship ever built. The carrier is the lead ship of the Ford class, designed to replace the US Navy’s Nimitz-class fleet and introduce major technological advances in sortie generation, power generation and automation. Powered by two A1B nuclear reactors, the ship can operate for around 25 years without refuelling and sustain speeds in excess of 30 knots. Her air wing can exceed 75 aircraft, including fighters, electronic attack jets, airborne early warning aircraft and helicopters.
The carrier’s deployment to the Caribbean forms part of a wider US military presence in the region. According to US statements, forces remaining after action against Venezuela are supporting operations aimed at disrupting illicit drug trafficking routes and reinforcing maritime security. The current mission follows the ship’s redeployment to the Caribbean in late 2025, a move that US officials described at the time as the largest American military buildup in the region in three decades. During that deployment, Gerald R. Ford was also reported to have been involved in the seizure of a foreign oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in December.
Commissioned in 2017 and based at Norfolk, Virginia, the carrier represents a significant leap in US naval capability. Advanced radar systems, electromagnetic aircraft launch technology and increased electrical power are intended to support future weapons and sensors over the ship’s projected service life.
