Among the aircraft that could be employed in airstrikes against the Islamic Republic if a “deal” can’t be reached over the state of the Middle Eastern nation’s nuclear program will be the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Yet none will be operating from the United States Navy’s newest and arguably most capable nuclear-powered supercarrier.
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has yet to receive the upgrades necessary to operate with the carrier-based variant of the fifth-generation stealth fighter.
The updates will only be completed during a future refit, possibly after USS Gerald R. Ford completes her already extended deployment. However, CVN-78 isn’t the only aircraft carrier yet to receive the necessary upgrades.
As of last year, only the Nimitz-class supercarriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), and USS George Washington (CVN-73) had completed the necessary modifications, including jet blast deflectors and secure maintenance areas, to embark the F-35C.
Even as it is unclear when CVN-78 will be able to embark the carrier-based variant of the Lightning II, another flattop in service with the U.S. Navy will also undergo modifications beginning this summer to fully support operations with the F-35B, the short-takeoff and vertical-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter.
USS Iwo Jima Heading To BAE Systems’ Norfolk
As previously reported, the U.S. Navy’s Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), the warship that aided in transporting deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to New York City last month, is set to begin a modernization program in Norfolk, Virginia, in June.
This week, BAE Systems’ Norfolk shipyard received a $204.1 million U.S. Navy contract to provide maintenance services for LHD-7. During the upcoming “selected restricted availability,” the warship’s shipboard systems will be updated to further accommodate the F-35B, which is fitted with a Rolls-Royce Liftsystem for operations from small ships and austere bases.
Work is set to begin on the F-35B upgrade in August, with the full refit completed by February 2028.
“The USS Iwo Jima availability is welcomed work for our Norfolk shipyard team,” said David M. Thomas, Jr., vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Maritime Solutions Norfolk. “We are very familiar with performing modernization work aboard this class of ship. We will apply the lessons learned from current and past LHD-class work done within our shipyard.”
LHD-7, the third United States Navy warship to be named in memory of the Second World War’s Battle of Iwo Jima that was fought between February 19 and March 26, 1945, took part in last June’s ARGMEUEX training exercise, completing integrated ship-to-shore drills designed to certify the amphibious task force’s readiness for deployment and joint operations.
USS Iwo Jima was commissioned in 2001.
Work on LHD-1 Nearing Completion
As BAE Systems prepares for the arrival of LHD-7, the defense contractor acknowledged that repair work at its Norfolk facility on the USS Wasp (LHD-1), the lead vessel of the class of amphibious assault ships, is also nearing completion.
LHD-1 was in dry dock for 18 months, starting in early 2021, and the current maintenance began in late 2024.
There are currently just seven active Wasp-class amphibious assault ships out of eight built, with USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) decommissioned following a severe fire in 2021. Although the conventionally-powered warships aren’t actual aircraft carriers, the vessels can operate with tilt-rotor and short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft. The F-35B will allow the LHDs to operate as “Lightning Carriers,” where the fifth-generation fighters could be employed in strike, surveillance, and data-gathering roles when a large supercarrier isn’t available.
F-35A And F-35Cs Could Still Strike Iran
Despite issues with its toilets, CVN-78 continues to head towards the Middle East as part of the U.S. build-up of warships and military aircraft, amid tensions that remain high between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s leaders that the U.S. will strike the Middle Eastern nation if a deal can’t be reached over its nuclear program.
Even as the F-35C doesn’t operate from the U.S. Navy’s largest supercarrier, F-35C fighters are embarked on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived in the region in January.
In addition, the U.S. Air Force has deployed an undisclosed number of F-35As, the conventional takeoff and landing variants, to bases in the Middle East, along with approximately a dozen Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fifth-generation air superiority fighters.
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