August 15, 2026
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Completes Successful Acceptance Sea Trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Aug. 15, 2026 — HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has successfully completed acceptance sea trials of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Kennedy returned to NNS after further testing and evaluation of important ship systems and components at sea. Earlier this year, Kennedy underwent successful builder’s sea trials.
“It is an honor to take Kennedy to sea to demonstrate the quality work and commitment by our shipbuilders,” said Derek Murphy, NNS vice president of new construction aircraft carrier programs. “This critical set of sea trials is a testament to the entire nuclear shipbuilding enterprise and the work of thousands across our country to prepare CVN 79 to join the fleet.”
The sea trials brought together NNS shipbuilders, John F. Kennedy sailors and Navy personnel to execute the testing and evaluation of ship operations.
CVN 79 continues the legacy of highly capable nuclear-powered aircraft carrier platforms. With the successful completion of acceptance trials, the next step for the ship is preliminary acceptance that will enable the Navy to begin underway test and evaluation of Kennedy’s unique systems.
About HII
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 45,000 strong.
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