《先進航母》CVN-77 布希號(George H.W. Bush)航空母艦

克里斯Chris

CVN-77
CVN-77 布希號航空母艦




原文：
The Navy aircraft carrier acquisition program responds to future challenges and requirements with a two-track strategy. The near-term track of this strategy is CVN 77, the tenth NIMITZ Class and the first carrier of the 21st Century. The post-Cold War carrier force structure includes 12 aircraft carriers, 11 in the active force and one in the reserves. To maintain this force structure, the Navy must begin construction of its next carrier, CVN-77, by fiscal year 2002 in order to complete it by fiscal year 2008. Completion in this year is necessary to replace the last conventional carrier, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), that will still be in service in the active force. Kitty Hawk will be 47 years old at that time.

The Fiscal Year 1998 budget request would have funded CVN-77 in the traditional manner by means of advance procurement funding of $695.0 million in fiscal year 2000, with the remaining balance of $4.5 billion included in fiscal year 2002. The previous nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN-76, was authorized in fiscal year 1995. The seven year gap between CVN-76 and CVN-77 exceeded any construction interval between individual carriers in the previous three decades, which was the six years between USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), a fiscal year 1974 ship, and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), a fiscal year 1980 ship.

In 1997 Newport News proposed what it termed a "Smart Buy" procurement strategy for the next Nimitz class carrier, under which a portion of CVN-77 funding originally budgeted for 2002 would be incrementally funded in FY98 through FY01. The company claimed that this advanced funding would reduce the cost of the carrier by an estimated $600 million by ensuring a strong supplier base and preserving essential shipbuilding skills that might otherwise be lost during the construction gap between CVN-76 and CVN-77.

克里斯Chris

續:

The FY1998 budget request included no funding for CVN 77, a posture supported by the House. However, the Senate authorized $345.0 million for procurement and construction of components for the CVN 77 aircraft carrier, authorized the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract or contracts with the carrier shipbuilder for such purposes, and authorized $35.0 million for research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies that have potential for use in the CVN 77. The Senate directed the Secretary of Defense to structure the procurement of the CVN 77 so that the carrier is acquired for an amount not to exceed $4.6 billion.

The conferees supported construction of the CVN 77 and encouraged the Secretary of Defense to make available up to $295.0 million in fiscal year 1998 and to include in the FYDP accompanying the fiscal year 1999 budget request the funding necessary to achieve the savings required to remain within the $4.6 billion cost limitation.

克里斯Chris

CVN-77 ANNUAL FUNDING (年資金)                                            
                                 [In millions of dollars]                                            
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Fiscal year--                              
                -------------------------------------------------------   Total  
                    1998       1999       2000       2001       2002            
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYDP...........        0          0        695          0      4,505      5,200
Senate.........      345        170        875        135      3,074      4,600
                 --------------------------------------------------------------
Difference.....     +345       +170       +180       +135     -1,430       -600
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

克里斯Chris

續：

Responding to FY 1998 Congressional action, the Navy substantially revised the Department's SCN funding profile for CVN 77 in the FY 1999 budget submission. Including the $48.7 million provided by the FY 1998 Appropriations Act, the Department applied a total of $241 million above the advance procurement for nuclear components, for non-nuclear advance procurement and advance construction of components in FYs 1998 through 2000. With assistance in top line accommodation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget, this accelerated the full funding of CVN 77 one year to FY 2001. The resultant profile, which shortens the production gap between CVN 76 and CVN 77, will provide significant industrial base benefits and savings while balancing other shipbuilding priorities.

CVN-77 will provide a transition from the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier to the next-generation CV(X). As such, CVN-77 is a candidate for development, evaluation, and incorporation of a range of advanced technologies and acquisition reform initiatives which, not only could result in lower life cycle costs, but could also set the standard by which further improvements in the application of advanced technologies and acquisition initiatives to the design and construction of the CV(X) will be measured. Technology innovations fielded in CVN 77, which are targeted to achieve a 15% reduction in Operation and Support Costs, will also be backfit as feasible in the other nine ships of the NIMITZ Class through the Carrier Improvement Plan, and forward fit to achieve cost savings and risk reduction in the next class, CVX. The FY 1999 budget request included $38 million in RDT&E funding to support incorporation of critical transition technologies in CVN 77.

克里斯Chris

CVN-77假想圖:

克里斯Chris

有關CVN-77之特色概念設計：

Features of CVN 77 Concept Design

1 Passive Jet Blast Deflector: Redesigns and new materials mean reduced maintenance costs.
2 Island Designs: Improve flight deck access and reduce signature and electronic self-interference.
3 Signature Reduction: Curved flight deck edges, enclosed antenna farms, smaller islands and internal aircraft elevators add up to maximum stealth.
4 Aircraft Pit Stop: Semi-automated refueling and servicing in a new configuration and deck location provides faster, more efficient airwing pit stops and requires fewer people.
5 Hanger Bay: New designs reduce clutter.

Other features incorporated in this concept include:

Manpower Reductions: Technology, space rearrangement, operational procedure changes, advanced sensor technologies and condition-based maintenance systems all allow for a smaller, specially-trained crew.

Reconfigurable Spaces: Life-of-the-ship modular construction designs provide flexibility and reduce cost.

Expanded Bandwidth: More onboard and offboard capability gives the ship a communications edge.

Zonal Electrical Distribution Systems: Isolate the potential for problems and minimizes the effect on the rest of the ship.

Automation Insertion: Material movement devices, semi-autonomous, gravity compensated weapons handling devices, damage control automation systems and components will reduce the ship's crew and costs.

克里斯Chris

武器舊聞:

美最先進航母「老布希」下水

2006年10月7日凌晨，美國國防部海軍發言人布遜．曼表示，美國目前最先進的航空母艦「老布希」號（CVN-77）於7日晚上10點在維吉尼亞州諾思羅普—格魯曼公司紐波特紐斯造船廠下水。

據《法制晚報》報導，布遜．曼介紹，美國總統布希將出席以其父親、美國前總統老布希的名字命名的航母的下水儀式，老布希偕夫人、女兒也將出席儀式。「老布希」號將取代已經老化的現役「小鷹」號航母。

布希一家出席儀式

美國前總統老布希將與他的妻子芭芭拉和女兒科赫、兒子布希一起出席儀式。在儀式上，科赫作為該航母的贊助者，將按照傳統儀式在航母上敲碎一隻酒瓶。

10月8日，該航母將進入詹姆斯河，並在那裡進行系統測試工作，直到2008年底交船。屆時，它將取代已經老化的現役「小鷹」號航母。「老布希」號航母將成為美國海軍第77艘航母，也是美國目前最先進的航母。

克里斯Chris

續：

以前總統命名由來

據介紹，這艘航母之所以以老布希的名字命名，是因為老布希和美國海軍及航母有不少淵源。二戰時期的1942年，18歲的老布希在麻薩諸塞州加入美國海軍，並於次年成為一名航母飛行員。他是美國海軍有史以來最年輕的飛行員，參加了美軍太平洋戰區的一些重要戰鬥。老布希曾獲得美國海軍的「卓越十字勛章」，以戰鬥英雄的身分退役。

布遜．曼說，老布希非常重視以他的名字命名的這艘航母，這艘航母將在防禦性任務中發揮重大作用。

「尼米茲」級航空母艦是世界上體形最大、技術最先進的航母之一，全部由核能驅動。目前美國海軍正在服役的12艘航空母艦中，有8艘是「尼米茲」級。在以美國前總統的名字命名的該級航母中，「老布希」號是第七艘。

2001年3月，布希總統曾宣布將一艘「尼米茲」級航母以前總統雷根的名字命名。此外其名字被用於命名「尼米茲」級航母的美國前總統還包括喬治．華盛頓和林肯等。

克里斯Chris

續:

CVNX新一代航母

「老布希」號航母是美國的第十艘「尼米茲」級航母，也是最後一艘。它跟「尼米茲」級的其他姊妹艦比起來，看上去「長相」一樣，但它作為「向新一代航母過渡的試驗品」，其整體技術已發生很大變化。

它也是引領未來的航母。下一步，美國將著手建造新一代航母——CVNX系列，而這一系列的一些技術在「老布希」號上可見蹤影。

「拼圖」式建造

從建造技術方面來說，以前的航母均是整體打造出來的。「老布希」號則是第一艘採用「拼圖」式建造技術的美國航母。

「老布希」號航母採用模組化建造方法，將較小的組成部分焊接成「超級分段」的大塊，然後用起重能力達900噸的巨型起重機吊起這些「超級分段」，再把它們焊接起來。

「隱身」特徵

「老布希」號航母除保留了「尼米茲」級航母的基本設計與構造外，也採用了未來航母所應用的最新科技。

其島形建築外形尺寸較小，外壁向內傾斜，眾多的各型雷達與通信天線由多功能天線取代，全部實現內置化，安裝於艦體內壁，使得其外表整潔光滑，具有明顯的「隱身」特徵。

克里斯Chris

武器舊聞：

美國第77艘航空母艦“喬治•布希”號下水





2006年10月7日，在美國弗吉尼亞州紐波特紐斯，美國前總統喬治·H·W·布希前往出席航空母艦命名儀式。

當日，布希父子和幾位家人在美國諾思羅普－格魯曼公司位於弗吉尼亞州紐波特紐斯的造船廠參加命名儀式，這艘“尼米茲”級航空母艦被命名為“喬治·H·W·布希”號。