The article headline might be a little bit misleading--the next two carriers have already been named, the USS
Gerald R. Ford and USS
John F. Kennedy--but with some luck, the new USS
Enterprise (CVN-80) could be in service by 2025 (or 2027 if the Department of Navy has its way).
She will be the third of the new Ford-class supercarriers, equipped with electric-powered catapults (rather than the current steam-powered system), improved weapons and radar, a more advanced reactor design, as well as a bunch of new automated systems that will enable her to operate with a few hundred fewer crewmembers than current carriers do.
In any case, the
Enterprise name will live on.
