New problems have been discovered on the US aircraft carrier that caught fire

The aircraft carrier of the US Navy USS Gerald R. Ford, after a fire that occurred in early March, found other, deeper problems, writes Bloomberg with reference to the Pentagon office responsible for weapons testing.

The ministry said that the data on the current tests is not enough to assess the "operational suitability" of Ford or the reliability of several key systems, including the system for launching and restoring jet engines, radar, the ability to continue working when hit by enemy fire and lifts for moving weapons and ammunition.

This means that today it is unclear how well Ford — and other ships of its class — can detect, track or intercept enemy aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and it is unclear how the aircraft carrier's systems will work under the military load of continuous takeoffs and landings.

Bloomberg notes that these are not the only problems of the aircraft carrier, there are others because of which the crew especially suffers. Among them is an insufficient number of beds: for proper accommodation of all sailors, as well as personnel of temporary units accompanying the ship in battle.

The ship was transferred in February to the Middle East, where it took part in the American-Israeli Operation Epic Fury against Iran. However, on March 12, a fire broke out on board — it started in a room reserved for laundries. The US Navy clarified that the cause of the fire was not related to the fighting.

As a result, two sailors were injured, and The New York Times wrote that dozens of crew members were poisoned by gorenje products. According to the Navy command, the aircraft carrier continued to perform combat missions in normal mode. However, Kathimerini reported on March 17 that the aircraft carrier would return to the naval base, including to conduct an investigation into the incident. According to one version, the fire on the ship was started by crew members in order to stop the combat mission. This week, Ford arrived at the naval base of the Court on the Greek island of Crete.

Ford was launched in 2017 — it became the most expensive US warship ever built, costing $ 13.2 billion, RBC reminds.

On February 28, the United States and Israel began striking targets in Iran, including Tehran, with civilian casualties and deaths reported. Iran is carrying out retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on US military facilities in the Middle East region.