The construction timelines of Gerald R. Ford, John F. Kennedy, Enterprise, and the planned Doris Miller explain the pace of improvement. Ford introduced several technologies together, but useful operational evidence only became available after the ship entered service. Kennedy could incorporate some lessons while still building, and later ships should benefit in turn, yet long gaps between keels stretch that learning cycle across decades. An earlier one-off prototype carrier might have exposed problems before the full class was committed. Technical reliability is therefore a procurement-cadence problem as well as an engineering problem.
Notable Point · 2:53:23-2:58:09
Slow carrier construction also slows technical learning
Ford-class construction intervals show why operating experience can take years to influence later carriers.