The U.S. Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division have begun phase two testing of an aircraft carrier's lower weapons elevator, DVIDS Hub reported Thursday.
Personnel from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, work with HII engineers to assess the operation of USS Gerald R. Ford’s lower stage weapons elevator.
Engineers will inspect software of the elevator's electrical and mechanical systems for operability testing. The new phase follows recently concluded phase one testing that tackled the elevator's actuators.
“These lower stage elevators are critical to our lethality in that they will allow our crew to move ordnance between the lower levels and the main deck," said Capt. John Cummings, the ship's commanding officer.
The government-industry team will perform regression testing during the effort's third phase. The U.S. Navy received USS Gerald R. Ford’s upper stage elevators from HII in 2019.
