$12.9 billion warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is not ready for combat, the Department of


The most expensive warship ever built has been delayed from hitting the front line because it is reportedly not ready for battle.

The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford Navy supercarrier - the first of three in its class with a total cost of $43 billion - could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself, a memo obtained by Bloomberg News reads.

The memo allegedly states 'poor or unknown reliability issues' were identified in a letter dated June 28.

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'Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78’s ability to conduct combat operations,' the Defense Department's Michael Gilmore wrote

The USS Gerald R. Ford (pictured at a christening ceremony in November, 2013), the most expensive warship ever built has been delayed from hitting the front line and is reportedly not ready for battle

'These four systems affect major areas of flight operations,' Defense Department Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Michael Gilmore wrote to Pentagon and Navy weapons buyers, according to Bloomberg News.

'Unless these issues are resolved, which would likely require redesigning, they will significantly limit the CVN-78’s ability to conduct combat operations.

'Based on current reliability estimates, the CVN-78 is unlikely to conduct high-intensity flight operations at the outset of a war.'

It comes after Senator John McCain slammed an announcement earlier this month that stated the ship will not be rolled out until at least November this year - more than two years after its original intended date of September 2014.

When it is finished, the USS Gerald R. Ford will weigh almost 100,000 tonnes - or as much as 400 Statue of Libertys

The $12.9 billion supercarrier (pictured during construction in April 2014) could potentially struggle with planes landing and taking off, moving military weapons and being able to successfully defend itself

On June 16, 2015, Susan Ford Bales participated in a demonstration of the new electromagnetic catapults on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. Difficulty with the new catapult system is one of the main reasons for the latest delays with the ship's delivery

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE USS GERALD R. FORD About 5,000 shipbuilders have been involved in the construction of the Navy's most expensive warship. The USS Gerald R. Ford will weigh almost 100,000 tonnes - or as much as 400 Statue of Libertys. The ship has a five-acre flight deck, and holds 4,660 personnel and 75 aircraft, and was designed completely using 3D computer modelling. It can reach speeds upwards of 30 knots (about 34 mph), and has more than 10,000,000 feet of electronic cable built in. There are two other ships in the Ford class: the USS John F. Kennedy and a new USS Enterprise - expected to be commissioned in 2020 and 2025 respectively. The total cost for the three vessels is estimated to be more than $43 billion. The giant warship is 1,106-foot long and will be capable of launching 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, while appearing almost invisible to radar detectors. The USS Gerald R. Ford will replace the USS Enterprise, which was in service from 1962 to 2012. The ship is able to launch so many airstrikes - one almost every six minutes - because the deck uses electromagnetic force to propel the jets forward. It is a similar method as used on roller coasters. Advertisement

'The Navy’s announcement of another two-month delay in the delivery of CVN-78 further demonstrates that key systems still have not demonstrated expected performance,' McCain said in a statement.

'The advanced arresting gear (AAG) cannot recover airplanes. Advanced weapons elevators cannot lift munitions. The dual-band radar cannot integrate two radar bands. Even if everything goes according to the Navy’s plan, CVN-78 will be delivered with multiple systems unproven.

'This situation is unacceptable and was entirely preventable. After more than $2.3 billion in cost overruns have increased its cost to nearly $13 billion, the taxpayers deserve to know when CVN-78 will actually be delivered, how much developmental risk remains in the program, if cost overruns will continue, and who is being held accountable.'

The USS Gerald R. Ford under construction in April 2013, with the addition of the ship's upper bow bringing it close to structural completion

When it is finished, the giant 1,106-foot USS Gerald R. Ford will be able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold 4,000 sailors and marines, and be virtually invisible to enemy radar

This picture was taken during a recent Fast Cruise on June 8, 2016, giving the ship's crew a chance to work with the on-board systems

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the first of three ships in the Navy's new fleet, with the USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise planned for commission in 2020 and 2025 respectively

When it is finished, the giant 1,106-foot USS Gerald R. Ford will be able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold 4,000 sailors and marines, and be virtually invisible to enemy radar.

The ship is able to launch so many airstrikes - one almost every six minutes - because the deck uses electromagnetic force to propel the jets forward. It is a similar method as used on roller coasters.

Construction of the vessel began in Newport News, Virginia, in 2007, with Huntington Ingalls Industries tasked with building the ship.

In 2013, the cost of building the ship was estimated at $12.8 billion, about 22 per cent over the initial 2008 budget. An additional $4.7 billion was also spent in research and development.

Recruit Daniel Banks stands as the port lookout during a simulated bridge training exercise aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford

A shipbuilder is seen walking on the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) aircraft carrier during outfitting and testing at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News shipyard

As of 2013 when the ship was christened, the cost of building the USS Gerald R. Ford was estimated at $12.8 billion, about 22 per cent over the initial 2008 budget

Susan Ford Bales, President Ford's daughter, smashing a bottle of American sparkling wine over the boat during the christening ceremony in 2013

The USS Gerald R. Ford has a five-acre flight deck, and holds 4,660 personnel and 75 aircraft - such as the F-35, pictured landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in November 2014

As of June, the warship's construction was said to be 98 per cent complete.

Partly due to its spiraling cost, the state-of-the-art carrier has provoked strong criticism from some quarters, including the government's own watchdogs.

In 2013, the Government Accountability Office wrote: 'Key ship systems face reliability shortfalls that the Navy does not expect to resolve until many years after [Ford] commissioning, which will limit the ship’s mission effectiveness during initial deployments and likely increase costs to the government.'

It added: 'The Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to completing Gerald R. Ford that have led to significant cost increases.'