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Donald Trump has called for more spending on US military at the launch of his Navy 's latest aircraft carrier - three years behind schedule and billions over budget.

The US president conveniently ignored the current Russia 'controversy' while speaking in Norfolk, Virginia, at a commissioning ceremony for the USS Gerald R. Ford - a weapon intended to 'project American power abroad'.

He claimed it was the "largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the history of this world".

It's also massively over budget - costing $2.4bn (£1.85bn) more than it was supposed to at an eye watering $12.9 bn, (£9.93bn) according to US media reports.

"Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear because everyone will know that America is coming and America is coming strong," Trump added.

He further continued by focusing his speech on the need for more robust US military spending - despite the problems getting the most advanced weapon in the fleet seaworthy.

He is known to want at least two more of the aircraft carriers built, at least, bringing the number in the US Navy up from 10 to 12.

(Image: AFP) (Image: Getty Images North America)

"We need Congress to do its job and pass the budget that provides for higher, stable and predictable funding levels for our military needs that our fighting men and women deserve and you will get," Trump said, referring to the defence build-up he is seeking.

The new ship is named after the Republican president who held the White House from 1974-1977 and was famously against the Vietnam War.

It will need a crew of several hundred fewer than the Nimitz-class carrier it is replacing and use the new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults to launch various weapons of war into the skies.

(Image: AFP) (Image: Getty Images North America) (Image: AFP)

The keel of the USS Ford was laid in 2009 and is projected to be deployed in the year 2020.

It is powered by two nuclear reactors and is 1,092 feet long with a 134 foot beam.

Importantly the USS Gerald R. Ford will have the ability to carry some 90 aircraft including the:

Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet - a multirole fighter with air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons

Boeing EA-18G Growler - an aircraft which specialises in electronic warfare

Grumman C-2 Greyhound- an aircraft which provides critical logistics support

Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye - a tactical airborne early warning aircraft

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II - a controversial new stealth combat aircraft

Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk - based on the infamous Black Hawk

Northrop Grumman X-47B - an unmanned combat air vehicle

(Image: Getty Images North America)

The US Department of Defense only announced on Thursday that the Navy will commission its first "Ford-class" aircraft carrier today.

Trump said in March that the newest generation of Ford-class carriers - the most expensive warships ever built - will remain the centerpiece of projecting American power abroad.

He has vowed to expand the number of carriers the United States fields from 10 to 12.

The new carrier is the lead ship of the Ford-class of "super-carriers", the first new class in more than 40 years, and will replace the current Nimitz-class carriers.

The Navy also said it would spend $43 billion in total to build the first three ships in the class, including the USS John F. Kennedy and the USS Enterprise.

The warships are being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.