USS Gerald R Ford Enters Mediterranean: What To Know About World's Largest Carrier

2026-02-21 04:26:23

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The Ford is the US's newest and largest carrier and has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and participated in operations in Venezuela earlier this year

PUBLISHED: Sat 21 Feb 2026, 11:15 AM

By:
Salma El Omla

Add as a preferred
source on Google

The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, AFP reported, further strengthening US military capabilities in a region experiencing a significant buildup of forces ahead of potential strikes against Iran.

The Ford - the world's largest carrier - was photographed transiting the Strait of Gibraltar toward the Mediterranean, according to AFP.

Recommended For You

It is accompanied by three destroyers and, once fully positioned, will bring the total number of US warships in the Middle East to 17, the news agency said.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

On February 13, the Pentagon announced it was sending an aircraft carrier from the Caribbean to the Middle East, two US officials told Reuters, a move that would put two carriers in the region as tensions between the United States and Iran escalate

President Donald Trump had said earlier in the same week that he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East if a deal with Iran was not reached.

The Gerald R Ford, the US's newest and largest carrier, has been operating in the Caribbean with its escort ships and participated in operations in Venezuela earlier this year, according to Reuters.

It has essentially been at sea since June 2025 and was originally intended to operate in Europe before being abruptly redirected to the Caribbean in November, according to Reuters.

Although carrier deployments typically last nine months, extensions are common during heightened periods of US military activity.

According to Reuters, the Ford, which has a nuclear reactor onboard, can carry more than 75 military aircraft, including F/A‐18 Super Hornets and E‐2 Hawkeyes, which serve as early warning aircraft.

The carrier also features advanced radar systems that assist with air traffic control and navigation.

Supporting ships such as the Ticonderoga‐class cruiser USS Normandy and Arleigh Burke‐class destroyers, including USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt, are equipped for surface‐to‐air, surface‐to‐surface, and anti‐submarine warfare, according to details provided on the carrier by Reuters.

The Gerald R Ford will join the Abraham Lincoln carrier, several guided-missile destroyers, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft that have been moved to the Middle East in recent weeks.

The first aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and several guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East in January, media reported.

According to AFP, the carrier and its escort ships were sent to the region as Iran intensified its crackdown on mass protests earlier in January.

While President Donald Trump has since stepped back from direct military action against Tehran, he has emphasised that all options remain on the table.

The strike group is“currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability,” US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the region, shared in a post on X.