How to tell if the aircraft carrier has gone to sea?

Aircraft carriers with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons are different from ordinary surface ships. After being launched, they often have to go through multiple processes such as dock outfitting, mooring tests, and power tests to meet the most basic conditions for use. After that, sea trials will be considered. Sea trial is an important step that every aircraft carrier must go through. At this time, the aircraft carrier is close to being ready for service. However, it still cannot be confirmed whether the aircraft carrier is fully qualified for service before it is used. It can only be put into use after a sea trial and various problems have been eliminated.

There is no fixed standard for the time of sea trial, but there is usually a process, usually between six months and one year, and sometimes it is extended to two years. Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier began sea trials in June last year and was officially announced for service in December last year. The ship also returned to port for maintenance due to technical problems. The same situation also occurs with the Ford-class aircraft carrier. The Ford aircraft carrier began sea trials in April last year and was commissioned in July. However, during the sea trials, this large aircraft carrier encountered a series of hardware and software problems, so it returned to the port early for maintenance.

In fact, even if it has been commissioned, the aircraft carrier may not necessarily have sufficient conditions for use. The USS Ford is still undergoing a series of technical tests, and it may be some time before its carrier-based aircraft fleet is officially formed. Although Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier has been commissioned, the carrier-based aircraft flight test plan will only start this year. In other words, it will be a while before the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier can use carrier-based aircraft. In fact, according to the plan, the initial combat strength of the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier will not be formed until 2020.

It can be seen that it takes a period of time for an aircraft carrier to go out for sea trials and enter service, and it will take even longer to go from service to actually forming a formation. Even the United States, which has rich experience, is actually slow in developing Ford-class aircraft carriers. The USS Ford aircraft carrier was launched as early as 2013, and it took several years to achieve sea trials. The current USS Ford aircraft carrier is actually in service in name only, and it needs to continue to undergo inspections. Therefore, the development of aircraft carriers is a project that requires time and resources, and only countries with strength can afford it.