The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Equipment Ever Has Reached A Massive Milestone

The lead ship in a new class of carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is the most expensive piece of military equipment ever created. And it now has a perfectly-laid flight deck that could one day see 6th generation fighters screeching across its surface.

Check out the Ford >

The Ford will run about $11.5 billion, with three ships costing about $40.2 billion.

Even given these generous estimates, the Navy figures that the USS Gerald R. Ford could cost as much as $1.1 billion more than planned, making it far and away the service's most expensive warship.

The E-18 Growler is a specialized version on the F/A-18 used for electronic warfare that entered service in 2009 and will have a new home when the Ford is in service

Another artist's rendering from 2005, the smaller "island" allows up to 220 sorties to fly from the carrier every day

US Navy

Raytheon's RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile will be used to protect the Ford from attacking missiles and aircraft

Raytheon