USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82)

History

USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82) is a planned United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the fifth ship of the Gerald R. Ford class. The Navy announced the name on 13 January 2025, honoring William J. Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. The official U.S. Navy announcement also identified Chelsea Clinton as the ship's sponsor.

CVN-82 remains in the preparatory phase rather than completed construction. In fiscal 2026, the Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries $336.1 million for advance procurement of long-lead materials needed for the carrier. The contract permits components and materials with lengthy manufacturing schedules to be ordered before the main shipbuilding effort begins.

The carrier is planned to follow USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), USS Enterprise (CVN-80), and USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). Available program information describes construction and delivery dates as provisional because CVN-82 is still at an early stage of procurement.

Naming

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the names of CVN-82 and CVN-83 on 13 January 2025. CVN-82 was named for former President Bill Clinton, who served as President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. The Navy stated that this will be the first U.S. Navy vessel named for him. Chelsea Clinton was selected as sponsor of the future ship.

Advance procurement

In 2026, the Navy awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries $336.1 million for advance procurement of long-lead materials for CVN-82. According to the reported contract details, Naval Sea Systems Command issued the award as an undefinitized contract action. This arrangement allows work to begin on a not-to-exceed basis while final pricing is negotiated.

The work is assigned to Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. The reported contract period extends through March 2039, and the full $336.1 million is being obligated from fiscal 2026 shipbuilding funds. The award concerns materials procurement and does not indicate that the completed carrier is already under construction.

Planned construction schedule

Published schedule information remains provisional. One published reference reports a planned 2027 keel-laying date, a 2032 launch, and commissioning by 2036. Other budget-planning information cited in reporting places procurement around fiscal year 2030 and suggests delivery around 2040. These differing projections show that the detailed schedule has not yet stabilized, so the dates should be treated as planning targets rather than completed milestones.

Design

USS William J. Clinton is planned as a Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Its design is therefore expected to follow the principal configuration of the class, although the available material does not identify ship-specific changes for CVN-82.

Hull and aviation facilities

Class-based figures reported for CVN-82 indicate an overall length of about 337 m and a full-load displacement of roughly 100,000 tons. The carrier is intended to operate a large embarked air wing. Available reporting gives a planned capacity of more than 80 aircraft, while less authoritative public estimates have cited lower figures. The exact future air-wing composition for CVN-82 is not established in the supplied material.

Powerplant

The ship is expected to use two A1B nuclear reactors, consistent with the Gerald R. Ford-class design. The available sources do not provide CVN-82-specific propulsion performance figures, shaft power, or maximum speed.

Crew

Class-based reporting gives a combined ship and air-wing complement of approximately 4,660 personnel. A final CVN-82 complement has not been confirmed in the available material.

Program status

As of the 2026 advance-procurement award, USS William J. Clinton remains a future carrier in the material-procurement and planning phase. The Navy has funded long-lead components, but the supplied sources do not establish completion of the ship, launch, trials, or entry into service.

The carrier will be constructed by Huntington Ingalls Industries at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The current advance-procurement contract supports future construction by securing components whose manufacturing lead times extend well ahead of assembly of the complete ship.

Specifications (planned USS William J. Clinton, CVN-82)

General characteristics

• Type: Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
• Builder: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding
• Length: approximately 337 m
• Full-load displacement: approximately 100,000 tons
• Powerplant: two A1B nuclear reactors
• Aircraft capacity: reported as more than 80 aircraft on a class basis
• Complement: approximately 4,660 personnel on a class basis

Related equipment

• USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78): lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford class.
• USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79): second Gerald R. Ford-class carrier.
• USS Enterprise (CVN-80): third Gerald R. Ford-class carrier.
• USS Doris Miller (CVN-81): fourth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier and immediate predecessor to CVN-82 in the planned class sequence.
• USS George W. Bush (CVN-83): planned sixth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, named alongside CVN-82 in January 2025.