Spiraling costs for a new generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers could derail the Navy’s ability to deliver before the first ship is ever deployed.

Navy officials have pushed back the expected completion date for the lead vessel CVN 78 in its planned series, the Gerald R. Ford, from September 2015 to March 2016 and increased estimates of construction costs from $10.5 billion to $12.9 billion since 2008, according to the Government Accounting Office.

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