Northrop Grumman Corp. has redelivered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), to the US Navy. The redelivery follows the completion of a successful three-and-a-half-year evolution known as a refueling and complex overhaul. The project was performed by the company’s Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Virginia, and was completed within budget. Redelivery also follows successful sea trials. Sea trials are conducted to test systems, components and demonstrate operations at sea. The trials also include high-speed runs and a demonstration of the carrier’s other capabilities. The refueling and complex overhaul is performed only once in a carrier’s 50-year life and includes extensive modernization work to more than 300 compartments, hundreds of system upgrades, and over 20 million man-hours of work, to include defueling and refueling the nuclear reactors. USS Carl Vinson is the third ship of the Nimitz class to undergo this major life-cycle milestone.