Countries with Aircraft Carriers (Including Amphibious Assault Ships)

As of February 2023, there are 47 active aircraft carriers (some of which are primarily amphibious assault ships) operated by fourteen navies around the world. The US Navy has 11 large nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, each carrying about 80 fighter aircraft; they are the largest aircraft carriers in the world. The total deck area of the US Navy's aircraft carriers is more than twice the deck area of all other nations combined.

The War That Brought Aircraft Carriers to the World Stage: The Pearl Harbor Raid 

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a raid-style attack on the American navy at Pearl Harbor. On the one hand, this attack led to the entry of the United States into the Second World War. On the other hand, it set in motion a process in which aircraft carriers were brought into the war. Japan had been able to successfully attack an American naval base thousands of miles from its territory by using its aircraft carriers and the fighter planes they carried. In order for the US to respond to the Japanese navy in the same way, it was necessary for the US Navy to regroup in the Pacific, to acquire the capabilities to fight the Japanese and to build a large fleet of aircraft carriers after Pearl Harbor. Thus, the war in the Indo-Pacific region, which would continue for another three years, would soon turn into a carrier-centered naval war between the warring parties.

World War II showed the importance of the aircraft carrier to the whole world. These floating islands and essentially floating air bases; today, nearly eighty years after that war, aircraft carriers remain the most important platform at sea. Aircraft carriers, which can be easily adapted to advanced fighter aircraft, have the capability to change the fate of a possible war with advanced radars, guided missile launchers, nuclear weapons, stealth capabilities and cruise missiles. In my opinion, aircraft carriers will continue to be a candidate platform to dominate the seas in every period.

For any developing country, having an aircraft carrier is also seen as a sign of power. While the world's leading countries are "allergic" to countries that want to acquire nuclear weapons, there is no such prejudice against countries that want to acquire aircraft carriers. In this context, many countries, including Turkey, are eager to take part in the unfashionable aircraft carrier race. Countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Japan, which have long retained aircraft carriers in their navies, continue their quest to build advanced aircraft carriers in the American style as much as possible. Countries such as China and Brazil have also made significant progress in the production of aircraft carriers, while countries such as South Korea and Turkey are also striving to build aircraft carriers.

Aircraft Carriers and Their Characteristics

The United Kingdom

In the late 2000s, the British Navy underwent a reorganization, which resulted in the production of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, by mid-2021. Both of these aircraft carriers weigh approximately 72,000 tons fully loaded and are 920 feet long. A 12.5-degree ramp on the forward bow of the ships allows the F-35B fighter jets to take off with a heavier than normal load. Each carrier has the capacity to carry 20 to 24 F-35Bs. In case of difficult conditions, 36 F-35Bs can also be deployed. 

France

Charles de Gaulle is a ship named after the legendary president of France. Charles de Gaulle is France's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Although France began construction of this ship during the Cold War, it was only completed in 2001. De Gaulle is an aircraft carrier weighing 45,000 tons and 858 feet long. De Gaulle is home to a fleet of up to 40 Rafale-M multi-role fighters, E-2 Hawkeye airborne command and control aircraft and naval helicopters. This fleet of aircraft makes de Gaulle one of the most capable aircraft carriers outside the US Navy and a step ahead of other aircraft carriers in the world. A second aircraft carrier of this class was to be built, but later, due to changing circumstances, France decided not to build the second ship.

Charles de Gaulle is scheduled to remain in service until 2030, when a new aircraft carrier, currently being built under the name Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PANG), will be delivered to the navy. The PANG is designed to be a 75,000-ton ship and an aircraft carrier 50 percent larger than the de Gaulle. Since France has adopted the concept that both manned aircraft and UAVs can use the PANG runway, the new ship is being built accordingly.

Italy

The Italian Navy currently has two aircraft carriers. The first, Giuseppe Garibaldi, is home to 18 British-built AV-8B II+ Harrier aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing. This ship weighs 13,930 tons and is 590 feet long. Garibaldi, which entered service in 1985, is known to have taken part in NATO's interventions in Afghanistan and Libya in 2011. Italy has started to build a new amphibious assault ship to replace the aging Garibaldi. The ship will be named Trieste (L-9890). Modeled after the US Navy's Wasp-class amphibious ships, the Trieste is intended to have a pool for the transport of Italian marines by watercraft and a full-size flight deck to accommodate F-35B fighter jets. An NH-90 helicopter will also operate on board. Sea trials began in 2021 and the ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Italian navy in June 2023.

Cavour, the second aircraft carrier used by the Italians, serves as the flagship of the Navy. The ship, whose construction started in 2004, entered service in 2009. With a weight of 30,000 tons, Cavour also has a dock that can launch and recover landing craft, hovercraft and amphibious vehicles. It has a capacity to carry 24 tanks. Until July 2021, the Cavour underwent a major modernization and modification to be able to host F-35 aircraft, and its capacity has been expanded to accommodate 12 F-35Bs and up to a dozen helicopters. Italy plans to keep a total of 30 F-35B fifth-generation fighter jets in service during possible operations. 

Japan

Japan, once the world's largest and most competent user of aircraft carriers, has started to build aircraft carriers again after nearly 80 years. In recent years, as a result of the developments in the Indo-Pacific region and its defense cooperation with the United States against China, Japan, which was forced to adopt a "pacifist" line within the framework of the peace treaty it signed after the war, has again deemed it necessary to have offensive means such as aircraft carriers and air platforms.

In 2018, citing concerns about the growth of the Chinese Navy and China's construction of its own aircraft carriers, Japan decided to convert its ships Izumo and Kaga, originally built as helicopter carriers, into aircraft carriers capable of deploying 12-16 F-35B aircraft. Japan plans to fly a total of 42 F-35B fighter jets, which are about to enter its inventory, against China from the ships and from air bases on islands in the west of the country.

India

The first of India's two aircraft carriers, Viraat is a former British light aircraft carrier that until recently was the flagship of the Indian Navy. Built during the Second World War, it is the oldest aircraft carrier in the world. Weighing 28,700 tons and 741 feet long, Viraat can carry 9 Sea Harrier fighters and 15 Sea King, Helix and Chetak helicopters of the Indian Navy.

A second Indian aircraft carrier is the Vikrant. This ship also entered service in 2022. As a domestically produced aircraft carrier with India's own national resources, Vikrant has given India a significant leap forward in this field. 

Vikramaditya is the new flagship of the Indian Navy. Formerly a Soviet ship used for anti-submarine warfare, Vikramaditya is equipped with an angled flight deck and has a 14-degree ramp. It is in the same class as China's Shandong and France's de Gaulle aircraft carriers, measuring 930 feet in length and weighing 45,000 tons. It can carry up to 36 MiG-29K multi-role fighter jets and 12 Russian-made Kamov helicopters. In total, the ship can operate with up to 40 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

China

China has two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong. The Russians handed over to China an aircraft carrier that was started but not completed during the Soviet Union. China put this ship through a major modernization process and put it into service in 2012, renaming it Liaoning. This 999 feet long aircraft carrier weighs 67,000 tons fully loaded. The Liaoning is capable of carrying 26 J-15 fighter jets and 12 helicopters. 

China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, entered service in 2019. Based on the Lianing, the Shandong was built in Chinese shipyards by Chinese engineers from top to bottom. Both have a ramp mechanism. While Liaoning is used for training purposes, Shandong is a fully operational aircraft carrier equipped with combat capabilities.

The third ship built for the Chinese Navy is the Fujian. It is China's first aircraft carrier with a completely unique design. The ship was launched on June 17, 2022. CATOBAR and electromagnetic catapult systems were integrated on this ship.

This ship, built in Shanghai, can carry approximately 40 aircraft. The ship is expected to be delivered to the navy in 2024. 

China's fourth aircraft carrier is a mixed landing/amphibious ship. This ship will be used for UAV operations. The ship weighs 40,000 tons and is 778 feet long. Along with UAVs, the flight deck is intended to be used mainly by helicopters.  

While it is known that China is planning to build a fourth nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, possibly larger than the Fujian, there is no information shared by China with the outside world on whether the production process has started. 

Russia

The world's largest conventional carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov is also Russia's only operational aircraft carrier. Built in Ukraine's Nikolayev shipyards during the Cold War, the Kuznetsov is just over 1,000 feet long and weighs 65,000 tons fully loaded. Although the ship saw little use after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it served as a symbol of Putin's Russia's resurgence on the world stage. Kuznetsov took part in operations in Syria.

The Kuznetsov is capable of carrying up to 24 Su-33 Flanker-D and MiG-29K fighter jets and six helicopters. Despite its size, Kuznetsov is essentially an old, poorly maintained ship. The Kuznetsov has been notorious for breaking down while underway and catching fire while dry-docked. Currently undergoing a major modernization, Kuznetsov is expected to return to the Russian navy in late 2023. Technically, the Kuznetsov is the sister ship of the Chinese Liaoning aircraft carrier.

United States of America

The US Navy has two classes and types of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the Nimitz and Ford classes, which are literally called "supercarriers". In total, there are 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in service. 

Nimitz-class aircraft carriers weigh 105,000 tons fully loaded and are 1,092 feet long. The Ford class ships are roughly the same weight and size as the Nimitz class and are equipped with new generation technologies. Currently, the most advanced aircraft carriers in the world are the Ford class. As an illustration, each Nimitz-class carrier carries an air fleet of 24 F/A-18C Hornets, 24 F/A-E/F Super Hornets, 4 to 5 E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, 4 E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft, 2 C-2 Greyhound transport aircraft and 6 Seahawk helicopters.

A total of 11 Ford-class aircraft carriers will be built. As they are built, they are planned to replace the US Navy's existing aircraft carriers, which are aging.  The first Ford-class aircraft carrier was named Gerald R. Ford and replaced the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-65) in the inventory. By 2050, when the production of Ford-class ships is completed, the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers will also be out of the inventory. The second ship, John F. Kennedy, is expected to be delivered in June 2024, the third ship, Enterprise, in March 2028 and Doris Miller in February 2032. While the cost of the Nimitz-class ships is estimated at 9-10 billion USD, the Ford-class ships are estimated to cost around 13.3 billion USD each.

In addition to the supercarriers, the Navy also has 9 Wasp-class amphibious assault ships with helicopters and pools. These ships have a full-size flight deck and elevator. Each weighs 45,000 tons fully loaded and is 844 feet long. Nicknamed "Crocodiles", they are normally capable of carrying 10 F-35Bs. In carrier mode, they can also carry a total of 20 F-35Bs.

Aircraft Carrier Looking Amphibious Assault Ships and Their Features

Such ships are essentially landing and/or amphibious assault ships rather than aircraft carriers. They are basically designed for amphibious operations and landing craft. However, since they can also serve as a kind of aircraft carrier that can carry aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, most countries prefer to call such ships 'aircraft carriers'.

Amphibious assault ships can also be described as floating "military units". Such ships are equipped with ground troops, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, etc., which aircraft carriers do not have. More precisely, these ships are used to transport such warfare vehicles and equipment with their personnel from one place to another by sea, and to enable them to make landings. Amphibious ships also have short runways, but they offer a more favorable surface for helicopter landing/landing instead of aircraft. Helicopters of attack, transportation, ambulance, etc. types are deployed on amphibious ships to support landing operations. Attack helicopters are used during landings, especially for fire support to ground troops. Again, the presence of helicopters is used as a force multiplier for flying troop operations, for landing behind the enemy by helicopter, for encircling and encircling the enemy.

Some navies prefer to deploy the British AV-8B Harrier fighter aircraft, which can take off and land vertically, or the F-35B, a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, on the runways of new type amphibious ships. In this context, modern amphibious ships are built to carry 6-22 fighter jets. In this context, it has become widely accepted to classify such ships as aircraft carriers.

Brazil

Brazil's only aircraft carrier, Atlántico, sails the seas. The Brazilian Navy has acquired the HMS Ocean aircraft carrier, which was previously used by the British Royal Navy and retired in 2018. In 1998, the UK had commissioned the 'aircraft carrier' HMS Ocean, which can be called a helicopter landing platform. Ocean, a 667-foot-long, 21,500-ton warship, had a full-size flight deck and a flight control tower. From a distance, it looked like an aircraft carrier, but in fact it was nothing more than a floating helicopter platform for the Royal Marines. An amphibious ship with limited self-defense capabilities, HMS Ocean also had 6 Apache attack helicopters on the runway.

HMS Ocean, which has been used by the Brazilian Navy since 2018, has been renamed Atlántico. Brazil overhauled the ship and made it return to the seas as a "multipurpose aircraft carrier". Recently, Brazil has sought to have fixed-wing UAVs fly on Atlantico's runway instead of manned aircraft. The Atlántico is the only aircraft carrier based in South America.

South Korea

South Korea has also started the process of building an amphibious assault ship that can also be used as an aircraft carrier, taking into account the evolving threats around it. F-35B aircraft are planned to be deployed on the Dokdo-class aircraft carrier. The Dokdo class ships, of which a total of 3 are planned to be built, are 653 feet long and weigh 18,800 tons, making the Dokdo the largest warship ever built for the Republic of Korea Navy. At the same time, 10 UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters can use the ship's runway. Seoul has signed an aircraft carrier development agreement with Babock International and Fincantieri, shipbuilding companies with experience in this field. It was decided to build a ship similar to the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. The 20 F-35B fighter jets that will enter South Korea's inventory are planned to be deployed on the Dokdo.

Thailand

HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the only aircraft carrier unique to Southeast Asia, was built in Spain. It serves as the flagship of the Thai Navy. At only 11,000 tons and 599 feet long, Chakri Naruebet is the smallest aircraft carrier in the world. When it was completed in 1997, it attracted attention as a modern ship capable of carrying 6 AV-8S Harrier fighter jets and 6 SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. However, Thailand failed to pay due attention to the maintenance and upkeep of this ship and it has fallen victim to neglect for the last two decades. It was rarely allowed to leave the harbor. Moreover, the ship's guests, the Harrier fighter jets, have all been decommissioned by Thailand due to lack of spare parts. Thus, HTMS Chakri Naruebet became an aircraft carrier without aircraft.

Spain

Spain's Juan Carlos I (L-61) is considered to be an amphibious/light aircraft carrier hybrid ship. It is an amphibious/light aircraft carrier hybrid ship in design. Capable of landing troops both from the sea and from the air (with helicopters), this ship has a runway with a ramp designed for Harrier-type fighter jets. 757 feet long and weighing 26,000 tons, Juan Carlos I was known as the only ship of its class ever used. The Spanish navy wanted to replace the Harrier fighter jets deployed on this ship with F-35B fighter jets, but failed to convince Madrid. For now, Spain is not buying F-35Bs. The Harriers have not been abandoned either. In this respect, the ship continues to be used as a mixed ship (aircraft/amphibian).

Australia

Technically amphibious ships, the Canberra class ships; HMAS Canberra and its sister ship HMAS Adelaide are each 757 feet long and weigh 27,830 tons when fully loaded. Built in Spain, their hulls are based on the Spanish Navy's Juan Carlos I class amphibious ships. They can carry 12 aircraft, including Sea King and Sea Hawk helicopters and Tiger attack helicopters, MRH-90 transports and CH-47 Chinook heavy transports. In fact, the Juan Carlos class ships were built to accommodate fighter jets capable of vertical take-off and landing. However, for now, the Australian government is not considering the possibility of the F-35s in its inventory operating on the decks of these twin aircraft carriers.

Turkey

Like Spain, Turkey has also commissioned an amphibious/light aircraft hybrid ship, the TCG Anadolu, for the Turkish navy as of April 10, 2023. The TCG Anadolu, built in this framework, is physically and dimensionally very similar to Spain's Juan Carlos I. This is normal, because TCG Anadolu was built using the technology of the Spanish shipyard. The hull structure is almost identical. Just like the TCG Anadolu, whose construction was completed at Sedef Shipyard, the Spanish Navantia Shipyard will also provide technical support for the TCG Trakya, whose construction will start soon. 

Unlike the Spanish ship, instead of Harriers, about 50 TB3s, which are produced as the folding wing version of Baykar TB2s, will be deployed on TCG Anadolu. In this respect, TCG Anadolu will be the world's first ship to deploy UAVs. Built in line with the needs of the Turkish Navy, TCG Anadolu will be able to host 8-10 fully-equipped utility helicopters, or a similar number of attack helicopters such as Atak and Cobra, on its deck. 

Conclusion

The future of aircraft carriers is secure. Tomorrow's oceans will be more complex and contested, and new threats will emerge. Yet aircraft carriers will continue to provide unrivaled conventional superiority to the few navies that can use them.