Aircraft carriers are large warships designed to launch and recover aircrafts, acting like sea-going airbases. This allows the navy to quickly deploy aircrafts without having to relay on local airbases.
In modern naval warfare an aircraft carrier acts as a capital ship of the fleet. This role has been previously played by a battleship. Battleships in the past were able to fire a large amount of high caliber shells and score a small percent of hits at a range of aproximatively 45 km. Today's aircraft carriers are capable to launch aircrafts that carry high precision smart weapons at a range measured in hundreds of kilometers. This way an aircraft carrier fullfills the mission of a battleship more accurately. Aircraft carriers are considered vulnerable to be attacked by other ships so they usually travel as part of a battle group or a carrier battle group.
In modern naval warfare an aircraft carrier acts as a capital ship of the fleet. This role has been previously played by a battleship. Battleships in the past were able to fire a large amount of high caliber shells and score a small percent of hits at a range of aproximatively 45 km. Today's aircraft carriers are capable to launch aircrafts that carry high precision smart weapons at a range measured in hundreds of kilometers. This way an aircraft carrier fullfills the mission of a battleship more accurately. Aircraft carriers are considered vulnerable to be attacked by other ships so they usually travel as part of a battle group or a carrier battle group.
| U.S. Navy | China | France | United Kingdom |
| Pre World War II era | Acquired carriers | Active carriers | Active carriers |
| Langley Lexington Ranger Yorktown Wasp | Admiral Kuznetsov | Charles de Gaulle R91 | Invincible |
| World War II era | |||
| Essex Independence Sable Wolverine | |||
| Cold War era | |||
| Enterprise Forrestal John F. Kennedy Kitty Hawk Midway Nimitz Saipan United States | |||
| Post Cold War era | |||
| Gerald R. Ford |
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