When World War II (WWII) ended with the advent of nuclear weapons, many suggested the era of the aircraft carrier and amphibious warfare was over. Yet every single one of the worldwide aircraft carriers – nearly 50 aircraft-carrying ships – described below was laid down after WWII. Today, at a time when criticism of the usefulness of aircraft carriers is particularly strident, seagoing nations across the globe are building or procuring air capable ships at a rate unseen for decades. Even the Chinese, who provoked much of the criticism of aircraft carriers when they announced their ‘carrier killer’ DF-21 ballistic missile, have commissioned one carrier and have announced they are building several others. They are doing so for the simple reason that no other naval vessel can perform the range of missions that the carrier can. From humanitarian operations to full-on conflict, none have the capacity to perform even a single mission with anything approaching an aircraft carrier’s effectiveness. The nations whose navies have aircraft-carrying ships as the centre pieces of their naval capabilities, whether they be multi-purpose amphibious warfare ships or conventional aircraft carriers, are described below.

 

AUSTRALIA

Australia is building two Canberra-class LHDs to the same design as Spain’s Juan Carlos I, of almost 26,000 tons displacement and 231 meters (758 feet) overall length. The two ships are planned to embark up to 20 helicopters and have well decks that can hold four Landing Craft, Medium (LCM). Crew complement is expected to be 358 personnel, including aircrew, along with more than 1,000 troops. Up to 110 vehicles can be carried. Both ships are equipped to operate Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft, and might do so in the future.

 

BRAZIL

Brazil’s sole aircraft carrier is the former French Clemenceau-class carrier Foch, now renamed São Paulo. São Paulo, 265 meters (869 feet) long and displacing 34,000 tons full load, was commissioned in 1963 by the French navy and was transferred in 2000 to Brazil. São Paulo was designed as a Catapult Launch But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) ship, and has undergone a series of upgrades. She is rated at 30 knots and has a range of 7,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. São Paulo can embark an air group of up to 40 aircraft, including AF-1 Skyhawks (formerly of the Kuwaiti air force), and assorted helicopters. Her crew complement is approximately 1,600 including the air wing.

 

CHINA

In 1998, China purchased the stripped hulk of the former Russian aircraft carrier Varyag and towed it to Dalian Shipyard, where it emerged after 13 years for commissioning, bearing the new name Liaoning. Designated a training carrier, the Short-Takeoff But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) configured ship is 304 meters (997 feet) overall in length, and presumably near the displacement of her sister Kuznetsov, at more than 58,000 tons. Refitted with Chinese radar, electronics, engines, and weapons, Liaoning went on sea trials in 2011, and as commissioned in September 2012. Deck landings and launches of J-15 aircraft, essentially copies of Sukhoi Su-33s, took place in 2012 and 2013. Little is known about the air group, performance, range, or complement of the aircraft carrier. China has said it plans to build at least two more carriers of an indigenous design.

 

FRANCE

France operates the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, likely to be the only ship of its class. The CATOBAR-configured De Gaulle is 262 meters (859 feet) overall, and displaces 42,000 tons fully loaded. Her submarine-derived nuclear reactors give her a top speed of 27 knots, and her range is unlimited. The carrier embarks an air group of more than 40 Rafale M, Super Étendard, and Hawkeye airplanes, and Caracal and Cougar helicopters. De Gaulle accommodates up to 1,950 crewmembers, including air group and flag staff. A program to build a second aircraft carrier has been postponed. France also has three Mistral-class large deck amphibious assault ships – Mistral, Tonnerre, and Dixmude – each more than 21,000 tons displacement and 199 meters (652 feet) overall length. They have a top speed of 19 knots, and a range, at 15 knots, of 11,000 nautical miles. Each can embark between 16 and 35 helicopters, and boast well decks capable of handling two LCAC hovercraft or four landing craft. Crew is 177, plus 450 troops and up to 60 armored vehicles.

 

INDIA

India currently operates INS Viraat, the former British HMS Hermes. The 226-meter (741.7-foot), 28,700-ton full load Viraat carries India’s remaining Sea Harrier FRS.51s as well as Kamov and HAL Chetak helicopters. Viraat is slated to retire with the introduction of India’s newest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, the former Russian Admiral Gorshkov, which has been heavily modified with a full flush deck. The modifications have been lengthy and expensive, but the 283-meter (928-foot), 45,600-ton (full load) carrier is expected to enter service this year, carrying an air group of more than 30 highly capable MiG-29K aircraft, along with Kamov and HAL helicopters. Vikramaditya is configured as a STOBAR aircraft carrier, is claimed to make 29 knots, and has a range of 13,800 nautical miles at 18 knots. Crew complement is 1,200, exclusive of air group. India’s next carrier, the indigenous aircraft carrier, or IAC, has also been delayed about five years, but is planned to be a 262-meter (859-foot), 49,000-ton STOBAR aircraft carrier, reportedly to be named Vikrant. The IAC is expected to carry an air group of more than 30 aircraft.

 

ITALY

Italy’s navy has two ships that operate helicopters and its fleet of Harrier aircraft: the Giuseppe Garibaldi and Cavour. The 180-meter (590-foot), 13,850-ton full load Giuseppe Garibaldi was commissioned in 1985, and carries up to 15 AV-8B Harrier II aircraft and two helicopters; or 17 helicopters; or various mixes of airplanes and helicopters. Garibaldi can travel at up to 30 knots, with a range of 7,000 nautical miles at 20 knots. Crew is up to 825 with air group included.

The 244-meter, 27,100-ton full load Cavour was commissioned in 2008, and can accommodate up to 30 aircraft, including eight AV-8Bs and 12 EH-101 or other helicopters for various roles. The ship has accommodation for 1,210, including 528 ship’s crew, 168 air group personnel, 145 staff, and 325 marines. Maximum speed is 28 knots, with a range of 7,000 nautical miles at 16 knots. The Italian navy plans to embark 15 FV-35B STOVL aircraft to replace the Harrier IIs. The navy also operates three large deck amphibious assault ships, the San Giorgio, San Marco, and San Giusto. Each is 137 meters (449 feet) long, displaces some 8,000 tons, and can embark up to five helicopters. A well deck for LCMs and LCVPs and accommodation for a battalion of marines and their vehicles means there is no space for a hangar deck.

 

JAPAN

Japan has two classes of ‘helicopter carrying destroyers’, which are de facto small aircraft carriers. The Hyuga-class ships, Hyuga and Ise, displace more than 18,000 tons full load and are 197 meters (646 feet) long overall, similar in size to the British Invincible class. They can operate up to 11 helicopters. The second, and larger, Izumo class are 248 meters (813 feet) long overall, and displace more than 27,000 tons fully loaded. Izumo was launched in 2013, and is expected to enter service next year. The second ship of the class has not yet been named. The class can embark up to 14 helicopters, and with some modifications, such as a ski-jump, could operate F-35Bs, although at the moment the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is constrained by the country’s constitution from operating any “offensive weapons.” The JMSDF also operates the Oosumi-class large deck helicopter carriers, officially designated Landing Ships, Tank (LST). The three ships – Oosumi, Shimokita, and Kunisaki – can each operate six helicopters and contain a well deck for two LCAC hovercraft or other landing craft.

REBUBLIC of KOREA

The amphibious assault ship Dokdo is 200 meters (656 feet) overall, and displaces 19,000 tons full load. Equipped with a well deck, the ship carries two LCAC hovercraft or other landing craft, along with AAV amphibious vehicles, trucks, and tanks for 720 embarked marines. The typical air group of Dokdo is 10 helicopters, if the hangar deck space is not taken up by vehicles, and the ship is equipped for, although it does not carry, STOVL aircraft such as the F-35B or Harrier II. Maximum speed is 22-23 knots, and crew complement is 400. A sister ship is planned.

 

RUSSIA

Russia’s sole big-deck aircraft carrier is the Admiral Kuznetsov, 305 meters (1000 feet) long, with a maximum displacement of more than 58,000 tons full load. Kuznetsov is configured as a STOBAR aircraft carrier, with a 12-degree ski jump at the bow. She can carry up to 45 aircraft. These have included Su-33, MiG-29, and Su-25UTG jets and Kamov helicopters. Crew complement with air wing is approximately 2,600. Range at 18 knots is 8,500 nautical miles, and the ship is capable of 30 knots. Kuznetsov has made few deployments since the collapse of the Soviet Union, up until late 2013 when she led a task group to the Eastern Mediterranean. Russia is also procuring two flush deck Mistral-class amphibious assault ships from France, the Vladivostok and the Sevastopol, but the handover of the first ship is in jeopardy due to the situation in the Ukraine.

 

SPAIN

For a time Spain was operating two aircraft carriers – Juan Carlos I and Principe de Asturias – but economic considerations led to the decommissioning of Principe de Asturias in February 2013. The larger and more versatile Juan Carlos I was originally designated a Strategic Projection Vessel, and is a 231-meter (758-foot), 28,000-ton ship capable of carrying and landing an expeditionary assault force as well as an air group. Equipped with a ski-jump bow, Juan Carlos I carries AV-8B Harrier II airplanes as well as Sea King, NH 90, and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Her well deck accommodates four LCMs. She has a speed of 21 knots and a range of 9,000 nautical miles at 15 knots. Ship’s company is 243, with an air wing of 172 personnel.

 

THAILAND

Thailand’s aircraft carrier, the 183-meter (600-foot) 11,500-ton Chakri Naruebet, is officially designated an offshore patrol helicopter carrier. Built by the Spanish shipyard IZAR, she is essentially a smaller version of Spain’s Principe de Asturias, herself derived from a U.S. Sea Control Ship design. She has a top speed of 26 knots, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. Her complement is 455, plus an air group of 146. Originally carrying S-70 helicopters as well as first-generation AV-8S Matadors (AV-8A Harriers) bought from Spain, today the ship rarely leaves port, and then without Harriers and with a maximum of 10 helicopters.

 

 

UNITED KINGDOM

While the Royal Navy awaits the commissioning ofthe 66,000-ton, big-deck carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, there are two flush deck aircraft-carrying ships remaining in the fleet. The first, HMS Illustrious, is the last of the three Invincible-class CVSs. She is 210 meters (689 feet) long, displacing 21,000 tons full load. With a top speed of 28 knots, Illustrious has a range of 7,000 nautical miles at 19 knots, and embarks 726 crew as well as 384 air group personnel. Originally embarking a mix of up to 19 Sea Harriers and helicopters, she is now the fleet’s high readiness helicopter carrier, alongside the Landing Platform Helicopter HMS Ocean.

The 223-meter (731-foot), 22,000-ton Ocean is capable of 19 knots, with a range of 8,000 miles at 15 knots. Crew complement is 285, plus 206 aircrew, along with up to 830 marines. HMS Ocean embarks a mixture of up to 18 Merlin, Sea King, Lynx, and Apache helicopters on board, as well as 4 Mk 5 LCVP.

 

UNITED STATES

 

The United States might be said to have five classes of aircraft carriers. The most well known are the 10 CATOBAR-configured and nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. More than 333 meters (1092 feet) long, they displace between 73,000 and 102,000 tons. These ships can carry up to 90 aircraft, though a typical Carrier Air Wing numbers around 65 fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Complement including air wing is 5,700 sailors and Marines. They can exceed 30 knots, and range is unlimited. The name ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class now under construction is of similar size and displacement, but has greatly revised electrical, launch and recovery, and networking equipment, as well as a new nuclear reactor plant. Automation of key systems promises a crew complement of fewer than 4,700 sailors and Marines. Like the Nimitz class, nuclear power makes range unlimited.

The U.S. Navy also operates 10 large deck amphibious assault ships of three different classes, each displacing more than 40,000 tons. All three classes operate STOVL AV-8B Harriers as well as helicopters. The most numerous of them, the Wasp-class ships, are 258 meters (846 feet) long, carrying up to 40 helicopters and AV-8B Harriers, and will operate the F-35B Lightning II when it enters service. Crew complement is more than 1,100 sailors and Marines. Maximum speed is 22 knots, and range at 20 knots is 9,500 nautical miles.

The first of class LHD (R), USS America, lacks a well deck in favor of more hangar space for aircraft, and can operate 40 aircraft. The single remaining Tarawa-class ship, Peleliu, is similar to the Wasp class but smaller, at 254 meters (833 feet) in length, embarking a mix of up to 35 aircraft, with a range of 10,000 nautical miles at 20 knots, and carrying a crew of less than 1,000.