Editing Aircraft carrier (section)

==Types of carriers==
[[File:US Navy 060427-N-5961C-009 USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76),FS Charles De Gaulle (R-92),FS Cassard (D-614), guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), USS McCampbell (DDG 85) conduct joint operations in the Persian Gulf.jpg|thumb|French aircraft carrier {{Ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}} (rear) and US Navy carrier {{USS|Ronald Reagan|CVN-76|6}} conducting joint operations in the Persian Gulf, each with the [[CATOBAR]] configuration]]

===General features===
* Speed is a crucial attribute for aircraft carriers, as they need to be able to be deployed quickly anywhere in the world and have to be fast enough to evade detection and targeting from enemy forces. A high speed also increases the "wind over the deck", boosting the lift available for fixed-wing aircraft to carry fuel and ammunition. To evade nuclear submarines, the carriers should have a speed of more than {{convert|30|kn|mph kph}}.
* Aircraft carriers are among the largest types of warships due to their need for ample deck space.
* An aircraft carrier must be able to perform increasingly diverse mission sets. Diplomacy, power projection, quick crisis response force, land attack from the sea, sea base for helicopter and amphibious assault forces, anti-surface warfare (ASUW), defensive counter air (DCA), and [[humanitarian aid]] & [[disaster relief]] (HADR) are some of the missions the aircraft carrier is expected to accomplish. Traditionally an aircraft carrier is supposed to be one ship that can perform at least power projection and sea control missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japcc.org/will-the-aircraft-carrier-survive/|title=Will the Aircraft Carrier Survive?|date=13 December 2018|access-date=11 September 2019|archive-date=12 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112020122/https://www.japcc.org/will-the-aircraft-carrier-survive/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* An aircraft carrier must be able to efficiently operate an air combat group. This means it should{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} handle fixed-wing jets as well as helicopters. This includes ships designed to support operations of short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) jets.

===Basic types===
* [[Aircraft cruiser]]
* [[Amphibious assault ship]] and sub-types
* [[Anti-submarine warfare carrier]]
* [[Balloon carrier]] and balloon tenders
* [[Escort carrier]]
* [[Fleet carrier]]
* [[Flight deck cruiser]]
* [[Helicopter carrier]]
* [[Light aircraft carrier]]
* [[Seaplane tender]] and seaplane carriers
* Utility carrier: This type was mainly used in the US Navy, in the decade after World War 2 to ferry aircraft.<ref>[https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/alphabetical-listing/g/uss-guadalcanal--avg-60-acv-60-cve-60-cvu-60-0.html USS Guadalcanal (AVG-60/ACV-60/CVE-60/CVU-60)], official page at official website https://www.history.navy.mil/</ref>

Some of the types listed here are not strictly defined as aircraft carriers by some sources.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

===By role===
[[File:USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 30 January 2019 (190130-N-PW716-1312).JPG|thumb|{{USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72}}, a [[United States Navy]] fleet carrier, also often referred to as a supercarrier, crossing the Atlantic in 2019]]

A [[fleet carrier]] is intended to operate with the main fleet and usually provides an offensive capability. These are the largest carriers capable of fast speeds. By comparison, [[escort carrier]]s were developed to provide defense for convoys of ships. They were smaller and slower with lower numbers of aircraft carried. Most were built from mercantile hulls or, in the case of [[merchant aircraft carrier]]s, were bulk cargo ships with a flight deck added on top. [[Light aircraft carrier]]s were fast enough to operate with the main fleet but of smaller size with reduced aircraft capacity.

The Soviet aircraft carrier ''[[Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov|Admiral Kusnetsov]]'' was termed a "heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser". This was primarily a legal construct to avoid the limitations of the [[Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits#Aircraft carriers|Montreux Convention]] preventing 'aircraft carriers' transiting the [[Turkish Straits]] between the Soviet [[Black Sea]] bases and the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. These ships, while sized in the range of large fleet carriers, were designed to deploy alone or with escorts. In addition to supporting fighter aircraft and helicopters, they provide both strong defensive weaponry and heavy offensive missiles equivalent to a guided-missile cruiser.

===By configuration===
[[File:HMS Queen Elizabeth in Gibraltar - 2018 (28386226189).jpg|thumb|Aircraft carriers in the [[STOVL]] configuration are in service with Italy, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.]]

Aircraft carriers today are usually divided into the following four categories based on the way that aircraft take off and land:
*[[CATOBAR|Catapult-assisted take-off barrier-arrested recovery]] (CATOBAR): these carriers generally carry the largest, heaviest, and most heavily armed aircraft, although smaller CATOBAR carriers may have other limitations (weight capacity of aircraft elevator, etc.). All CATOBAR carriers in service today are nuclear-powered, as the last conventionally powered CATOBAR carrier USS ''[[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|Kitty Hawk]]'' was decommissioned in 2009. Twelve are in service: ten {{sclass|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|4}} and one {{sclass|Gerald R. Ford|aircraft carrier|0}} fleet carriers in the United States; and the [[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle|Charles de Gaulle]] in France.
* [[STOBAR|Short take-off barrier-arrested recovery]] (STOBAR): these carriers are generally limited to carrying lighter fixed-wing aircraft with more limited payloads. STOBAR carrier air wings, such as the [[Sukhoi Su-33]] and future [[Mikoyan MiG-29K]] wings of {{Ship|Russian aircraft carrier|Admiral Kuznetsov||2}} are often geared primarily towards air superiority and fleet defense roles rather than strike/power projection tasks,{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} which require heavier payloads (bombs and air-to-ground missiles). Five are in service: two in China, two in India, and one in Russia.
* [[STOVL|Short take-off vertical-landing]] (STOVL): limited to carrying STOVL aircraft. STOVL aircraft, such as the [[Harrier jump jet|Harrier]] family and [[Yakovlev Yak-38]] generally have limited payloads, lower performance, and high fuel consumption when compared with conventional fixed-wing aircraft; however, a new generation of STOVL aircraft, currently consisting of the [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II]], has much improved performance. Fourteen are in service; nine STOVL amphibious assault ships in the US; two carriers each in Italy and the UK; and one STOVL amphibious assault ship in Spain.
* [[Helicopter carrier]]: Helicopter carriers have a similar appearance to other aircraft carriers but operate only helicopters – those that mainly operate helicopters but can also operate fixed-wing aircraft are known as STOVL carriers (see above). Seventeen are in service: four in Japan; three in France; two each in Australia, China, Egypt and South Korea; and one each in Brazil and Thailand. In the past, some conventional carriers were converted and these were called "commando carriers" by the Royal Navy. Some helicopter carriers, but not all, are classified as [[amphibious assault ships]], tasked with landing and supporting ground forces on enemy territory.

===By size===
* [[Fleet carrier]]
* [[Light aircraft carrier]]
* [[Escort carrier]]

===Supercarrier===
{{Redirect|Supercarrier|the television series|Supercarrier&nbsp;(TV series){{!}}''Supercarrier''&nbsp;(TV series)}}
[[File:HMS Ark Royal h85716.jpg|thumb|right|The Royal Navy's [[HMS Ark Royal (91)|HMS ''Ark Royal'']] in 1939, with [[Fairey Swordfish|Swordfish]] biplane bombers passing overhead. The British aircraft carrier was involved in the crippling of the German battleship [[German battleship Bismarck|''Bismarck'']] in May 1941.]]

The appellation "supercarrier" is not an official designation with any national navy, but a term used predominantly by the media and typically when reporting on larger and more advanced carrier types. It is also used when comparing carriers of various sizes and capabilities, both current and past. It was first used by ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1938,<ref>{{cite news|title=Reich's Cruise Ships Held Potential Plane Carriers|work=The New York Times|date=1 May 1938|page=32|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/reichs-cruise-ships-held-potential-plane-carriers.html|access-date=17 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224173246/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/reichs-cruise-ships-held-potential-plane-carriers.html|archive-date=24 February 2018|url-status=live}}{{subscription required}}</ref> in an article about the Royal Navy's {{HMS |Ark Royal |91 |6}}, that had a length of {{convert|800|ft|m|sigfig=3|sp=us}}, a displacement of 22,000 [[tonne|ton]]s and was designed to carry 72 aircraft.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Ark Royal Launched. Most Up-To-Date Carrier. Aircraft in the Fleet|work=[[The Times]]|date=14 April 1937|page=11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Rossiter|first=Mike|title=Ark Royal: the life, death and rediscovery of the legendary Second World War aircraft carrier|orig-year=2006|edition=2nd|year=2007|publisher=Corgi Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-552-15369-0|oclc=81453068|pages=48–51}}</ref> Since then, aircraft carriers have consistently grown in size, both in length and displacement, as well as improved capabilities; in defense, sensors, electronic warfare, propulsion, range, launch and recovery systems, number and types of aircraft carried and number of sorties flown per day.<ref>FIREPOWER: THE WEAPONS THE PROFESSIONALS USE – AND HOW. SUPERCARRIERS, #25 Orbis Publishing 1990</ref>

Both China ([[Type 003 aircraft carrier|Type 003]]), and the United Kingdom ([[Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier|Queen Elizabeth class]]) have carriers undergoing trials or in service with full load displacements between 80,000<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pape |first=Alex|title=Jane's Fighting Ships 2023-2024|date=April 2023 |publisher=Jane's Information Group Limited |isbn=9780710634283 |location=United Kingdom |pages=886 |language=en}}</ref> to 85,000 tonnes<ref name="China">{{cite web|date=5 January 2018|title=China kicks off construction of new supercarrier/|url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/china-kicks-off-construction-of-new-supercarrier/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116221608/https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/china-kicks-off-construction-of-new-supercarrier/|archive-date=16 January 2018|access-date=1 February 2018|publisher=thediplomat.com}}</ref> and lengths from {{convert|280 to 320 |m |sp=us}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Queen Elizabeth Class|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Future-Ships/Queen-Elizabeth-Class|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810221625/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Ships/Future-Ships/Queen-Elizabeth-Class|archive-date=10 August 2013|access-date=21 August 2013|publisher=Royal Navy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=19 February 2015|title=China has solid plans for four aircraft carriers by 2030, could eventually have 10|url=https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2015/02/china-has-solid-plans-for-four-aircraft.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730231911/https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2015/02/china-has-solid-plans-for-four-aircraft.html|archive-date=30 July 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|publisher=nextbigfuture.com}}</ref> which are described as "supercarriers".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-supercarrier-hms-queen-elizabeth-deploy-pacific/|title=British super carrier HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' to deploy to the Pacific|publisher=ukdefencejournal.org.uk|date=28 June 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202071701/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/british-supercarrier-hms-queen-elizabeth-deploy-pacific/|archive-date=2 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tass.com/defense/953674|title=Russian Navy may get advanced new aircraft carrier|agency=TASS|date=28 June 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210195246/http://tass.com/defense/953674|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name= China /> France is also developing a new aircraft carrier ([[Future French aircraft carrier|PANG]]) which is to have a full load displacement of c. 75,000 tonnes and also be considered a supercarrier.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} The largest supercarriers in service as of 2024, however, are with the US Navy,<ref name= USA>{{cite web|url=https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=USS-Gerald-Ford-CVN78|title=USS ''Gerald R. Ford'' (CVN-78)|publisher=militaryfactory.com|date=22 July 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224053014/https://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=USS-Gerald-Ford-CVN78|archive-date=24 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> with full load displacements in excess 100,000 tons,<ref name= USA /> lengths of over {{convert|337|m|sp=us}},<ref name= USA /> and capabilities that exceed those of any other class.{{refn|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-trials-commissioned-later-2017-2|title=The world's most advanced aircraft carrier is one step closer to completion|work=Business Insider|date=16 February 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224112859/http://www.businessinsider.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-trials-commissioned-later-2017-2|archive-date=24 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/uss-gerald-ford-commissioning-sneak-peek/index.html|title=Sneak peek at US Navy's $13B aircraft carrier|publisher=CNN|date=18 July 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220094724/https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/uss-gerald-ford-commissioning-sneak-peek/index.html|archive-date=20 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/tech/uss-gerald-r-ford-inside-the-worlds-most-advanced-aircraft-carrier/|title=USS ''Gerald R. Ford'': Inside the world's most advanced aircraft carrier|publisher=Fox News|date=21 July 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202113556/http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/07/21/uss-gerald-r-ford-inside-worlds-most-advanced-aircraft-carrier.html|archive-date=2 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/07/21/uss-gerald-r-ford-ushers-in-new-age-of-technology-and-innovation/|title=USS ''Gerald R. Ford'' ushers in new age of technology and innovation|publisher=navylive.dodlive.mil|date=21 July 2017|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210220549/http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/07/21/uss-gerald-r-ford-ushers-in-new-age-of-technology-and-innovation/|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-us-navys-new-13-billion-aircraft-carrier-will-dominate-the-seas-2016-03-09|title=The US Navy's new $13 billion aircraft carrier will dominate the seas|publisher=marketwatch.com|date=9 March 2016|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212005032/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-us-navys-new-13-billion-aircraft-carrier-will-dominate-the-seas-2016-03-09|archive-date=12 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

===Hull type identification symbols===
Several systems of identification symbol for aircraft carriers and related types of ship have been used. These include the [[pennant number]]s used by the Royal Navy, [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries, and Europe, along with the [[hull classification symbol]]s used by the US and [[Hull classification symbol (Canada)|Canada]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publications/semaphore-september-2010-0|magazine=Semaphore|title=AWD, Hobart, MFU or DDGH – What's in a Name?|publisher=Royal Australian Navy|date=30 July 2010|access-date=19 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226085836/http://www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publications/semaphore-september-2010-0|archive-date=26 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ US hull classification symbols for aircraft carriers and related ship types{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
! Symbol !! Designation
|-
| CV || Generic aircraft carrier
|-
| CVA || Attack carrier (up to 1975)
|-
| CVB || Large aircraft carrier (retired 1952)
|-
| CVAN || Nuclear-powered attack carrier
|-
| CVE || [[Escort carrier]]
|-
| CVHA || Aircraft carrier, Helicopter Assault (retired)
|-
| CVHE || Aircraft carrier, Helicopter, Escort (retired)
|-
| CVV || [[Aircraft Carrier (Medium)]] (proposed)
|-
| CVL || [[Light aircraft carrier]]
|-
| CVN || Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
|-
| CVS || [[Anti-submarine warfare carrier]]
|-
| CVT || Training Aircraft Carrier
|-
| CVU || Utility carrier (retired)
|-
| LHA || [[Landing helicopter assault]], a type of [[amphibious assault ship]]
|-
| LHD || [[Landing helicopter dock]], a type of amphibious assault ship
|-
| LPH || [[Landing platform helicopter]], a type of amphibious assault ship
|}