Editing Aircraft carrier (section)

===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.