Editing Aircraft carrier (section)

===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>}}