Here’s Top 10 Aircraft Carriers in the World

1. Gerald R Ford Class, USA. The title of the world’s biggest aircraft carrier belongs to the US Navy’s Gerald R Ford Class battleships. The first carrier in this class, USS Gerald R. Ford, was commissioned in May 2017 and the four remaining announced vessels of this class are under construction.

2. Nimitz Class, USA. With a full load displacement of 97,000t, these 332.8m-long aircraft carriers have a 4.5-acre flight deck capable of carrying over 60 aircraft. These ships that can accommodate 3,000 to 3,200 ship’s company, 1,500 air wings, and 500 other crew are powered by two nuclear reactors and can reach a speed of over 30 kt.

3. Queen Elizabeth Class, UK. The largest aircraft carriers of the UK Royal Navy are the third-largest aircraft carriers in the world. The biggest warships ever built for British Navy, the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers are also the second-largest non-US Navy warships after Japan’s Yamato-class battleships.

4. Liaoning, China. The aircraft carrier in operation with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the type 001 aircraft carrier Liaoning, is the fourth largest aircraft carrier in the world. Initially planned as the second Kuznetsov-class aircraft for the Soviet Navy, the vessel was later purchased by China after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has an overall length of 304.5 m and an overall beam of 75 m.

5. Shandong, China. The 2nd aircraft carrier of China, Shandong was launched on April 26, 2017. Unlike its predecessor (Liaoning), the Shandong is China’s first domestically built carrier.

6. Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia. Russia’s Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier is one of the best aircraft carriers currently in service. Currently serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy, the 305m-long Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier with a beam of 72m, has a full load displacement of 58,500t. With its multi-role capacity, this heavily armed ship has the potential to serve as an aircraft carrier besides being laced with armaments that make it deadly enough.

7. INS Vikrant, India. INS Vikrant is an indigenous aircraft carrier that is the first aircraft carried conceptualized and constructed in India. The construction happed in the Cochin Shipyard Limited. The ship has completed the sea trials and will be commissioned in the coming months (August 2022). The total project cost was approximately US$3.1 billion.

8. Charles De Gaulle, France. The first French nuclear-powered surface ship, Charles De Gaulle, is one of the most important flight carriers of France and has been in service since 2001. The ship which has a total displacement of 36,000 tons with a 780X103X27.8 feet structure is the only nuclear-powered carrier in service with the navies other than the US Navy.

9. INS Vikramaditya, India. The Indian Navy’s largest warship in service, INS Vikramaditya, also finds its place among the biggest aircraft carriers in the world. This 283.5 meters-long having a beam of 61 meters, is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that was entered into service in 2013.

10. Cavour, Italy. The flagship of the Italian Navy, Cavour aircraft carrier, has a full load displacement of 30,000t and features several defence systems such as short-range defence systems, guns and decoy launchers.