9 Largest Aircraft Carriers Ever Built by Man

1 - Class Kiev

The Class-Kiev vessels were the first Soviet navy aircraft carriers designed to carry fixed-wing aircraft. In total, four ships were built - Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk and Admiral Gorshkov - and they were 273 meters long and capable of 12 fixed-wing aircraft and 19 helicopters. Of the quartet, two are out of service, one was cut and another was sold to the Indian Navy, where it is still active.

2 - Queen Elizabeth Class

The Queen Elizabeth is a class of aircraft carriers that is under construction for the United Kingdom Navy. It will consist of two vessels, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, which are expected to enter service in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Once launched, they will be 280 meters long and will be the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy.

3 - Admiral Kuznetsov

Admiral Kuznetsov is an aircraft carrier with a total length of 302 meters, which was launched in 1985 by the Soviets to rival US vessels. In fact, two ships were built, but only Admiral Kuznetsov is in the service of the Russian Navy - his brother, now called Liaoning, is part of the Chinese fleet.

4 - Midway Class

The Midway was one of the aircraft carrier classes that served the US Navy for the longest time in history. They were launched between the years 1945 and 1946 and consisted of three vessels - Midway, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Coral Sea - with lengths of 298 meters and capacity to carry 2,500 people. They participated in countless battles, including Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

5 - Forrestal Class

Made up of four vessels - Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger and Independence - Forestal was the class of supercar aircraft designed for the US Navy. Built in the 1950s, the ships were 352 meters long, equipped with elevators and angled decks, and were demolished in 2004.

6 - Kitty Hawk Class

The North American vessels of the Kitty Hawk-America Class, John F. Kennedy, Constellation and Kitty Hawk-were supercar aircraft that were built between the years of 1956 and 1964. They were 320.6 meters long and had the capacity to carry Up to 3,1 thousand people. They started being retired from service in 1996 and have been completely retired since 2009.

7 - USS Nimitz (CVN-68)

The USS Nimitz is a nuclear-powered super-aircraft that is in the service of the US Navy. Measuring 333 meters in length and capable of transporting 6,000 people, this vessel has participated in several wars and military operations around the world, including the Gulf War, Operation Eagle Claw in Iran in 1980, and more recently missions In Iraq and Afghanistan.

8 - USS Gerald R. Ford Class (CVN-78)

At 337 meters in length, the USS Gerald R. Ford Class is an aircraft carrier that is currently under test and has been built - at a price of US $ 12.9 billion - to replace some of the Nimitz Class vessels, active for The US Navy. The new ship will feature technologies such as an electromagnetic system for launching aircraft, will be able to carry more than 75 aircraft, achieve speeds of up to 56 km / h and launch 220 air strikes per day.

9 - USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Measuring a whopping 342.3 meters in length, the USS Enterprise was the first nuclear-propelled aircraft carrier built in the world and one of the most famous in the history of naval engineering. He has been in the service of the US Navy for more than five decades and was recently "retired" after participating in wars - such as the Vietnam War and the Korean War - and historical events (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis).

Sources: MILITARY TODAY 1 | MILITARY TODAY 2 | NAVAL TECHNOLOGY 1 | NAVAL TECHNOLOGY 2 | STRAIT TIMES

Images: QUORA | DAILY MAIL

Request Form

Related Technology