The United States Navy operates 11 active, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. By federal law (Title 10, US Code), the military is mandated to maintain a fleet of at least 11 operational carriers. [1]
Active Carrier Classes
- 10 Nimitz-class supercarriers
- 1 Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier (the USS Gerald R. Ford) [1, 2, 3]
The "Secret" Carriers
In addition to the 11 traditional supercarriers, the U.S. Navy also operates 9 amphibious assault ships. These "lightning carriers" are smaller than traditional flattops but deploy with helicopters and vertical/short takeoff fighter jets like the F-35B. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Operational Reality
While the Navy has 11 primary carriers, typically only 5 to 6 are deployed or ready for action at any given time. The remaining ships cycle through short-term or long-term maintenance, refueling, and crew training schedules. [1, 2]
If you are interested, I can provide the complete list of all 11 active carriers by name or detail how they compare to China's fleet. Let me know what you'd like to explore next! [1, 2]
How many are in service, on leave and/or being serviced?
As of August 2026, the current operational status of the 11 active U.S. Navy aircraft carriers breaks down into three distinct operational categories: [1, 2]
| Operational Status | Number of Ships | Carriers Included |
|---|---|---|
| 🚢 Deployed / Underway | 3 or 4 | USS Abraham Lincoln, USS George H.W. Bush, USS George Washington, (USS Theodore Roosevelt underway locally) |
| ⚓ "On Leave" / At Homeport | 3 | USS Gerald R. Ford, USS Nimitz, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 🔧 Being Serviced / In Maintenance | 4 | USS John C. Stennis, USS Ronald Reagan, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Carl Vinson |
1. Deployed or Underway (3–4 Carriers)
- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72): Currently deployed in the Arabian Sea. It has hit a record-breaking 9 months at sea supporting operations near Iran. [1, 2]
- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77): Also deployed to the Middle East, operating alongside the Lincoln. [1, 2]
- USS George Washington (CVN-73): Forward-deployed and heading west through the Strait of Malacca to relieve the USS Lincoln. [, 2]
- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71): Currently underway locally off the coast of California, undergoing workups and training for an upcoming deployment. [1, 2]
2. "On Leave" / At Homeport (3 Carriers)
Military ships do not take "leave" in the human sense, but their crews enter a rest, training, and sustainment phase at homeports following major deployments: [1, 2]
- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78): At homeport following its heavy operational cycles, serving as a high-readiness surge vessel if needed.
- USS Nimitz (CVN-68): The Navy's oldest carrier has had its service life extended to 2027 and is currently transitioning homeports ahead of its scheduled retirement.
- USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69): Recently returned to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, to rest its crew and begin training cycles for its next deployment. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
3. Being Serviced / Under Maintenance (4 Carriers)
Carriers require massive technological overhauls and nuclear refueling. Four are undergoing varying levels of maintenance: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74): Deep into its mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), a multi-year process.
- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70): Undergoing standard Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) or scheduled dry-dock repairs to fix wear-and-tear. [1, 2, 3, 4]
What other countries also have aircraft carriers?
Outside of the United States, only 13 other countries operate aircraft carriers or multi-purpose amphibious assault ships that double as light carriers. [1]
The global fleet is heavily divided between "true" fixed-wing aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships (often classified as helicopter carriers or light carriers). [1, 3, 4]
Global Fixed-Wing Aircraft Carriers
These nations possess dedicated flattops designed specifically to launch and recover traditional or vertical-takeoff fighter jets. [1, 3, 4]
- 🇨🇳 China (3 Carriers): Operates the Liaoning, Shandong, and the advanced, newly undergoing-trials Fujian. The Fujian utilizes high-tech electromagnetic catapults similar to the U.S. Navy's Ford class. [1, 2, 3]
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (2 Carriers): Operates two modern, conventionally powered sister ships: the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the HMS Prince of Wales. They deploy F-35B stealth fighters via a "ski-jump" ramp. []
- 🇮🇳 India (2 Carriers): Operates the INS Vikramaditya (bought from Russia) and the newly built, indigenous INS Vikrant. [1]
- 🇮🇹 Italy (2 Carriers): Fields the flagship Cavour and the new multi-role helicopter dock Trieste. Both are optimized to deploy F-35B stealth fighters. [1]
- 🇫🇷 France (1 Carrier): Operates the Charles de Gaulle. Crucially, France is the only country besides the U.S. to operate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- 🇷🇺 Russia (1 Carrier): Officially possesses the Admiral Kuznetsov. However, it has been stuck in a notoriously plagued, multi-year dry-dock maintenance cycle and is rarely operational. [1, 3, 4]
Amphibious Assault & Helicopter Carriers
These nations operate large flat-deck warships. While often called "helicopter carriers" or destroyers, they are built with flight decks large enough to host short-takeoff aircraft or massive drone fleets. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- 🇯🇵 Japan (2): Operates the Izumo and Kaga. Officially called "helicopter destroyers" for constitutional reasons, both have been heavily modified to launch F-35B stealth fighters.
- 🇪🇬 Egypt (2): Operates two French-built Mistral-class amphibious assault ships (Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat).
- 🇦🇺 Australia (2): Operates two Canberra-class landing helicopter docks.
- 🇰🇷 South Korea (2): Operates the Dokdo-class amphibious assault platforms.
- 🇪🇸 Spain (1): Operates the Juan Carlos I, which functions as a light carrier capable of launching Harrier jump-jets.
- 🇹🇷 Turkey (1): Operates the TCG Anadolu, famously designated as the world's first dedicated "drone carrier," designed to deploy armed UAVs and helicopters.
- 🇹🇠Thailand (1): Operates the HTMS Chakri Naruebet. It is the smallest operational carrier in the world and primarily operates helicopters for search-and-rescue. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
