How big is the largest aircraft carrier in the world?

Short answer

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the US Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford, is 337 meters long (1,106 ft), has a 78-meter flight deck beam (256 ft) and stands about 76 meters tall from keel to masthead (250 ft). It displaces close to 100,000 tons at full load and carries more than 75 aircraft.

Published: September 21, 2026 · Updated: September 21, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How big is the largest aircraft carrier in the world?

Strike Fighter Squadron 37 FA-18E passes over the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of the class that will replace the Nimitz carriers and, since entering service in 2017, the largest warship ever built. Its dimensions are similar to the Nimitz class, somewhat larger, but its interior is designed to launch more aircraft with a smaller crew.

The numbers

Overall length is 337 meters (1,106 ft), about four meters more than a Nimitz and longer than three football fields laid end to end. The beam at the waterline is 41 meters (134 ft), but the flight deck widens to 78 meters (256 ft). From the keel to the top of the mast there are about 76 meters (250 ft), the height of a 25-story building, and the draft is around 12 meters. Full-load displacement is close to 100,000 tons. Two A1B nuclear reactors give it a speed above 30 knots (56 km/h) and virtually unlimited range.

A floating airport

The flight deck covers 1.8 hectares and has an island that is smaller and set further back than the Nimitz's, to free up maneuvering space. Instead of steam catapults, it uses the EMALS electromagnetic launch system and AAG landing brakes, which adjust the braking force to light or heavy aircraft. The air wing exceeds 75 aircraft: F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, CMV-22 Osprey transports and MH-60 helicopters, with the F-35C to follow. The ship is designed for 160 daily sorties, compared with 120 for a Nimitz.

Who comes next

The ten Nimitz-class carriers measure 333 meters. Outside the United States, China's Fujian is around 316 meters, Britain's Queen Elizabeth-class carriers are 284 meters, and France's Charles de Gaulle is 261 meters, the only nuclear-powered carrier not operated by the United States.