What is the largest aircraft carrier in the world?

Short answer

The world's largest aircraft carrier is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) of the US Navy: about 337 m long, 78 m wide at the flight deck, and roughly 100,000 tonnes at full load. It is the lead ship of the Ford class, successor to the Nimitz class, and entered service in 2017 (as of September 2026).

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

What is the largest aircraft carrier in the world?

USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) Replenishment at Sea Operations

Dimensions that set the ceiling

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship ever built. It is about 337 m (1,106 ft) long, its flight deck is roughly 78 m (256 ft) wide, and its full-load displacement is around 100,000 tonnes. It is powered by two A1B nuclear reactors, which let it sail at more than 30 knots and operate for decades without refueling. It carries a crew of about 4,500 people between ship's crew and air wing, somewhat smaller than the Nimitz class thanks to automation.

The Nimitz-class carriers, about 333 m long with a similar displacement, fall only slightly behind; the real difference is not size, but what the hull hides.

What changes compared with the Nimitz class

The Ford introduced the EMALS electromagnetic catapult instead of steam catapults, a new landing arrestor system (AAG), and electric weapons elevators. The goal is to raise the sortie rate and reduce maintenance. The island is smaller and set further aft, freeing up deck space to move aircraft around. Its typical air wing combines F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, MH-60 helicopters and, increasingly, the F-35C.

Working up the ship took a long time: delivered in 2017, it did not complete its first operational deployment until 2023, after years spent fixing problems with the elevators and the launch systems.

Those coming next

The Ford class continues with the John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the Enterprise (CVN-80) and the Doris Miller (CVN-81), under construction at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia. Outside the United States, the largest aircraft carrier is China's Fujian, at around 80,000 tonnes and also fitted with electromagnetic catapults, followed by the British Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, at around 65,000 tonnes.