The Gerald R. Ford class, the world's largest aircraft carriers, seen from the inside

The large aircraft carriers of the United States Navy are exceptional ships because of their enormous size and capabilities.

The images of the largest aircraft carrier in the world sailing off the Spanish coast
This is how the world's largest aircraft carrier sets sail from Norfolk Naval Station

Currently, the largest of these aircraft carriers is the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first of its class and the largest ship of its type in the world, with a length of 337 meters, slightly smaller than the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which measured 342 meters long. The Ford was laid down on November 13, 2009, launched on October 11, 2013, and commissioned into the U.S. Navy on July 22, 2017.

The Ford is a colossal ship capable of carrying more than 75 aircraft, a small air force that the United States can deploy anywhere in the world alongside a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) consisting of five or six escort ships (including a cruiser and several destroyers). Its embarked air wing consists of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft, and Seahawk helicopters. For the time being, the ship does not yet operate F-35C stealth fighters, pending the necessary modifications to be able to use them.

The Ford is the world's first aircraft carrier equipped with magnetic catapults for launching its aircraft. The ship has four in total, two at the bow and two more on the angled flight deck. Furthermore, its flight deck is larger than that of the Nimitz-class carriers, thanks to a smaller island located further aft. Like the Nimitz class, the Ford class consists of nuclear-powered ships. CVN-78 has a propulsion plant with two Bechtel A1B nuclear reactors, smaller but more powerful than those of the Nimitz class.

Currently, only the USS Gerald R. Ford is operational. The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is being equipped and is expected to be commissioned into the U.S. Navy in March 2027, while two other aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise (CVN-80) and the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), are under construction and are planned for commissioning in 2029 and 2032, respectively. In addition, the construction of two more ships, the William J. Clinton (CVN-82) and the George W. Bush (CVN-83), is already planned. These ships will gradually replace the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

If you want to know more about these ships, today AiTelly has published an interesting video showing what these large aircraft carriers look like inside and explaining how they work:

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Photos: U.S. Navy.