Aircraft carriers in the modern world

The countries' Navies in possesion of an operational combat aircraftcarrier:

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• Brasil: 1.
  NSel Sao Paolo (former FS Foch).</font>
• France: 1 (1).
  FS Charles de Gaulle</font>
• India: 1 (1).
  INS Viraat (former HMS Hermes)</font>
• Italy: 1 (1).
  Giuseppe Garibaldi</font>
• Rusia: 1.
  Admiral Flota Sviétskogo Soyuza Kuzniétsov</font>
• Spain: 1.
  SNS Príncipe de Asturias</font>
• Thailand: 1.
  HTMS Chakri Nareubet</font>
• United Kingdom: 3 (2).
  HMS Invincible
  HMS Illustrious
  HMS Ark Royal</font>
• Unites States: 11 (1).
  USS Kitty Hawk
  USS John F. Kennedy
  USS Enterprise
  USS Nimitz
  USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
  USS Carl Vinson
  USS Theodore Roosevelt
  USS Abraham Lincoln
  USS George Washington
  USS John C. Stennis
  USS Harry S. Truman
  USS Ronald Reagan</font>

[ 17. June 2005, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: General der Infanterie Friedrich H ]

 

NSel Sao Paolo



FS Charles de Gaulle



INS Viraat



Giuseppe Garibaldi



Admiral Flota Sviétskogo Soyuza Kuzniétsov



SNS Príncipe de Asturias



HTMS Chakri Nareubet

 

HMS Invincible



HMS Illustrious



HMS Ark Royal

 

USS Kitty Hawk



USS John F. Kennedy



USS Enterprise



USS Nimitz



USS Dwight D. Eisenhower



USS Carl Vinson



USS Theodore Roosevelt



USS Abraham Lincoln

 

USS George Washington



USS John C. Stennis



USS Harry S. Truman



USS Ronald Reagan

 

That's some pretty impressive material.
I'm a bit suprised India, Thailand, and Brazil have aircraft carriers, considering these countries are not even close to par with the military budgets of the UK and US.

 

I know that the Japanese are calling this new design a helicopter carrying destroyer but look at it and tell me this is not a small carrier.

http://www.ships-net.co.jp/detl/200107/091l.jpg

According to GlobalSecurity.org the Japanese have scheduled to build 2 of these ships to replace the aging Shirane and Haruna class DDH's they have now which act as flagships in the their escort flotillas. The current design calls for the ships to displace about 20,000 tons (fully loaded) and carry both the SH-60J and MH-53E type helicopters but given the traditional aircraft carrier type flight deck V-STOL capable fixed wing aircraft operations would not be beyond the realm of the possible.