Aircraft carriers are huge ships fitted with flight decks, which allow aircrafts to take off and land on them. They allow the armed forces to deploy their air power anywhere in the world without relying on any foreign soil to set up its base of operations or use their airports that are an easy target.. The aircraft carriers are recognized as sovereign territories at sea as per the freedom of navigation laws, hence they can carry on their air operations out of the carrier battle group which include a carrier and a set of 6 – 8 war ships providing escort. The usage of aircraft carriers dates back to early 20th century, during World war one, where wooden ships were used as balloon carriers , which has evolved into present day carriers which are nuclear powered and can carry dozens of Fixed wing as well as rotary wing aircrafts. They are the largest of the ships operated by the navies and can cruise at speeds of up to 35 knots which makes it capable of being deployed at any part of the worlds in a matter of weeks. There are around 22 aircraft carriers in active service all over the world which are maintained by 9 fleets. Brazil, India. Russia and Thailand have 1 carrier each in active service , UK, Italy and Spain maintain a fleet of 2 carriers each, where as US navy has 11 active aircraft carriers and out of which 6 carrier groups are stationed at strategic locations and ready for action at moment’s notice.
The US Navy Nimitz Class Super carriers comprises of 11 carriers which are nuclear powered. These are powered by 2 A4-W reactors, and have a maximum speed of over 25 knots. They carry a wide range of armaments on board along with the aircrafts, these include Anti ship missile, Missile defense cannons, Sea sparrow anti-aircraft missiles etc., in order to defend it from the enemy threats.