Carriers in Service Today
These are the 20 aircraft carriers in service today
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen was fond of saying that without “flattops” the US has “less of a voice, less of an influence.” Evidently, many of the worlds nations also believe this is true. The last few years have seen a number of interesting developments for aircraft carriers. Some nations, like India and Spain retired aircraft carriers, while China commissioned its first aircraft carrier, and the UK returned to the rather exclusive carrier owners club.
The US commissioned its newest aircraft carrier in 2017 — the USS Gerald R. Ford — the first in the Ford-class. Business Insider got a chance to tour the Ford last year.
In all, 20 aircraft carriers can carry and launch fixed-wing aircraft are currently in service around the world.