The largest aircraft carriers in the world. Operating aircraft carriers of the world

To date, there are a large number of giant aircraft carriers. The main requirement for a modern army is mobility. It is for this simple reason that there is nothing more effective than aircraft carriers who can carry dozens of combat aircraft and a large number of people on board. Let's look at the largest aircraft carriers in the world with you . Some of them perform their function today, while others have long since been taken out of service and serve as museum exhibits.

The largest aircraft carrier of the Nimitz type

It is possible to say with certainty that aircraft carriers of the Nimitz class are considered to be the largest in the world. With a length of 333 meters and a flight deck width of more than 76 meters, these giants hold about 90 units of air equipment. Among them there are 64 fighters and 26 helicopters. The full crew of aircraft carriers "Nimitz" - 3,200 people. From here it is possible to allocate 2 800 persons of a flight staff and 70 person command. Virtually all ships have the same technical characteristics, design solutions and armament on board. It should be noted that the aircraft carriers "Nimitz" can operate for about 20 years without changing the energy carrier of the power plant. Simply put, it can be sent for 20 years on a long voyage. The first ship of the line was launched in 1975 and had the same name "Nimitz".

A more detailed description of aircraft carriers class "Nimitz"

Separate few words need to be said about the power plant of the ship. It consists of the main and auxiliary systems. The main one includes two water reactors, each of which feeds 2 turbines. A feature of the water reactor is that as a coolant and a moderator it uses ordinary water under pressure. Today in the world this type of nuclear reactor on aircraft carriers is the most popular and effective. If you combine the power of four turbines, the result is a device with 280,000 horsepower. The auxiliary installation is 4 diesel engines with a total capacity of 10,700 horsepower. These largest aircraft carriers in the world are equipped with weapons to protect themselves from air enemies and underwater threats. In the first case, 3 anti-aircraft missile systems are installed, as well as 4 anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber. To protect against torpedoes, there are two torpedo tubes with a caliber of 324 mm. At present, 10 aircraft carriers Nimits have been built, the last one is George Bush, which we will now consider.

The aircraft carrier "George Bush" is the most powerful combat ship in the world

This ship is the latest development of the Nimitz project. It has a number of distinctive enhancements that make it truly unique. As you can understand, this aircraft carrier was named in honor of the 41st President of the United States of America - George Bush Sr.. Construction of the ship began in 2003 and cost the US treasury almost $ 6.5 billion. In 2009, "George Bush" was officially adopted. To date, it is one of the largest and most powerful aircraft carriers in the world. The length of the giant is 332.8 meters at a displacement of 110 thousand tons. He can develop a speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour and carry on board 90 units of military equipment. Many call it the modern "Noah's Ark". Due to the fact that the designers managed to shift the cabin and the antenna to the edge of the deck, it was possible to extend the runway somewhat, which is very important for a ship of this purpose. Now let's look at the other largest aircraft carriers in the world, because there are quite a few of them.

About the Enterprise in details

Of course, we can not fail to mention the longest ship in the world, which was launched more than half a century ago. It is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a crew of almost 5,000 men and a length of 342 meters. The government planned to release six ships of the Enterprise, but after the first cost of 450 million dollars and significantly affected the treasury of the United States, the rest refused. For many years it was said that the Enterprise is the peak of the military development of the army. During the service, the aircraft carrier has been in many conflicts, ranging from Vietnam to North Korea. Over 52 years of operation, the Enterprise has served more than 100,000 people, so we can safely say that this ship is worthy of attention. In 2012, it was written off and is still dismantled for scrap metal, the process is planned to be completed by early 2015.

The sad story of "Sinano"

If this Japanese ship and can not be called something genius from the design point of view, then the giants can be attributed without a twinge of conscience. During the performance of his first mission, this cruiser sank, it happened in 1944. The length of the ship was about 266 meters, and the displacement is almost 70,000 tons. But the active conduct of combat operations prevented the constructs from completing the ship by 100%, so it was launched and sank as early as 17 hours after leaving the port. He was torpedoed by an American submarine, and since the waterproof partitions were initially installed incorrectly, and the team lacked experience, then within 7 hours after the torpedo hit the ship was on the bottom.

The great "Admiral Kuznetsov"

Among the aircraft carrying cruisers of Europe and Asia, there is a ship named after Admiral of the Navy of the Soviet Union, Admiral Kuznetsov, who is one of the largest and most powerful. Develop this giant started back in 1982 in the city of Nikolaev. Judging by the technical characteristics, "Admiral Kuznetsov" was to become an advanced aircraft carrier. The deck of the ship was somewhat elongated for the possibility of take-off of the Su-25 and Su-27 fighters. It is noteworthy that it was on this cruiser that the Luna optical system and lateral lifts of fighters were first used. The length of the ship is 302 meters, and on its board is placed 25 helicopters and the same number of aircraft. If we call the most grandiose aircraft carriers in the world from the point of view of weapons and radar equipment, then Admiral Kuznetsov will be among the leaders. On its decks there are 12 Granit launchers, 8 Kortik rigs, 6 AK-630M artillery systems and 4 Dagger installations. Such a large number of weapons, as well as a huge ammunition allow the ship to maintain a continuous fire for a long time. To date, this full-fledged ship is completely replaced with Su-33 fighters on the MiG-29K, in 2015, major repairs are planned.

The history of the cruiser "Varyag"

We have already listed many of the largest aircraft carriers in the world, but it's worth mentioning about the ship called Varyag, or Liaoning. It began to be built in Nikolaev in 1986, and finished in 1988. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the cruiser went to Ukraine. Until 1998, it was only kept afloat and did not invest in development, repairs, etc. Later it was decided to sell the aircraft carrier for only $ 20 million, which was simply a ridiculous price. Its length is 304 meters with a displacement of 60 thousand tons. The Chinese private firm that bought out the Varyag completed and modernized it, so that it is still swimming and successfully fulfilling the tasks set.

Conclusion

So we looked at the most famous aircraft carriers all over the world. Of course, what has been said is only a "drop in the ocean". There are also such famous ships as Theodore Roosevelt, 317 meters long, Ronald Reagan 332 meters and others. Almost every modern country is trying to build the most powerful fleet possible. Many operating aircraft carriers of the world can accommodate on their board a small army of aircraft and helicopters that are ready at any moment to take off.