Naval Systems

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

Also known as
  • Nimitz class
  • Nimitz-class carrier
  • Nimitz-class supercarrier
  • CVN-68 class
  • CVN 68 class
  • CVN-68 through CVN-77

The Nimitz class is the U.S. Navy's ten-ship nuclear-powered aircraft-carrier family, built by Newport News Shipbuilding for sustained carrier air warfare, sea control, and forward power projection. The cataloged conflict record spans Desert Storm, Allied Force, Afghanistan, Iraq, 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve, and the 2026 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, where individual Nimitz-class ships served as mobile air bases for strike, electronic-attack, airborne early-warning, and helicopter missions.

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems
Image source: Nimitz Flight Deck

Role in Conflicts

1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force
Side
NATO
Role in conflict
Carrier-based strike aviation platform

In Operation Allied Force, Carrier Air Wing Eight operated from the Nimitz-class USS Theodore Roosevelt and flew combat missions over Kosovo as part of the NATO air campaign.

2020 United States-Iran Conflict
Role in conflict
Forward carrier aviation and strike platform

In the 2020 United States-Iran Conflict, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was fielded by the U.S. Navy for Operation Epic Fury flight operations while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
Service note
1975-present
Unit cost
About $4.5 billion each
Number built
10

Specifications

Propulsion
Two nuclear reactors, four shafts
Length
1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
Beam
134 feet (40.84 meters); flight deck width 252 feet (76.8 meters)
Displacement
Approximately 97,000 tons full load
Speed
30+ knots
Crew
Ship's company 3,200; air wing 2,480
Aircraft
Approximately 65+
Flight deck systems
Four catapults and four aircraft elevators
Class ships
Ten carriers, CVN-68 through CVN-77
Armament
Multiple NATO Sea Sparrow, Phalanx/CIWS, and Rolling Airframe Missile mounts
Class And Air Wing Structure

This entry is class-level: it covers the U.S. Navy's ten Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers, not only USS Nimitz. Navy sources identify the sequence from the lead ship, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth and final carrier in the class.

StructureDocumented detailWhy it matters
Class spanCVN-68 through CVN-77, with ten ships built by Newport News Shipbuilding.The record groups conflict use by ship into one family page instead of treating each carrier hull as a separate weapon entry.
Flight deckFour catapults, four aircraft elevators, and a flight deck about 252 feet wide.These features let the carrier launch, recover, arm, refuel, and reposition aircraft at the tempo required for sustained air operations.
Air wingNavy reporting on USS Carl Vinson lists F-35C, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, E-2D, CMV-22B, and MH-60R/S aircraft in an embarked carrier air wing.The carrier is best read as a mobile aviation system: strike fighters, electronic attack, early warning, logistics, and helicopters all contribute to combat output.

Primary catalog sources: Navy Nimitz Class Characteristics; USS Nimitz About Us; USS George H.W. Bush Command History; USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award.

Variants

This record treats Nimitz as a class-level carrier family rather than a single hull. The rows below identify the sourced class endpoints that anchor the CVN-68 through CVN-77 sequence.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
USS Nimitz (CVN-68)Lead ship

The Navy identifies USS Nimitz as the first ship in the class and the namesake carrier commissioned in 1975.

Sources: USS Nimitz About Us

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)Tenth and final Nimitz-class carrier

The ship's command history identifies George H.W. Bush as the tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Sources: USS George H.W. Bush Command History

Carrier Air Wing Aircraft

Nimitz-class carriers are combat systems built around embarked carrier air wings. A 2025 Navy report on USS Carl Vinson identifies Carrier Air Wing Two as flying F-35C, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, E-2D, CMV-22B, and MH-60R/S aircraft.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
F-35C Lightning II, Carrier-based stealth multirole fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF-35C Lightning IICarrier-based stealth strike fighter

The Navy report identifies F-35C Lightning II aircraft as part of Carrier Air Wing Two aboard the Nimitz-class USS Carl Vinson.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Carrier-capable multirole strike fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF/A-18E/F Super HornetCarrier strike fighter

The same Navy report lists F/A-18E/F Super Hornets in the embarked air wing, while Nimitz-class conflict sources document Super Hornet squadrons flying from Nimitz-class carriers in combat deployments.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award, VFA-37 Command History

EA-18G Growler, Carrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraft, Electronic WarfareEA-18G GrowlerCarrier electronic-attack aircraft

Carrier Air Wing Two's listed aircraft include the EA-18G Growler, linking the class to airborne electronic attack and suppression support from the carrier deck.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, Carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsE-2D Advanced HawkeyeCarrier airborne early-warning and battle-management aircraft

The Navy lists E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft in Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Carl Vinson, showing the class's organic airborne early-warning element.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, Primary anti-submarine and surface warfare helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsMH-60R Seahawk helicopterShipboard anti-submarine and surface-warfare helicopter

The Navy lists MH-60R/S Sea Hawks in Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Carl Vinson; this row links the anti-submarine and surface-warfare helicopter branch.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, Multi-mission maritime helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsMH-60S Sea Hawk helicopterShipboard logistics, rescue, and combat-support helicopter

The same air-wing composition source lists MH-60R/S Sea Hawks aboard the Nimitz-class carrier, covering the multi-mission support helicopter branch.

Sources: USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

Carrier first, air base second

The carrier's combat value comes from combining ship endurance, magazine and aviation support spaces, command facilities, and an air wing large enough to sustain repeated launch-and-recovery cycles.

Sources: Navy Nimitz Class Characteristics, USS Carl Vinson Sterrett Award

Timeline

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Key Events

  1. USS Nimitz enters service

    USS Nimitz was commissioned as the first ship of the nuclear-powered carrier class that carries its name.

    Sources: USS Nimitz About Us

  2. Carl Vinson supports the opening Afghanistan strikes

    VF-213 aircraft operating from USS Carl Vinson took part in early Operation Enduring Freedom strike operations into Afghanistan.

    Sources: VFA-213 Command History

  3. Final Nimitz-class carrier commissioned

    USS George H.W. Bush entered commissioned service as the tenth and final ship of the Nimitz class.

    Sources: USS George H.W. Bush Command History

  4. Abraham Lincoln flight operations in Operation Epic Fury

    DVIDS documented USS Abraham Lincoln flight operations while the carrier was deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations during Operation Epic Fury.

    Sources: USS Abraham Lincoln Conducts Flight Operations in Support of Operation Epic Fury

Media

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Videos

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Images

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Flight deck operations aboard USS Nimitz
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Naval Systems - view 3
Source: USS Nimitz Hangar deck 2008 DVIDS 94449
Related Weapon Systems
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EA-18G Growler, Carrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraft, Electronic WarfareElectronic WarfareEA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with early combat deployment in Iraq and Libya in 2010-2011 and later documented use in 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Carrier-capable multirole strike fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF/A-18E/F Super HornetCarrier-capable multirole strike fighterBoeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a U.S. Navy carrier-capable multirole strike fighter developed from the Hornet family for fleet air defense, escort, interdiction, close air support, aerial refueling, suppression of enemy air defenses, and day/night precision strike. The single-seat F/A-18E and two-seat F/A-18F anchor carrier air wings through Block II and Block III upgrades, with documented U.S. Navy use in Afghanistan drawdown support, Operation Inherent Resolve, the Red Sea crisis, Somalia strikes, and U.S. operations against Iran.
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Sources

Navy Nimitz Class CharacteristicsPublisher: Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet | Note: Supports Nimitz-class builder, propulsion, dimensions, displacement, crew, armament, aircraft capacity, flight-deck systems, and carrier mission background. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS Nimitz About UsPublisher: Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet | Note: Supports the lead ship background, first-of-class status, commission date, and active-service context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS George H.W. Bush Command HistoryPublisher: Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic | Note: Supports USS George H.W. Bush as the tenth and final Nimitz-class carrier and supports the carrier's commissioning context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29CVW-8 Command HistoryPublisher: Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic | Note: 1990 Gulf War: documents Carrier Air Wing Eight aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt in Operation Desert Storm; 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force: documents combat missions from USS Theodore Roosevelt; 2003 Iraq War: documents CVW-8 operations from USS Theodore Roosevelt in Operation Iraqi Freedom. | Accessed: 2026-06-29VFA-213 Command HistoryPublisher: Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic | Note: 2001 War in Afghanistan: documents VF-213 aircraft aboard USS Carl Vinson launching into Afghanistan during early Operation Enduring Freedom. | Accessed: 2026-06-29VFA-37 Command HistoryPublisher: Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct conflict use under Operation Inherent Resolve: 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve: documents VFA-37 operating from USS George H.W. Bush in 2017 and employing precision-guided munitions against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS Carl Vinson Sterrett AwardPublisher: Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet | Note: Supports Nimitz-class USS Carl Vinson's carrier strike group context and the Carrier Air Wing Two aircraft mix used for relationship rows. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Nimitz Flight DeckPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing for the primary Nimitz flight-deck image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS Nimitz (CVN-68)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the USS Nimitz exterior transit image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Flight deck operations aboard USS NimitzPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the flight-deck operations image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS Nimitz Hangar deck 2008 DVIDS 94449Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the hangar-deck image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USS Abraham Lincoln Conducts Flight Operations in Support of Operation Epic FuryPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: 2020 United States-Iran Conflict: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln fielded by the U.S. Navy for Operation Epic Fury flight operations while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. | Accessed: 2026-06-29