Profile
- Type
- Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- 1975-present
Aircraft & UAVs
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
The Nimitz class is the U.S. Navy's long-serving nuclear-powered supercarrier family, built for sustained carrier air warfare, sea control, and forward presence. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive, the class appears through USS Abraham Lincoln's Operation Epic Fury deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, showing how carrier aviation supports maritime security and strike operations near Iran.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built by
- Newport News Shipbuilding Co.
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Lead ship USS Nimitz commissioned on May 3, 1975; the class remains in active U.S. Navy service.
- Used by
- United States Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Built by
- Newport News Shipbuilding Co.
- Built in
- United States
- 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+
- Armament
- Multiple NATO Sea Sparrow, Phalanx/CIWS, and Rolling Airframe Missile mounts
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Forward carrier aviation and strike platform
In the 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.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Images
Related Weapon Systems
Iranian mine-laying vesselMine-laying vesselIranian mine-laying vessels are small auxiliaries or converted hulls configured to seed naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. During the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. officials said CENTCOM was hunting and striking Iranian mine-laying vessels and mine-storage facilities as part of Operation Epic Fury, making mine warfare a visible part of the maritime campaign.
Iranian small attack boatsSmall attack boat / fast attack craftIranian small attack boats are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's fast-boat and swarm force for harassment, mine-laying, and littoral attack in the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. and Iranian reporting documented these boats as part of attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers transiting the strait.
Iranian submarinesSubmarine forceIranian submarines are the Islamic Republic's mixed diesel-electric submarine force, combining Russian-built Kilo boats with domestically built Fateh, Ghadir, and other mini-submarine classes. The fleet is centered on Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz, where it supports sea-denial, mine-laying, and anti-ship strike missions; in the United States-Iran Conflict, CENTCOM said Operation Epic Fury damaged or destroyed Iranian Navy ships and submarines.
BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack MissileShip- and submarine-launched land-attack cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, often abbreviated TLAM, is a U.S. all-weather, long-range subsonic cruise missile used by naval forces for deep precision strikes from surface ships and submarines. Modern Block IV and Block V weapons combine low-altitude flight, GPS-aided navigation, terrain matching, and in-flight retargeting, with recent documented use in Syria, the 2018 Syria Missile Strikes, Yemen, the Red Sea Crisis, and U.S. strikes on Iran..jpg?width=480)
Iranian anti-ship missile systemsAnti-ship missile systemIranian anti-ship missile systems combine coastal-defense cruise missiles and longer-range anti-warship missiles to threaten shipping across the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they form a core part of Iran's maritime-denial posture against U.S. and commercial traffic.Iranian naval surface vesselsNaval surface vesselsIranian naval surface vessels in this archive include regular navy frigates and corvettes as well as IRGC Navy fast-attack craft and patrol boats. In the United States-Iran Conflict, they have been documented in tanker seizures, armed intimidation, and Strait of Hormuz/Gulf of Oman maritime coercion rather than blue-water fleet combat.Sources
Navy Nimitz Class CharacteristicsPublisher: Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet | Note: Supports Nimitz-class builder, propulsion, dimensions, displacement, crew, armament, aircraft capacity, and carrier mission background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS 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: 2026-06-20Nimitz Flight DeckPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing for the primary Nimitz flight-deck image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS Nimitz (CVN-68)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the USS Nimitz exterior transit image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Flight deck operations aboard USS NimitzPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the flight-deck operations image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS Nimitz Hangar deck 2008 DVIDS 94449Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the hangar-deck image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20USS Abraham Lincoln Conducts Flight Operations in Support of Operation Epic FuryPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: 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: 2026-06-20