Aircraft Carrier Archives

A U.S. Sailor performs a safety scan of the catapult track as an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft positions for launch from the flight deck while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Nov. 25, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Has Been to Hell and Back — Extended Deployment, a Shipboard Fire, 200 Sailors Treated for Smoke, and a Stop in Croatia for Repairs

From Venezuela to Iran to a Fire That Sent 200 Sailors for Smoke Treatment — The USS Gerald R. Ford Has Been Pushed Harder...

Christian D. OrrApril 5, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Italy’s Aircraft Carrier Isn’t a Smaller Version of an American Nuclear Supercarrier — It’s an Entirely Different Kind of Warship

The Cavour Aircraft Carrier Was Designed in the Late 1990s for Mediterranean Peacekeeping and NATO Operations — Not High-Intensity Warfare Largely forgotten in defense...

Caleb LarsonApril 4, 2026

Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) transits the James River as the ship departs for Builder’s Trials, Jan. 28, 2026. Builder’s Trials provide an opportunity to test ship systems and components at sea for the first time, and make required adjustments prior to additional underway testing. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jayden Howard)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Be Down 3 Supercarriers and There Is No Way To Stop It

3 U.S. Aircraft Carriers Are About to Be Unavailable at the Same Time The decline of U.S. naval shipbuilding has been well documented over...

Isaac SeitzApril 3, 2026

(July 14, 2024) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) returns to Naval Station Norfolk, July 14, 2024, concluding a nine-month deployment to the Atlantic. Eisenhower, the flagship of the Ike Carrier Strike Group, departed Norfolk October 14, 2023 to conduct a scheduled deployment to U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts, and enhanced vigilance activities operations with NATO Allies and Partners. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hunter Day)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Might Think It Can Sink Every U.S. Aircraft Carrier — But Wants 9 Supercarriers in 9 Years

DF-21D, DF-26B, DF-17, and DF-27 — Inside China’s Four ‘Carrier Killer’ Missiles and Why None of Them Have Been Proven in Combat With the...

Steve BalestrieriApril 3, 2026

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departed Naval Station Norfolk to make the transit to Newport News Shipyard in support of her Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), a six-month period of modernization, maintenance, and repairs, Aug. 20, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Seelbach)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Hits 3,600°F — The USS Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Wasn’t Built to Handle It

The USS Gerald R. Ford Just Finished a Near-Record Deployment — Now It Needs F-35C Modifications, Deck Repairs, and a New Computer System The...

Kris OsbornApril 3, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Told the World It Was Buying a Soviet Aircraft Carrier to Turn Into a Casino — Then Built Its Entire Carrier Fleet From It

Ukraine Sold the 60,000-Ton Varyag Aircraft Carrier for $20 Million to a Macau Company Run by Former PLA Officer Xu Zengping In 2012, the...

Isaac SeitzApril 3, 2026

U.S. Sailors conduct routine flight deck operations on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 22, 2026. Gerald R. Ford is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tajh Payne)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s Greatest Aircraft Carrier Fear Isn’t Russia, China Or Iran But So Much More Basic: The Real Enemy Is Fire

U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Go All Out to Make Sure a Fire Can Be Put Out Fast Firefighting is one of the most basic...

Brent M. EastwoodApril 2, 2026

Carrier Air Wing 8 F/A-18E Super Hornets attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37 fly by the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during the squadron's in-flight change of command ceremony, August 1, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class nuclear aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality, and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied, and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brianna Barnett)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

11 Brutal Months at Sea: USS Gerald R. Ford Might Break the Aircraft Carrier Deployment Record Post-Vietnam

Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford 11-Month Deployment Rivals USS Nimitz’s 341-Day Record The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to complete an...

Steve BalestrieriApril 2, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China’s New J-20S Stealth Fighter Is A Big Headache for U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers

China’s Carrier Killer J-20S Doesn’t Actually Need to Sink Carriers In November 2022, China publicly unveiled the twin-seat variant of its flagship fighter, the...

Jack BuckbyApril 2, 2026

China Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Just Operated Three Aircraft Carriers at Sea Simultaneously for the First Time — That’s Not the Same as Being Able To Do It Again

China’s Navy Has Quite Few Aircraft Carriers: But It Needs To Sustain Them and Protect Them China’s PLA Navy (PLAN) has operated three aircraft...

Harrison KassApril 1, 2026

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All posts tagged "Aircraft Carrier"

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Has Been to Hell and Back — Extended Deployment, a Shipboard Fire, 200 Sailors Treated for Smoke, and a Stop in Croatia for Repairs

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Italy’s Aircraft Carrier Isn’t a Smaller Version of an American Nuclear Supercarrier — It’s an Entirely Different Kind of Warship

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Will Soon Be Down 3 Supercarriers and There Is No Way To Stop It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Might Think It Can Sink Every U.S. Aircraft Carrier — But Wants 9 Supercarriers in 9 Years

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Hits 3,600°F — The USS Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Wasn’t Built to Handle It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Told the World It Was Buying a Soviet Aircraft Carrier to Turn Into a Casino — Then Built Its Entire Carrier Fleet From It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s Greatest Aircraft Carrier Fear Isn’t Russia, China Or Iran But So Much More Basic: The Real Enemy Is Fire

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

11 Brutal Months at Sea: USS Gerald R. Ford Might Break the Aircraft Carrier Deployment Record Post-Vietnam

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China’s New J-20S Stealth Fighter Is A Big Headache for U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Just Operated Three Aircraft Carriers at Sea Simultaneously for the First Time — That’s Not the Same as Being Able To Do It Again

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