Aircraft Carrier Archives

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Could The YF-23 Black Widow II Have Flown From Aircraft Carriers? Inside The NATF-23 The U.S. Navy Walked Away From

While the YF-23 fought for the Air Force contract, Northrop was drawing a carrier version to replace the F-14: folding wings, twin tails, canards,...

Harry J. KazianisJune 11, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier Gamble Is Finally Paying Off: EMALS, A1B Reactors, And Why The Growing Pains Were Worth It

The Navy packed two dozen first-of-kind technologies into one aircraft carrier hull and spent a decade getting hammered for it. Now the Ford has...

Harry J. KazianisJune 11, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China’s J-35 Stealth Fighter May Be Able to Hide Four Anti-Ship Missiles Inside — and That’s a Problem for U.S. Carriers

Chinese military analysts believe the J-35 stealth fighter may be able to carry four YJ-15 supersonic anti-ship missiles internally — hidden, with no radar-signature...

Harrison KassJune 10, 2026

WESTERN PACIFIC (Nov. 12, 2017) The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) transits the Western Pacific during a three-carrier strike force photo exercise. The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Strike Groups are underway and conducting operations in international waters as part of a three-carrier strike force exercise. The U.S. Navy has patrolled the Indo-Asia Pacific region routinely for more than 70 years promoting regional security, stability and prosperity. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelsey J. Hockenberger/Released)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

In 2015 a small, decades-old French submarine slipped undetected through the destroyers and helicopters screening the USS Theodore Roosevelt and “sank” the supercarrier in a war game — and a Swedish boat had already done the same thing to another US carrier

Summary and Key Points: In the waters off Florida in early 2015, a French nuclear attack submarine named Saphir — a 1970s-era Rubis-class boat,...

Harry J. KazianisJune 2, 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 USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive warship ever built, a $13 billion supercarrier and the most advanced on earth — and after being kept at war for eleven months until a fire and 600 failed toilets drove sailors from their bunks, she may now sit broken for up to two years

Summary and Key Points: The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive warship ever built — a $13 billion supercarrier and the most...

Harry J. KazianisJune 2, 2026

220213-N-TL932-1221 PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 13, 2022) Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), back, and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transit the Pacific Ocean, Feb. 13, 2022. Vinson and Nimitz are currently conducting routine maritime operations in U.S. 3rd Fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Sapien)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The USS Nimitz Was Supposed to Be Decommissioned This Month — Instead the U.S. Navy Just Parked the Oldest Aircraft Carrier Off Cuba’s Coast

Summary and Key Points: The USS Nimitz — laid down in 1968 and originally scheduled to begin decommissioning at Norfolk this month — has...

Caleb LarsonMay 27, 2026

(Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Ford-Class Almost ‘Broke’ the Aircraft Carrier For Good

The Gerald R. Ford-class carrier was supposed to be the evolutionary successor to the 50-year-old Nimitz, but instead of replacing one major system at...

Harrison KassMay 27, 2026

Navy Aircraft Carrier in the Ocean Sailing.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

France’s Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier vs. the Nimitz-Class: Which Nuclear Supercarrier Rules the Waves?

France’s Charles de Gaulle (R91) is the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the U.S. fleet — half the size of a Nimitz-class but built...

Steve BalestrieriMay 24, 2026

ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 14, 2011) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conducts rudder turns during sea trials. Dwight D. Eisenhower completed a nine-month planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Ship Yard on June 10 and is scheduled to resume underway operations this summer. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Christopher Stoltz/Released)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Nuclear Supercarrier Surprise: The U.S. Navy Now Has Another ‘Combat Prepped’ Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier

After undergoing an extended period of maintenance, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is officially back in business. The carrier had been undergoing a...

Isaac SeitzMay 5, 2026

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

120,000 Tons: China Might Build a Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Bigger Than USS Gerald R. Ford

China is now on track to triple its aircraft carrier fleet to nine warships by 2035—averaging one new carrier every 20 months in the...

Steve BalestrieriMay 5, 2026

19FortyFive

All posts tagged "Aircraft Carrier"

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Could The YF-23 Black Widow II Have Flown From Aircraft Carriers? Inside The NATF-23 The U.S. Navy Walked Away From

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier Gamble Is Finally Paying Off: EMALS, A1B Reactors, And Why The Growing Pains Were Worth It

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China’s J-35 Stealth Fighter May Be Able to Hide Four Anti-Ship Missiles Inside — and That’s a Problem for U.S. Carriers

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

In 2015 a small, decades-old French submarine slipped undetected through the destroyers and helicopters screening the USS Theodore Roosevelt and “sank” the supercarrier in a war game — and a Swedish boat had already done the same thing to another US carrier

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive warship ever built, a $13 billion supercarrier and the most advanced on earth — and after being kept at war for eleven months until a fire and 600 failed toilets drove sailors from their bunks, she may now sit broken for up to two years

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The USS Nimitz Was Supposed to Be Decommissioned This Month — Instead the U.S. Navy Just Parked the Oldest Aircraft Carrier Off Cuba’s Coast

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Ford-Class Almost ‘Broke’ the Aircraft Carrier For Good

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

France’s Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier vs. the Nimitz-Class: Which Nuclear Supercarrier Rules the Waves?

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Nuclear Supercarrier Surprise: The U.S. Navy Now Has Another ‘Combat Prepped’ Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

120,000 Tons: China Might Build a Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Bigger Than USS Gerald R. Ford

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