The Top 5 Largest US Navy Supercarriers By Active Aircraft Capacity

In early 2026, the United States Navy’s largest active aircraft carriers belong to two classes: Ford and Nimitz. These massive ships are designed to deploy US Military power across the globe. The largest Gerald R. Ford-class carriers (one operational, one undergoing testing) can carry up to 90 aircraft and generate 160 daily sorties (surging to 270), making them the most powerful naval air platforms ever deployed. Meanwhile, slightly smaller but more common and battle-proven Nimitz-class carriers (ten currently operational) typically operate 60–75 aircraft in real-world deployments, despite theoretical capacities of nearly 85. These differences in usable aircraft capacity, and not just sheer size, determine how effectively each carrier projects US military power globally.