The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier in the Middle East. What you need to know

As part of the military conflict with Iran, the United States is actively using aircraft carriers and their accompanying strike groups. In total, two ships of this type were deployed in the Middle East, including the newest aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. However, due to the fire, he left the combat zone, and another aircraft carrier will replace him. What American aircraft carriers are equipped with and what they are capable of — in the Izvestia material.

US Aircraft Carrier Fleet

• Currently, nine countries around the world have aircraft carriers in their navies - warships with a full—size flight deck that allows aircraft to land and disembark. Russia, Spain and France each have one aircraft carrier, Great Britain, Japan, Italy and India have two, and China has three. The United States owns almost half of the aircraft carrier fleet in the world — 11 active ships.

• Most American aircraft carriers belong to the Nimitz class, which has been in development since the late 1960s. The first ship of the same name was commissioned in 1975, a total of ten such aircraft carriers were built. The last of them, George H. W. Bush, was commissioned in 2009. The Nimitz-class ships are equipped with two nuclear reactors and four propellers. In total, they provide it with a capacity of up to 260 thousand horsepower and the ability to reach speeds of up to 56 km/h. The length of aircraft carriers reaches 332 m. The ship's crew consists of 3,200 sailors, and another 2,480 provide service to the air group.

• The Nimitz class is capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft and helicopters, however, the regular composition of the air group usually includes 64 combat vehicles. The group is based on 48 F/A-18 Hornet multirole fighter-bombers. In addition to them, the ship is equipped with electronic warfare aircraft, long-range radar detection aircraft, transport aircraft and anti-submarine helicopters. The aircraft carriers' own basic armament includes RIM-7 Sea Sparrow and RIM-162 ESSM missile launchers, as well as Phalanx CIWS anti-aircraft artillery systems.

• Since 2009, improved Nimitz-class aircraft carriers have been built in the United States, separated into a separate Gerald R. Ford series, which is named after the first and so far the only ship. The next aircraft carrier, John F. Kennedy, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027, and two more similar ships are also under construction. All ships of this class, except the first, will replace the old Nimitz aircraft carriers.

The Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier differs from its predecessors in having a larger flight deck and a smaller superstructure positioned closer to the stern. Its nuclear reactors have been improved and produce more energy than on the Nimitz aircraft carriers, while requiring fewer crew members to maintain them. A new electromagnetic ejection system is used to launch aircraft, replacing steam installations. Electromagnets are also used in the new aircraft braking system. The ship is designed so that it can fly 25% more missions than its predecessors.

Aircraft carriers in the Middle East

• Since the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, the US command has maintained at least one aircraft carrier group in the Middle East or the eastern Mediterranean, but by December 2025 they had all been withdrawn. Immediately before the start of the war with Iran, the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which had previously been involved in exercises in the South China Sea, was the first to arrive in the region. His strike force included eight destroyers capable of firing long-range missiles, and specialized escort ships.

• Before the start of hostilities, while the United States was still negotiating with Iran, an Iranian Shahed-139 drone was launched in the direction of Abraham Lincoln. He was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet. After the conflict began, the Iranian military reported three times that the aircraft carrier was hit by Qadem anti-ship missiles, which damaged the ship and forced it to change its position. These statements have not been confirmed by the United States.

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• Following the Abraham Lincoln, the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford arrived in the Middle East. By February, when it became known about his transfer, he had been on combat duty for nine months. The aircraft carrier reached the coast of Israel on February 27, the day before the strikes began, and then headed for the Red Sea. Due to the deployment of a large number of refueling aircraft, the Gerald R. Ford fighters were within range of Iran.

• Participation in the conflict with Iran was limited to two weeks for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. On March 12, there was a fire in the ventilation pipe of the laundry room. According to media reports, the elimination of the consequences of the fire took 30 hours, two crew members were injured by the fire, and about 600 more sailors were unable to stay in their cabins. The fire did not prevent the aircraft carrier from conducting combat missions, but eventually it left the Red Sea and headed first to the island of Crete, and then to the Croatian Split for repairs and refueling.

• Instead of its newest aircraft carrier, the Central Command of the US Armed Forces will send the second most new aircraft carrier, the George H. W. Bush, to the Middle East. He will depart from the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. Before him, three destroyers from his strike group left for the Middle East, which will join the ships escorting Gerald R. Ford. For the ship replacing it, this will be the first combat deployment since 2022.