Editing Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (section)

{{Short description|US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier class}}
{{Redirect|Nimitz Class|1997 novel|Nimitz Class (novel)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS Nimitz in Victoria Canada 036.jpg
| Ship caption = {{USS|Nimitz}} (CVN-68), lead ship of the class of supercarriers, at sea near [[Victoria, British Columbia]], after the 1999–2001 refit
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier
| Builders = [[Newport News Shipbuilding Company]]
| Operators = {{naval|United States}}
| Class before = * {{sclass|Kitty Hawk|aircraft carrier|4}} and
* {{sclass|Enterprise|aircraft carrier|4}}
| Class after = {{sclass|Gerald R. Ford|aircraft carrier|4}}
| Subclasses = * [[#Design differences within the class|''Theodore Roosevelt'' class]] and
* [[#Design differences within the class|''Ronald Reagan'' class]]
| Cost = US$1.98&nbsp;billion in 1975<ref name="Navy.mil CVN"/> (${{Inflation|US-GDP|8.5|2012|r=1}} billion in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}}){{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}
| Built range = 1968–2006
| In service range = 1975–present
| In commission range = 3 May 1975–present
| Total ships building =
| Total ships planned = 10
| Total ships completed = 10
| Total ships in commission = 10
| Total ships active = 10
| Total ships laid up =
| Total ships lost =
| Total ships retired =
| Total ships preserved =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship type = [[Aircraft carrier]]
| Ship tonnage =
| Ship displacement = {{Convert|100000|to(-)|104600|LT|MT}} full load<ref name="Polmar">Polmar 2004, p. 112</ref>
| Ship length = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier length}}
| Ship beam = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier beam}}
| Ship height =
| Ship draft = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier draught}}
| Ship depth =
| Ship hold depth =
| Ship decks =
| Ship deck clearance =
| Ship ramps =
| Ship ice class =
| Ship power =
| Ship propulsion = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier propulsion}}
| Ship sail plan =
| Ship speed = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier speed}}
| Ship range = {{Nuclear ship range}}
| Ship endurance =
| Ship boats =
| Ship capacity =
| Ship troops =
| Ship complement = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier complement}}
| Ship crew = 5,000–5,200<ref name="Navy.mil CVN"/> (including airwing)
| Ship time to activate =
| Ship sensors = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier sensors I}}
| Ship EW = {{Nimitz class aircraft carrier EW}}
| Ship armament = * 2–3 × Mk 29 Guided Missile Launching Systems, 8 × [[RIM-162 ESSM]] or [[RIM-7 Sea Sparrow]] missiles each
* 3–4 × [[Phalanx CIWS]]
* 2 × Mk 49 Guided Missile Launching Systems, 21 × [[RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile]]s each
* [[Mark 38 25 mm Machine Gun System|Mk 38 25 mm Machine Gun System]]s
| Ship armor = {{convert|2.5|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Kevlar]] over vital spaces<ref name="Fontenoy">{{cite book |title=Aircraft carriers: an illustrated history of their impact |last=Fontenoy |first=Paul E. |year=2006 |publisher=ABC-CLIO Ltd |isbn=978-1-85109-573-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aircraftcarriers00font/page/n358 349] |url=https://archive.org/details/aircraftcarriers00font|url-access=limited}}</ref>
| Ship aircraft = 85–{{Nimitz class aircraft carrier aircraft}}<ref name="SE" />
| Ship aircraft facilities =
| Ship notes =
}}
|}

The '''''Nimitz'' class''' is a [[ship class|class]] of ten [[Nuclear marine propulsion|nuclear-powered]] [[aircraft carrier]]s [[Modern United States Navy carrier air operations|in service with]] the [[United States Navy]]. The [[lead ship]] of the class is named after [[World War II]] [[United States Pacific Fleet]] commander [[Fleet admiral (United States)|Fleet Admiral]] [[Chester W. Nimitz]], who was the last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank. With an overall length of {{convert|1092|ft|m|abbr=on}} and a full-load [[displacement (ship)|displacement]] of over {{convert|100000|LT}},<ref name="Polmar"/> the ''Nimitz''-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until {{USS|Gerald R. Ford}} entered the fleet in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://list25.com/25-largest-warships-in-history/5/ |title=25 Largest Warships In History |publisher=Science & Technology |date=April 5, 2017 |access-date=April 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001336/https://list25.com/25-largest-warships-in-history/5/ |archive-date=12 April 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Instead of the gas turbines or [[diesel–electric powertrain#Ships|diesel–electric systems]] used for propulsion on many modern warships, the carriers use two [[A4W reactor|A4W]] [[pressurized water reactor]]s. The reactors produce steam to drive steam turbines which drive four propeller shafts and can produce a maximum speed of over {{convert|30|kn|lk=in}} and a maximum power of around {{convert|260000|shp|MW|lk=in}}. As a result of nuclear power, the ships are capable of operating for over 20 years without refueling and are predicted to have a service life of over 50 years. They are categorized as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and are numbered with consecutive [[hull number]]s from CVN-68 to CVN-77.<ref group=Note>The letters "CVN" denote the type of ship: "CV" is the [[hull classification symbol]] for aircraft carriers, and "N" indicates [[nuclear-power]]ed propulsion. The number after the "CVN" means that this is the 68th "CV", or large aircraft carrier.</ref>

All ten carriers were constructed by [[Northrop Grumman Newport News|Newport News Shipbuilding Company]] in [[Virginia]]. {{USS|Nimitz}}, the [[lead ship]] of the class, was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 3 May 1975, and {{USS|George H.W. Bush}}, the tenth and last of the class, was commissioned on 10 January 2009. Since the 1970s, ''Nimitz''-class carriers have participated in many conflicts and operations across the world, including [[Operation Eagle Claw]] in Iran, the [[Gulf War]], and more recently in [[Iraq War|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]].

The angled [[flight deck]]s of the carriers use a [[CATOBAR]] arrangement to operate aircraft, with [[aircraft catapult|steam catapults]] and [[arresting gear|arrestor wires]] for launch and recovery. As well as speeding up flight deck operations, this allows for a much wider variety of aircraft than with the [[STOVL]] arrangement used on smaller carriers. An embarked [[carrier air wing]] comprising around 64 aircraft is normally deployed on board. The air wings' [[strike fighter]]s are primarily [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets]]. In addition to their aircraft, the vessels carry short-range defensive weaponry for [[anti-aircraft warfare]] and missile defense.

The unit cost was about US$8.5&nbsp;billion in [[Fiscal year#United States|FY]] 2012 dollars,<ref name="Navy.mil CVN"/> equal to US${{Inflation|US-GDP|8.5|2012|r=1|fmt=c}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}.{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}