An A-7E Corsair II aircraft from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) conducts a close air support bombing raid over a gunnery bombardment range operated by the British Ministry of Defense during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding '86

Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these consist of ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CV (aircraft carrier), CVA (attack aircraft carrier), CVB (large aircraft carrier), CVL (light aircraft carrier), CVN (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion) and CVAN (attack aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion). The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922.