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United States Huntington Ingalls Industries
Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier
The backbone of U.S. carrier strike groups for five decades, ten nuclear-powered supercarriers that project air power globally. Being progressively replaced by the Gerald R. Ford class as they retire.
In service since 1975 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
100,000
t
30
kn
5,000
crew
💲 ≈ $8,500,000,000, Expressed in fiscal year 2012 dollars, a common inflation-normalized comparison figure, equal to about $11.4 billion in 2024 dollars. In nominal as-spent dollars actual ship costs ranged much lower, around $4.5 billion for early hulls up to $6.2 billion for the last ship, USS George H.W. Bush, delivered in 2009. The class was long-lived, so any single figure understates cost unless a consistent price year is specified.
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 1975. Status: active · ~10 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$21B – $30B
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-116 RAM point-defense missiles |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 332.8 m |
|---|
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | AN/SPS-48E 3D air search radar |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $8,500,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 10 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public Huntington Ingalls Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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Type 003 Fujian Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier? +
The Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier's primary weapon is the RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-116 RAM point-defense missiles.
How many countries operate the Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier? +
The Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier cost? +
The Huntington Ingalls Industries Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier has an approximate unit cost of 8,500,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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