Currently, aircraft carriers are the largest warships ever built. Modern aircraft carrier has on board a few dozen aircraft, which may include fighters, attack planes, aircraft refueling, aircraft airborne early warning and control, anti-aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft. Along with this, the carrier has a team of helicopters, which are search and rescue, reconnaissance, anti-submarine and transport vehicles.
Modern aircraft carrier has a powerful power plant and has a large supply of aviation fuel and weapons, which allows considerable time to act far from their shores.
As carriers define tasks: air defense maritime links on the march, antisubmarine defense maritime links, air support of ground forces in the coastal zone, the destruction of enemy air defenses, providing air superiority in a given area, the destruction of enemy ships.
The cost of building a modern aircraft carrier with a nuclear propulsion system is about 4.6 billion US dollars. Monthly costs of the aircraft carrier (without salary staff) account for more than $ 10 million.
