page_title: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
section_title: Carrier air wing
hierarchical_section_title: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier / Description / Carrier air wing
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in the Persian Gulf. Truman and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 were under way on deployment supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and maritime security operations.
context_page_description: The Nimitz class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers 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 Chester W. Nimitz, who was the second-to-last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank, preceding William Halsey Jr.. With an overall length of 1,092 ft and full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons, the Nimitz-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until USS Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet in 2017.
  Instead of the gas turbines or diesel-electric systems used for propulsion on many modern warships, the carriers use two A4W pressurized water reactors which drive four propeller shafts and can produce a maximum speed of over 30 knots and maximum power of around 260,000 shaft horsepower. As a result of the use 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 numbers between CVN-68 and CVN-77.
context_section_description: In order for a carrier to deploy, it must embark one of ten Carrier Air Wings (CVW). The carriers can accommodate a maximum of 130 F/A-18 Hornets or 85–90 aircraft of different types, but current numbers are typically 64 aircraft. Although the air wings are integrated with the operation of the carriers they are deployed to, they are nevertheless regarded as a separate entity. As well as the aircrew, the air wings are also made up of support personnel involved in roles including maintenance, aircraft and ordnance handling and emergency procedures. Each person on the flight deck wears color-coded clothing to make their role easily identifiable.
  A typical carrier air wing can include 24–36 F/A-18E or F Super Hornets as strike fighters; two squadrons of 10–12 F/A-18C Hornets, with one of these often provided by the U.S. Marine Corps (VMFA), also as strike fighters; 4–6 EA-18G Growlers for electronic warfare; 4–6 E-2C or D Hawkeyes for airborne early warning (AEW), C-2 Greyhounds used for logistics (to be replaced by MV-22 Ospreys); and a Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron of 6–8 SH-60F and HH-60H Seahawks. Aircraft that have previously operated from Nimitz-class carriers include F-4 Phantoms, RA-5C Vigilantes, RF-8G Crusaders, F-14 Tomcats, S-3 Vikings, EA-6B Prowlers, A-7 Corsair II and A-6E Intruder aircraft.
caption: An F/A-18 Hornet launches from the flight deck of  Harry S. Truman. Other aircraft are stored on deck.
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