The USS Theodore Roosevelt anchored in the Solent off Portsmouth on its five day visit to the United Kingdom in March 2015. Image: Shutterstock / Alex Moore Photography.

These Are the 15 Countries with Aircraft Carriers in 2026

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One nation stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of its carrier capabilities—though another is quickly catching up.

Aircraft carriers are unique symbols of a nation’s military might. The enormous warships allow a nation to project power far beyond its own shores, giving it a global presence. However, carriers are not strictly military in use; they are fundamentally political symbols, and can be used for humanitarian purposes in times of crisis, helping to elevate a country’s profile on the international stage.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that most of the world’s medium and great seagoing powers have sought to invest in one or more aircraft carriers. These range from “Landing Helicopter Docks” (LHDs) or amphibious assault ships, which are typically small and carry only a small range of specialized aircraft, to the enormous supercarriers of the United States Navy, which house crews of thousands and air wings with dozens of fighter jets and support aircraft.

Taking an all-inclusive definition of what constitutes an “aircraft carrier,” these 14 nations operate aircraft carriers, though the dimensions and capabilities of their fleets vary widely.

Number of carriers: 1 (Juan Carlos I LHD)

Spain operates the Juan Carlos I LHD light carrier, which flies the AV-8N Harrier II fighter jet and various helicopters. This gives Madrid options for STOVL strike, fleet support, and expeditionary flexibility.

Spain uses the Juan Carlos for Mediterranean and Atlantic operations and coalition deployments. The Harrier keeps its fixed-wing naval aviation ambitions alive, at least for the time being. In the near future, the Spanish Navy intends to retire the Harrier jets, but it has not yet decided on a replacement aircraft—meaning that, at least for a time, Spain could have an aircraft carrier without any aircraft!

Number of carriers: 1 (Chakri Naruebet)

If Spain were to retire its Harrier jets and eliminate its carrier’s fixed-wing capabilities, it would follow in the footsteps of Thailand—whose small Chakri Naruebet aircraft carrier formerly launched the Harrier, but now only launches helicopters following the Royal Thai Navy’s retirement of that aircraft.

The Chakri Naruebet enables HADR, maritime presence, and command platform well beyond Thailand’s shores—which the Southeast Asian nation uses for disaster response and regional signaling more than actual combat aviation. In essence, the Naruebet is a carrier in form, and could return to fixed-wing operation someday, but for the time being offers nothing more than rotary-wing support. 

Number of carriers: 1 (TCG Anadolu amphibious assault ship)

Turkey operates the TCG Anadolu, which facilitates helicopter aviation and carrier-oriented drones, but not manned fixed-wing platforms. This enables sea-based ISR and strike experimentation off Turkey’s coastline, both in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The latter theater is particularly important, as Turkey has a long-running geopolitical rivalry with western neighbor (and........

© The National Interest