Twelve US Navy (USN) F/A-18F Super Hornet's, Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102), Diamondbacks, Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan, perform a formation fly-by after completing their deployment aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) [not shown]. Kitty Hawk and embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW-5) are returning to their homeport after a scheduled deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR)

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.