Many present-day naval vessels, aside from aircraft carriers and full-length deck amphibious assault ships, are capable of carrying aircraft. A majority of United States Navy ships have at least a helipad, capable of landing medium-sized helicopters. Many others have decks and even hangars incorporated into the structure of the ship. It has become a standard part of modern ship design to have a deck that supports multiple, medium or large helicopters, as well as being able to house them in a hangar, for protection and maintenance. Aside from carriers and full-length deck amphibious assault ships, the US Navy has 12 classes of commissioned surface warships, 10 of which are aviation-capable. Two of those classes, patrol ships and mine counter-measure ships, are due to be replaced by the littoral combat ship, at which point the entire US Naval surface war fleet will be aviation-capable.[1]
As of 2016, the current types and classes of US Navy ships, along with their capabilities are as follows:
| Type | Hull code | Class | Aircraft carried | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphibious Command Ship | (LCC) | 2 × Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters | ||
| Amphibious transport dock | (LPD) (AFSB(I)) | up to 4 or 6 × CH-46 Sea Knight or up to 5 × MV-22 Osprey Tilt-rotors. (also fixed-wing aircraft, such as the AV-8B Harrier II V/STOL jet, in an emergency - see USS Green Bay AV-8B Harrier testing) | ||
| Cruiser | (CG) | 2 × Sikorsky SH-60B or MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. | ||
| Destroyer | (DDG) | up to 2 × MH-60R LAMPS III helicopters | ||
| Dock landing ship | (LSD) | 2 × CH-53E Super Stallion or 3 × CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters | ||
| Littoral combat ship | (LCS) | 2 × MH-60R/S Seahawk and 1 × MQ-8 Fire Scout | ||
| Submarine tender | (AS) | none (equipped with platform for medium helicopter) |
The following are examples of other types aviation-capable vessels from other navies around the world:
| Type | National Navy | Class | Aircraft carried | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amphibious transport dock | 4 × helicopters | |||
| Command ship | 2 × EH-101 helicopters | |||
| Corvette | 1 × helicopter | |||
| Cruiser | 1 × Kamov Ka-25 or Kamov Ka-27 helicopter | |||
| Destroyer | People's Liberation Army Navy (China) | 1 × Kamov Ka-27 helicopter | ||
| Dock landing ship | none (can accommodate Chinook-sized helicopters and Osprey-sized tilt-rotors on its deck) | |||
| Frigate | Royal Navy (UK) | Type 23 or Duke | 1 × Lynx HMA8 or 1 × Westland Merlin HM1 | |
| Landing platform dock | Spanish Navy | 4 × SH-3 Sea King or 6 × NH-90 helicopters | ||
| Landing Ship, Tank | Hellenic Navy (Greece) | none (equipped with platform for medium helicopter) | ||
| Helicopter destroyer | 3 × SH-60K, 1 × MCH-101 |