The stats and numbers that surround the Nimitz class are simply staggering.

They cost billions of dollars, are over 300 meters long, 40 meters wide, displace over 100,000 tons, can carry up to 85 aircraft, can operate for 20 years without refueling and carry over 5,000 people.

A history of the world's largest aircraft carriers, with runways over 300 meters long, this book looks at the development and deployment of the nuclear-powered Nimitz class aircraft carriers from 1975 when the USS Nimitz, the lead ship of the class, was commissioned, to 2009, after the tenth and last of the class, the USS George H. W. Bush, was commissioned.

Here, Brad Elward provides a detailed overview of their design and development, highlighting their unique features, from jet blast deflectors to cutting edge radar systems, and a history of the Nimitz class in service, from deployment in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, through to the enforcement of the no fly zone over Bosnia.