The smallest aircraft carrier in the world is Thailand’s HTMS Chakri Naruebet, which only measures 597 feet long and has a beam of 100 feet.
When you have a fleet as massive as the United States Navy’s, you need humongous carriers, and the U.S. Navy truly has the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). Other nations have smaller flat tops, but the country with the smallest aircraft carrier is Thailand. The Royal Thai Navy’s HTMS Chakri Naruebet is truly tiny when compared to those operated by the U.S., though that doesn’t make it a miniature or innocuous vessel.
It boasts modern capabilities that make it a viable carrier. The HTMS Chakri Naruebet was first launched in 1997, making Thailand the only Southeast Asian nation with its own carrier. Built in Thailand, it took five years to construct at a cost of $285 million. For comparison, the significantly more advanced USS Gerald R. Ford cost U.S. taxpayers $13.3 billion, though it’s much larger and was built more recently. The HTMS Chakri Naruebet measures 597 feet long and 100 feet wide.
