The USS Ronald Reagan: the world’s most powerful aircraft carrier. A floating piece of American territory. And a powerful weapon, swarming with planes, explosives, and thousands of the Navy’s best crew. This intimidating marine monster is also the world’s largest combat airport, perfectly designed for one task: to launch and retrieve legions of strike fighter jets anywhere in the world, on extremely short notice. And the 5000 men and women onboard have to perform this task to perfection. Surrounded by roaring jet engines, explosive jet fuel, and dangerous weapons … a mistake could mean disaster. From the Flight Deck to the cockpit to the Captain’s chair, we’re taking a behind the scenes look at the American military’s ultimate weapon … the Supercarrier: USS Ronald Reagan.

Like President Reagan himself, this carrier’s motto is “Peace through Strength”. But this $4.3 billion dollar, nuclear-powered warship is more than strong … it’s also massive, at 20 stories tall, and over one thousand feet in length, nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall. This enormous ship weighs 97,000 tons fully loaded. And it’s highly mobile, able to speed through the water at more than 30 knots, or 35 miles per hour. The Reagan’s crew are also speedy – able to launch a plane off the flight deck every 30 seconds, and bring one in for a landing every minute.

The key to this carrier are the nerve centers of the ship, like the Hangar Bay – the parking garage where planes fold their wings to fit into tight spaces and massive hydraulic elevators lift huge 66,000 pound jets to the Flight Deck.

Primary Flight Control sits at the top of the ship’s seven-story Island. Here, the Air Boss and Mini Boss manage Flight Deck operations and stay in radio contact with pilots in flight. The Carrier Air Traffic Control (CATCC) takes over from Pri Fly when the weather is bad or at night, using advanced radar to help pilots find their way back to the ship.

When it comes to nonstop action, there’s no place onboard the USS Ronald Reagan like the Flight Deck. It’s 4.5-acres of spectacle and noise. 400 men and women stick to carefully honed procedures and hand signals to rapidly launch and land planes. They’ve got good reason to be careful – a mistake could cause an injury or a catastrophic accident.

On the front of the Flight Deck, 4 catapults launch planes into the air, using high-pressure steam from the ship’s two nuclear reactors. The catapults are so powerful … they can launch a 66,000-pound F/A 18 fighter jet from zero to 165 miles per hour in just two seconds. On the back of the ship, 3 arresting gear wires land planes - using hydraulic cylinders to bring them from 150 miles per hour to a dead stop in only 2 seconds.

When the Reagan heads out on deployment, it brings along a powerful offense and defense. On offense, more than 60 aircraft – from strike fighters to radar jamming jets to early warning intelligence aircraft - are ready to take on any threat. On defense, a powerful phalanx of ships forms the Carrier Strike Group – protecting the Reagan from harm.

Despite the billions of dollars of technology built into this Supercarrier, the Reagan is still run by human hands. We’ll meet the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain Terry Kraft as he joins his crew in their day-to-day tasks. We’ll join F/A 18 pilots like George DeGennaro as they prepare for launch, and then take to the skies. And we’ll see how thousands of crewmembers work, sleep, and eat on board this massive floating city.

The USS Ronald Reagan’s technology … weaponry … and well-trained crew. Together, they make this Supercarrier an unstoppable mobile combat airport. For years to come, it will prowl the world’s oceans and send an powerful message to allies and enemies alike: Peace through Strength.

The USS Ronald Reagan: the world’s most powerful aircraft carrier. A floating piece of American territory. And a powerful weapon, swarming with planes, explosives, and thousands of the Navy’s best crew. This intimidating marine monster is also the world’s largest combat airport, perfectly designed for one task: to launch and retrieve legions of strike fighter jets anywhere in the world, on extremely short notice. And the 5000 men and women onboard have to perform this task to perfection. Surrounded by roaring jet engines, explosive jet fuel, and dangerous weapons … a mistake could mean disaster. From the Flight Deck to the cockpit to the Captain’s chair, we’re taking a behind the scenes look at the American military’s ultimate weapon … the Supercarrier: USS Ronald Reagan.

Like President Reagan himself, this carrier’s motto is “Peace through Strength”. But this $4.3 billion dollar, nuclear-powered warship is more than strong … it’s also massive, at 20 stories tall, and over one thousand feet in length, nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall. This enormous ship weighs 97,000 tons fully loaded. And it’s highly mobile, able to speed through the water at more than 30 knots, or 35 miles per hour. The Reagan’s crew are also speedy – able to launch a plane off the flight deck every 30 seconds, and bring one in for a landing every minute.

The key to this carrier are the nerve centers of the ship, like the Hangar Bay – the parking garage where planes fold their wings to fit into tight spaces and massive hydraulic elevators lift huge 66,000 pound jets to the Flight Deck.

Primary Flight Control sits at the top of the ship’s seven-story Island. Here, the Air Boss and Mini Boss manage Flight Deck operations and stay in radio contact with pilots in flight. The Carrier Air Traffic Control (CATCC) takes over from Pri Fly when the weather is bad or at night, using advanced radar to help pilots find their way back to the ship.

When it comes to nonstop action, there’s no place onboard the USS Ronald Reagan like the Flight Deck. It’s 4.5-acres of spectacle and noise. 400 men and women stick to carefully honed procedures and hand signals to rapidly launch and land planes. They’ve got good reason to be careful – a mistake could cause an injury or a catastrophic accident.

On the front of the Flight Deck, 4 catapults launch planes into the air, using high-pressure steam from the ship’s two nuclear reactors. The catapults are so powerful … they can launch a 66,000-pound F/A 18 fighter jet from zero to 165 miles per hour in just two seconds. On the back of the ship, 3 arresting gear wires land planes - using hydraulic cylinders to bring them from 150 miles per hour to a dead stop in only 2 seconds.

When the Reagan heads out on deployment, it brings along a powerful offense and defense. On offense, more than 60 aircraft – from strike fighters to radar jamming jets to early warning intelligence aircraft - are ready to take on any threat. On defense, a powerful phalanx of ships forms the Carrier Strike Group – protecting the Reagan from harm.

Despite the billions of dollars of technology built into this Supercarrier, the Reagan is still run by human hands. We’ll meet the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain Terry Kraft as he joins his crew in their day-to-day tasks. We’ll join F/A 18 pilots like George DeGennaro as they prepare for launch, and then take to the skies. And we’ll see how thousands of crewmembers work, sleep, and eat on board this massive floating city.

The USS Ronald Reagan’s technology … weaponry … and well-trained crew. Together, they make this Supercarrier an unstoppable mobile combat airport. For years to come, it will prowl the world’s oceans and send an powerful message to allies and enemies alike: Peace through Strength.