Italian aircraft carrier Cavour

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Cavour is Italy’s aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Italian Navy. Named after Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the ship was built by Fincantieri and launched in 2004. It was commissioned in 2008 and became fully operational in 2009. Based in Taranto, Cavour was designed to operate both fixed-wing V/STOL aircraft and helicopters, and to serve as a command-and-control hub as well as a transport for personnel and heavy vehicles.

The ship combines a large flight deck with a very big hangar. The hangar can hold a mix of aircraft and vehicles, including tanks and armored vehicles, and it can be used as a vehicle hold. For aircraft, Cavour is configured to carry F-35B Lightning II jets (up to around 10 in the hangar with additional planes on the deck) and multiple helicopters. It can also operate as a landing platform helicopter carrier, supporting heavy transport helicopters and marines.

Cavour has a displacement around 27,900 tons, increasing to over 30,000 tons at full load. It can reach speeds of about 29 knots (roughly 33 mph) and has a range of about 7,000 nautical miles at a cruising pace. The ship’s crew is roughly 1,200 people, with spaces for air crew, command staff, and troops.

Over its service life, Cavour has undergone modernization to integrate the F-35B stealth fighter, enabling more advanced fixed-wing air operations. By 2020, the upgrades were completed, and the carrier began flying trials with the F-35B in the United States in early 2021, marking steps toward full F-35 operations. The Italian Navy planned initial operating capability for the F-35s around 2024.

Cavour has taken part in international missions and exercises. It supported Haiti relief efforts after the 2010 earthquake, and in 2024 the carrier joined a five-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific. In October 2024, Cavour led a joint exercise with the Indian Navy off the Arabian Sea, testing operations with aircraft such as the F-35B, MiG-29K, and various helicopters to improve interoperability with allied forces. The ship was the Italian Navy’s primary carrier, following the decommissioning of the older Giuseppe Garibaldi in 2024.