#naval-aviation

#naval-aviation

Aircraft carriers have been central to the U.S. Navy, and over the years they have only increased in importance since their introduction in World War 2. Each new generation has pushed the limits of range, aircraft capacity, and survivability. The Yorktown, Essex, and Midway classes would set the stage for the modern Navy we know today. These carriers acted as mobile airbases that allowed the U.S. to strike deep into enemy territory.

China is making leaps and bounds with carrier technology. It recently showed off its newest aircraft carrier launching jets with electromagnetic catapults, a capability once unique to the US Navy's cutting-edge Ford-class flattops. And it did it with stealth jets, something the US has yet to do. But while Beijing's carriers may be nearing America's in technological capabilities, experts say they're still a long way from fighting like them. The real challenge isn't building ships.

"When it's all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for ... his first first thing would be that he's a man of faith," she told the Beatrice Daily Sun, a southeast Nebraska newspaper that first reported McPherson died on Aug. 14. "It hasn't been till these later years in his life that he's had so many honors and medals," she said.