Aircraft CarriersIn the post 1945 era, the aircraft carrier has remained a valued weapon despite the development of nuclear weapons, cruise and ballistic missiles, and highly capable submarines. At times, as in the early days of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and in the Falklands conflict, carriers alone could deploy high performance aircraft to the battlefield. In other operations, such as enforcing the no fly zones and the U. S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, only