Theaircraft cruiser (also known asaviation cruiser orcruiser-carrier) is awarship that combines the features of theaircraft carrier and a surface warship such as acruiser orbattleship.

The first aircraft cruiser was originally a 1930s experimental concept of creating an all-around warship. The early aircraft cruisers were usually armed with relatively heavy artillery,mines and a number of aircraft fitted withfloats (making the ship a kind ofseaplane tender/fighter catapult ship). The early aircraft cruiser turned out to be an unsuccessful design. The rapid development of naval aircraft in the 1930s quickly rendered the vessels obsolete, and they were rebuilt e.g. as anti-aircraft cruisers.

A United States design for aflight deck cruiser from 1930,^[1] was described as "aBrooklyn-class light cruiser forwards [and] one half of aWasp-class aircraft carrier aft".^[2] Although not built, similar ships were created during and afterWorld War II as reconstructions and later from the keel up.

The Japanese built a pair of aircraft cruisers in 1937, theTone-class cruisers. These ships had their main armament of 4x twin 8" gun turrets placed forward of the superstructure, and an aircraft handling deck was built aft of the funnel. The ships could carry a maximum of 8 float planes, launched by catapult, though the normal complement was 6. During World War II, in part to offset the loss of carriers at theBattle of Midway, Japan rebuilt itsIse-classbattleships as hybrid carriers, placing the flight deck and hangar aft to replace the rear turrets, while retaining their main guns forward and amidships. The cruiserMogami also had its rear gun turrets (which had been damaged at Midway) replaced by aircraft handling facilities. The GermanKriegsmarine also studied several "Flugdeckkreuzer" (flight deck cruiser) designs in 1942 which included20.3 cm (8 inch) or28 cm (11 inch) gun turrets forward of the flight deck.

A newer variation of the aircraft carrier is the helicopter carrier, which is capable of operating at least 4 or more helicopters, including medium and heavy lift models. This is in contrast to surface warships such as cruisers, destroyers, and frigates which have basic aviation facilities, including a hangar andlanding pad, that are sufficient only for 1–2 light/medium helicopters.

Post-war the United Kingdom reconstructed theTiger-class cruisersHMS Blake andHMS Tiger into helicopter cruisers, retaining their guns forward but having their aft guns removed for the installation of a hangar and helicopter platform for the operation of four Sea King helicopters.

The ItalianAndrea Doria-class cruisers andVittorio Veneto, FrenchJeanne d'Arc andSovietMoskva-class helicopter cruisers were built from the keel up asguided missile cruisers forward andhelicopter carriers aft.

USS Hayler and her unnamed sister ship (which was never funded) were originally planned as modifiedSpruance-classdestroyers, to be built as helicopter destroyers (DDH), provided they would not cost more than a standardSpruance class. Litton-Ingalls completed sketch design work forHayler, which moved the helicopter deck aft, stretching the length of the hangar and displacing the Sea Sparrow launcher to the top of the hangar. The design would have accommodated twoSH-3 Sea Kings or four smallerSH-60 Seahawk orSH-2 Seasprite helicopters. While the prospectiveHayler probably would not have cost much more to build than a standardSpruance class, the detail design and engineering work required before the ship could be built would have been substantial (similar work for theKidd class cost $110.8 million). This raised the cost of the DDH substantially above a standardSpruance-class destroyer. While this additional cost might have been justified if the DDH was going to enter series production, it was difficult to justify for a single ship. Accordingly, the Navy builtHayler to the same design as the rest of theSpruance class.

In 1980, there was a proposed “Interdiction Assault Ship” (IAS) conversion for theIowa-class battleships that would have removed the aft main gun turret. This would free up space for a V-shaped ramped flight deck (the base of the V would have been on the ship's stern, while each leg of the V would extend forward, so that planes taking off would fly past the ship's exhaust stacks and conning tower), while a new hangar would be added with 2 elevators, which would support up to 12 BoeingAV-8B Harrier II jump-jets. These aviation facilities could also support helicopters, SEAL teams and up to 500 Marines for an air assault. In the empty space between the V flight deck would be up to 320 missile silos accommodating a mixture of Tomahawk land attack missiles, ASROC anti-submarine rockets and Standard surface-to-air missiles. The existing 5-inch gun turrets would be replaced with 155-millimeter howitzers for naval gunfire support. These modifications would have required significant time and funding to achieve so it was never carried out, furthermore the Department of Defense and the Navy wanted theIowa battleships reactivated as quickly as possible.^[3]

In the Russian Navy, "aviation cruiser" is a designation for theKiev andKuznetsov-class ships. They are a cross between a cruiser and an aircraft carrier. Aviation cruisers haveclose-in weapon systems, both gun and missile, for self-defense against missiles or rockets. Unlike aircraft carriers who rely solely upon their aircraft and helicopter complement for offensive power, aviation cruisers are also equipped with cruiser weaponry to engage the full gamut of surface, submarines and aircraft adversaries.

TheKiev class of aviation cruisers is capable of carryingVTOL aircraft and helicopters. The ships have only a singleangled flight deck for aviation. The forward deck is used to carry cruiser weapons, includingP-500 Bazalt cruise missiles that are the main armament of theSlava-class cruiser.

TheKuznetsov class is classified as heavy aviation cruisers, reflecting their greater weight as well as the larger number of aircraft they can operate. In addition to helicopters, they are also capable of operating conventional fixed-wing aircraft like theSukhoi Su-33 and theMikoyan MiG-29K. The ships have an angled flight deck as well as an axial flight deck for takeoff. Since there is nocatapult, a bowski jump is used to assisttakeoff.Kuznetsov also carries theP-700 Granit cruise missiles that form the main armament of theKirov-class battlecruiser.

All Soviet aircraft carriers were built at theNikolayev Shipyard in theUkrainian SSR. Their classification as aircraft cruisers is very important for the purposes ofinternational law, as it allows them to transit theTurkish Straits on their way into theMediterranean Sea. Under theMontreux Convention, aircraft carriers heavier than 15,000 tons may not pass through the Straits. However, there is no tonnage limit oncapital ships operated by Black Sea Powers.^[4] Turkey has always allowed Soviet and Russian aviation cruisers to transit the Straits, and no other signatory to the Montreux Convention has challenged the ships' classification.^[5]

Some aircraft-carrying ships have been officially designated as cruisers, despite being for all intents and purposes light aircraft carriers. TheRoyal Navy'sInvincible-class aircraft carriers were originally termed "through-deck cruisers" for political reasons (theCVA-01 project had recently been cancelled). In addition, they were expected to serve in some cruiser-like roles – taking on those roles from the RN'sTiger-class cruiser conversions – and were constructed in a similar fashion to cruisers. Later in their life they were however known as aircraft carriers.

• HSwMS Gotland
• Japanese cruiser Mogami
• Ise-class battleship
• Tone-class cruiser (fully functional heavy cruisers, but incorporated a heavy seaplane element for scouting purposes)
• Japanese cruiser Ōyodo (built as an aircraft cruiser but never operated as such)

• Kiev-class aircraft carrier
• Giuseppe Garibaldi-class aircraft carrier
• Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
• VSTOL Support Ship (proposed)
• Interdiction Assault Ship (proposed)
• Izumo-class destroyer

• Andrea Doria-class cruiser
• Italian cruiser Vittorio Veneto
• French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc
• Moskva-classhelicopter carrier
• Haruna-class destroyer
• Shirane-class destroyer
• Hyūga-class helicopter destroyer

• Aviation-capable naval vessels
• Battlecarrier
• CAM ship
• Fighter catapult ship
• Merchant aircraft carrier
• Seaplane tender

• Bonner, Kermit (1997).Final Voyages. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing.ISBN 978-1-56311-289-8. Retrieved2010-12-08.
• Friedman, Norman (1983).U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-0-87021-739-5. Retrieved2010-12-08.