#naval-aviation

#naval-aviation

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.

In terms of world air forces, the U.S. Navy ranks as the second largest, coming in just behind the U.S. Air Force and just ahead of China and Russia. With such an impressive fleet, the USN is capable of projecting power worldwide from the decks of its aircraft carriers. This incredible reach is further sustained by ongoing training, industrial depth, and continual modernization, which keep the USN as one of the premier global air powers.

"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.