An F-14A Tomcat aircraft from Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) falls in behind an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft to conduct an aerial refueling while on a combat air patrol following the cease-fire between coalition and Iraqi forces. The aircraft is armed with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile on the outboard portion of each wing pylon and an AIM-7 Sparrow missile on the inboard portion. VF-32 is based aboard the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67)

Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these consist of ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CV (aircraft carrier), CVA (attack aircraft carrier), CVB (large aircraft carrier), CVL (light aircraft carrier), CVN (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion) and CVAN (attack aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion). The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922.