To aid comparison between fleets, the following definitions, which do not necessarily conform to national definitions, are used:rnSubmarines. All vessels equipped for military operations and designed to operate primarily below the surface. Those vessels with submarine-launched ballistic missiles are also listed separately under 'Strategic Nuclear Forces'.rnPrincipal Surface Combatant. This term includes all surface ships with both 1,000 tonnes full-load displacement and a weapons system for purposes other than self-protection. All such ships are assumed to have an anti-surface-ship capability. They comprise aircraft carriers (defined below); cruisers (over 8,000 tonnes) and destroyers (less than 8,000 tonnes), both of which normally have an anti-air role and may also have an anti-submarine capability; and frigates (less than 8,000 tonnes), which normally have an anti-submarine role. Only ships with a flight deck that extends beyond two-thirds of the vessel's length are classified as aircraft carriers. Ships with shorter flight decks are shown as helicopter carriers.
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