Carrier-based aircraft

Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed specifically for operations from aircraft carriers. The term is generally applied only to fixed-wing aircraft, as naval helicopters are able to operate from a wider variety of ships, including helicopter carriers and container ships. Carrier-based aircraft must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstand the often abrupt forces associated with launching and recovering from a pitching deck. In addition, carrier aircraft commonly have mechanisms to fold the wings to allow more such aircraft to be carried on board. Such aircraft are designed for many purposes including air-to-air combat, surface attack, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue (SAR), transport (COD), weather observation, reconnaissance and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) duties.

The 1903 advent of fixed-wing aircraft was followed immediately in 1910 by the first flight of an aircraft from the deck of the U.S. Navy's USS Birmingham whilst at anchor, and in 1912 by the first flight of an aircraft from the deck of the Royal Navy's HMS Hiberia whilst underway. Seaplanes and seaplane tender support ships, such as HMS Engadine, followed. This evolution was well underway by the early 1920s, resulting in ships such as HMS Argus (1918), Hōshō (1922), USS Langley (1922), and the Béarn (1927). With these developments, the need for specialized aircraft adapted for takeoffs and landings from the flight decks of those ships became recognized.

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