Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewb0051
Not sure if the English use the angled deck design. IIRC, the US is the only country to adapt and use the cat launch with any success. Everyone else uses ski jump ramps and VTOL type aircraft or Short Take off landing aircraft
US carrier on left and UK on right circ 1998
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Just to illustrate the use in service of the angled deck, the mirror landing system and the steam catapult by the Royal Navy. Notice the McD F-4K on deck along with the Buccaneers (on the bow cats) and the Gannets on the stern. All requiring catapults and cross deck pendants.
HMS Ark Royal was the last CTOL carrier in Royal Navy service, paying off in 1979 and replaced in 1980 by the lighter through deck cruisers designed for VTOL aircraft.
It bought to an end 27 years of angled deck operations in the RN.....first trialled in 1952 on HMS Triumph and in the USN in 1953 on the Midway class.
A large number of the Victorious class RN carriers were adapted for angled deck operations in the 19050s and 1960s. These also served in the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, the Indian Navy, the Brazilian Navy and the Argentine Navy post-RN service. All of these nations managed to operate an angled deck carrier successfully. Now whether or not they were combat ready or capable is debatable.
In addition the French had and still have in service a CTOL carrier, nuclear powered as well.
Neither the Soviets/ Russians nor the Chinese attempted to build a CTOL carrier, always preferring a VTOL solution or hybrid (ramp take off and arrested landing).
Both the Indians and Chinese are continuing this approach.
The RN developed the QE class carriers to be VTOL then CTOL and then back.... the main factor being pilot availability and currency. The idea was that deck landing skills are highly perishable and massively expensive to maintain. Thus if this skill is required then a significant cost is associated with having a large enough pool of pilots who can use the deck.
The UK military experience in the Falklands showed that all pilots with VTOL skills could use the deck with minimal training. In the case of the Falklands some RAF pilots' first view of the deck was transferring to the war zone.
It made sense to procure and a/c that was VTOL capable as the backbone of the RAF strike force, enabling all rated pilots to be Carrier Qualified if needed. Cost savings in training were expected (and realised) and the large pool of pilots means long carrier deployments are not always limited to a certain number of pilots who may leave after a shorter service period.
It makes sense on many levels and whilst many decry the loss of CTOL capability, the words of one of my buddies, an ex-RN Sea Vixen pilot (off HMS Eagle) "Its a young man's game, for young men of little imagination, little fear and no sense of the future. To pretend its a good way to go fighting is to hide the fact is damn good fun and scared me stupid every time!" He then went on to own a button factory (£££) and the F58 Hunter "Miss Demeanour" as well as a Stamp SV4 and being a fine Spitfire pilot.
https://www.historicandclassicaircraftsales.com/hawker-hunter-miss-demeanour
