Naval aviation

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Sqn. Cdr. E. H. Dunning makes the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship, a Sopwith Pup on HMS Furious, August 2, 1917.
Sqn. Cdr. E. H. Dunning makes the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship, a Sopwith Pup on HMS Furious, August 2, 1917.

Naval Aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies. Maritime Aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of land based forces such as RAF Coastal Command or United States Coast Guard.

Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier aircraft must be relatively sturdy to withstand demanding carrier operations. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy and flexible enough to come to a sudden stop on a pitching deck; they typically have robust folding mechanisms that allow higher numbers of them to be stored in below-decks hangars. These aircraft are designed for many purposes including air-to-air combat, surface attack, submarine attack, search and rescue, materiel transport, weather observation, reconnaissance and wide area command and control duties.

In the United States military services, Marine Aviation is supported by Navy aircraft carriers and associated Navy personnel.

Contents

[edit] History

Two of the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya's Maurice Farman seaplanes stationed on land in Tsingtao in 1914.
Two of the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya's Maurice Farman seaplanes stationed on land in Tsingtao in 1914.

The foundations of Naval Aviation were set in June of 1912, when Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos of the Hellenic Aviation Service) flew with the "Daedalus", a Farman Aviation Works aircraft that had been converted into a seaplane, at an average speed of 110Km per hour, achieving a new world record.[1] Then, on January 24, 1913 the first wartime naval aviation interservice cooperation mission, took place above the Dardanelles. (Greek Army) First lieutenant Michael Moutoussis and (Greek Navy) Ensign Aristedes Moraitines, on board the Maurice Farman hydroplane (floatplane/seaplane), drew up a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet against which they dropped four bombs. This event was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international[2]. In the United States, Captain Henry C. Mustin is often referred to as "The Father of Naval Aviation." He successfully designed the concept of the catapault launch, and in 1915 made the first catapault launching from a ship underway.

[edit] WWI and the first carrier strikes

The first strike from a carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when the Imperial Japanese Navy seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first ship-launched air raids[3] from Kiaochow Bay during the Battle of Tsingtao in China.[4] The four Maurice Farman seaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German minelayer in the Tsingtao peninsula from September until November 6, 1914, when the Germans surrendered.[5] On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on December 25, 1914 when twelve seaplanes from HMS' Engadine, Riviera and Empress (cross-channel steamers converted into seaplane carriers ) attacked the Zeppelin base at Cuxhaven. The attack was not a success though a German warship was damaged.

[edit] Development in the interwar period

In the United States, Billy Mitchell's 1921 demonstration of the battleship-sinking ability of land-based heavy bombers made many United States Navy admirals angry. Some men such as Captain (soon Rear Admiral) William A. Moffett saw the publicity stunt as a means to increase funding and support for the Navy's aircraft carrier projects. Moffett was sure that he had to move decisively in order to avoid having his fleet air arm fall into the hands of a proposed combined Land/Sea Air Force which took care of all the United States's airpower needs. That exact fate had befallen United Kingdom's two air services in 1918; the Royal Flying Corps had been combined with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the Royal Air Force, a condition which would remain until 1937. Moffett supervised the development of naval air tactics throughout the '20s.

UK carrier aircraft:

UK catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US carrier aircraft:

US catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US seaplanes

Japanese carrier aircraft

Japanese catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Kriegsmarine catapult-launched spotter aircraft

[edit] World War II

Carrier air power played a central role in all Naval theaters of World War II. For example it was the Battle of Midway in the Pacific theater that marked a changing of the guard in maritime history, when the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the main capital ship of a battle fleet.


UK carrier aircraft:

UK catapult-launched spotter aircraft

US carrier aircraft:

US catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Japanese carrier aircraft

Japanese catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Kriegsmarine catapult-launched spotter aircraft

Luftwaffe seaplanes

Luftwaffe long-range antishipping bomber and reconnaissance

Luftwaffe torpedo bomber and reconnaissance

[edit] 1950s

[edit] 1960s

[edit] 1970s

US Carrier Aircraft

[edit] 1980s

UK Carrier Aircraft

Argentine Carrier Aircraft

[edit] 1990s

US Carrier Aircraft

[edit] 2000s

[edit] Strategic projection

Carrier-based naval aviation provides a country's seagoing forces with air cover over areas that may not be reachable by land-based aircraft, giving them a considerable advantage over navies composed primarily of surface combatants.

In the case of the United States Navy during and after the Cold War, virtual command of the sea in many of the world's waterways allowed it to deploy aircraft carriers and project air power almost anywhere on the globe. By operating from international waters, U.S. carriers can bypass the need for conventional airbases or overflight rights, both of which can be politically difficult to acquire.

[edit] Anti-submarine

Strategic power projection is not the only function of naval aviation. During the Cold War, the navies of NATO faced a significant threat from Soviet submarine forces, specifically Soviet Navy SSN and SSGN assets. This resulted in the development and deployment of light aircraft carriers with major anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities by European NATO navies. One of the most effective weapons against submarines is the ASW helicopter, several of which could be based on these light aircraft carriers.

These light carriers were typically around 20,000 tons displacement and carried a mix of ASW helicopters and BAe Sea Harrier or Harrier II V/STOL aircraft. They were:

There are a dwindling number of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters deployed aboard aircraft carriers today.

[edit] Modern fixed-wing carrier aircraft

Indian Navy Sea Harriers and U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets flying together
Indian Navy Sea Harriers and U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets flying together

[edit] Modern shipborne naval helicopters (ASW/SAR)

[edit] Modern shipborne naval helicopters (Airborne assault)

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.haf.gr/en/history/history/
  2. ^ http://www.haf.gr/en/history/history/history_2.asp
  3. ^ Wakamiya is "credited with conducting the first successful carrier air raid in history"Source:GlobalSecurity.org, also "the first air raid in history to result in a success" (here)
  4. ^ "Sabre et pinceau", Christian Polak, p92
  5. ^ IJN Wakamiya Aircraft Carrier
  • Clark G. Reynolds, The fast carriers: the forging of an air navy (1968; 1978; 1992)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links