View source for Naval aviation

{{Short description|Air warfare conducted by forces under naval authority, or in direct support of naval operations}}
[[File:An F-A-18C Hornet launches from the flight deck of the conventionally powered aircraft carrier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|An [[F/A-18C Hornet]] launches from the flight deck of the [[aircraft carrier]] [[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|USS ''Kitty Hawk'']].]]

'''Naval aviation / Aeronaval''' is the application of [[Military aviation|military air power]] by [[Navy|navies]], whether from [[warship]]s that embark aircraft, or land bases.
It often involves ''[[navalised aircraft]]'', specifically designed for naval use.
'''Seaborne aviation''' encompasses similar activities not restricted to navies, including [[marines]] and [[coast guard]]s, such as in [[U.S. naval aviator]]s.

Naval aviation units are typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an [[aircraft carrier]]. [[Carrier-based aircraft]] must be sturdy enough to withstand the demands of 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 flight deck; they typically have robust [[folding wing|folding mechanisms]] that allow higher numbers of them to be stored in below-decks hangars and small spaces on flight decks. These aircraft are designed for many purposes, including [[Dogfight|air-to-air combat]], [[surface warfare|surface attack]], [[anti-submarine warfare|submarine attack]], [[search and rescue]], [[matériel]] transport, [[weather observation]], [[Aerial reconnaissance|reconnaissance]] and wide area [[command and control]] duties.

[[Naval helicopter]]s can be used for many of the same missions as [[fixed-wing aircraft]] while operating from aircraft carriers, [[helicopter carrier]]s, [[destroyer]]s and [[frigate]]s.

==History==
===Establishment===
[[File:British Airships Q112310 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|''[[HMA No. 1|Mayfly]]'' was built in 1908 and was the first aircraft to be used in a naval capacity.]]
Early experiments on the use of kites for naval reconnaissance took place in 1903 at [[Woolwich Common]] for the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]]. [[Samuel Franklin Cody]] demonstrated the capabilities of his 8-foot-long black kite and it was proposed for use as either a mechanism to hold up wires for [[wireless]] communications or as a manned reconnaissance device that would give the viewer the advantage of considerable height.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fleetairarmoa.org/fleet-air-arm-history-timeline|title=Fleet Air Arm History|access-date=2013-12-17}}</ref>

In 1908 [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[H. H. Asquith]] approved the formation of an "Aerial Sub-Committee of the [[Committee of Imperial Defence]]" to investigate the potential for naval aviation. In 1909 this body accepted the proposal of Captain [[Reginald Bacon]] made to the [[First Sea Lord]] [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|Sir John Fisher]] that rigid airships should be constructed for the [[Royal Navy]] to be used for reconnaissance. This resulted in the construction of ''[[HMA No. 1|Mayfly]]'' in 1909, the first air component of the navy to become operational, and the genesis of modern naval aviation.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U96KYjd7hPEC|title=British Naval Aviation: The First 100 Years|editor=Tim Benbow|year=2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|page=1|isbn=9781409406129}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service |volume=I |last=Roskill |page=6}}</ref>

The first pilots for the Royal Navy were transferred from the [[Royal Aero Club]] in June 1910 along with two aircraft with which to train new pilots, and an airfield at [[Eastchurch airfield|Eastchurch]] became the Naval Flying School, the first such facility in the world.<ref>{{cite book |title=Impact of Air Power on the British People and the Government |last=Gollin |page=168 }}</ref>  Two hundred applications were received, and four were accepted: Lieutenant [[Charles Rumney Samson|C R Samson]], Lieutenant [[Arthur Longmore|A M Longmore]], Lieutenant A Gregory and Captain [[Eugene Gerrard|E L Gerrard]], [[Royal Marine Light Infantry|RMLI]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service|volume=I |last=Roskill |page=33 }}</ref>

The French also established a naval aviation capability in 1910 with the establishment of the [[French Naval Aviation|Service Aeronautique]] and the first flight training schools.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/france/navy/fra-navy-home.htm|title=France Naval Aviation|access-date=2012-12-17}}</ref>

U.S. naval aviation began with pioneer aviator [[Glenn Curtiss]] who contracted with the [[United States Navy]] to demonstrate that airplanes could take off from and land aboard ships at sea. One of his pilots, [[Eugene Ely]], took off from the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Birmingham|CL-2|6}} anchored off the [[Virginia]] coast in November 1910. Two months later Ely landed aboard another cruiser, {{USS|Pennsylvania|ACR-4|6}}, in [[San Francisco Bay]], proving the concept of shipboard operations. However, the platforms erected on those vessels were temporary measures. The U.S. Navy and Glenn Curtiss experienced two firsts during January 1911. On 27 January, Curtiss flew the first [[seaplane]] from the water at [[San Diego, California|San Diego Bay]] and the next day U.S. Navy Lt. [[Theodore G. Ellyson]], a student at the nearby Curtiss School, took off in a Curtiss "grass cutter" plane to become the first [[naval aviator]].

$25,000 was appropriated for the [[Bureau of Navigation (United States Navy)]] to purchase three airplanes and in the spring of 1911 four additional officers were trained as pilots by the [[Wright brothers]] and Curtiss. A camp with a primitive landing field was established on the [[Severn River (Maryland)|Severn River]] at Greenbury Point, near [[Annapolis, Maryland]].  The vision of the aerial fleet was for scouting.  Each aircraft would have a pilot and observer.  The observer would use the wireless radio technology to report on enemy ships.  Some thoughts were given to deliver counterattacks on hostile aircraft using "explosives or other means".  Using airplanes to bomb ships was seen as largely impractical at the time.  CAPT [[Washington Irving Chambers]] felt it was much easier to defend against airplanes than mines or torpedoes.  The wireless radio was cumbersome (greater than 50 pounds), but the technology was improving.  Experiments were underway for the first ICS (pilot to observer comms) using headsets, as well as connecting the observer to the radio.  The navy tested both telephones and voice tubes for ICS.  As of August 1911, Italy was the only other navy known to be adapting hydroplanes for naval use.<ref>Times-Picayune.  Our Aero Amphibian Fleet.  John Elfreth Watkins.  August 20, 1911.  Page 1.</ref>

The group expanded with the addition of six aviators in 1912 and five in 1913, from both the Navy and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and conducted maneuvers with the Fleet from the [[battleship]] {{USS|Mississippi|BB-23|6}}, designated as the Navy's aviation ship. Meanwhile, Captain [[Henry C. Mustin (1874–1923)|Henry C. Mustin]] successfully tested the concept of the [[Aircraft catapult|catapult launch]] in August 1912, and in 1915 made the first catapult launching from a ship underway. The first permanent [[naval air station]] was established at [[NAS Pensacola|Pensacola, Florida]], in January 1914 with Mustin as its commanding officer. On April 24 of that year, and for a period of approximately 45 days afterward, five [[floatplane]]s and [[flying boats]] flown by ten aviators operated from ''Mississippi'' and the cruiser ''Birmingham'' off [[Veracruz, Veracruz|Veracruz]] and [[Tampico, Tamaulipas|Tampico]], Mexico, respectively, conducting reconnaissance for troops ashore in the wake of the [[Tampico Affair]].

[[File:HMS Hibernia first ship aircraft takeoff 1912 IWM Q 71041.jpg|thumb|right|Lieutenant [[Charles Rumney Samson|Charles Samson]]'s historic takeoff from {{HMS|Hibernia|1905|2}} in 1912.]]
In January 1912, the British battleship {{HMS|Africa|1905|6}} took part in aircraft experiments at [[Sheerness]]. She was fitted for flying off aircraft with a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on|0}} downward-sloping runway which was installed on her foredeck, running over her forward {{convert|12|in|mm|adj=on|0}} [[gun turret]] from her forebridge to her [[Bow (ship)|bow]] and equipped with rails to guide the aircraft. The [[Gnome Engine Company|Gnome]]-engined [[Short Improved S.27]] "S.38", [[Pusher configuration|pusher]] seaplane piloted by Lieutenant [[Charles Rumney Samson|Charles Samson]] become the first British aircraft to take-off from a ship while at [[anchor]] in the [[River Medway]], on 10 January 1912. ''Africa'' then transferred her flight equipment to her [[sister ship]] {{HMS|Hibernia|1905|2}}.

In May 1912, with Commander Samson again flying the "S.38", the first ever instance of an aircraft to take off from a ship which was under way occurred. ''Hibernia'' steamed at {{convert|10.5|kn|lk=in}} at the [[Royal Fleet Review]] in [[Weymouth Bay]], [[England]]. ''Hibernia'' then transferred her aviation equipment to battleship {{HMS|London|1899|2}}. Based on these experiments, the Royal Navy concluded that aircraft were useful aboard ship for spotting and other purposes, but that interference with the firing of guns caused by the runway built over the foredeck and the danger and impracticality of recovering seaplanes that alighted in the water in anything but calm weather more than offset the desirability of having airplanes aboard. In 1912, the nascent naval air detachment in the United Kingdom was amalgamated to form the [[Royal Flying Corps]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service |volume=I |last=Roskill |page=37 }}</ref> and in 1913 a seaplane base on the [[Isle of Grain]], an airship base at [[Kingsnorth]] and eight new airfields were approved for construction.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service |volume=I |last=Roskill |page=70 }}</ref> The first aircraft participation in naval manoeuvres took place in 1913 with the cruiser {{HMS|Hermes|1898|2}} converted into a [[seaplane carrier]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service |volume=I |last=Roskill |page=138 }}</ref> In 1914, naval aviation was split again, and became the [[Royal Naval Air Service]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Naval Air Service |volume=I |last=Roskill |page=156 }}</ref> However, shipboard naval aviation had begun in the Royal Navy, and would become a major part of fleet operations by 1917.

Other early operators of seaplanes were [[German Empire|Germany]], within its ''Marine-Fliegerabteilung''  naval aviation units within the [[Imperial German Navy|''Kaiserliche Marine'']], and [[Russian Empire|Russia]]. In May 1913 Germany established a naval [[zeppelin]] detachment in [[Berlin-Johannisthal]] and an airplane squadron in [[Puck, Poland|Putzig]] (Puck, Poland).<ref name=Welt>[https://www.welt.de/geschichte/article115906361/Als-Wilhelm-II-seiner-Flotte-das-Fliegen-befahl.html "Marineflieger: Als Wilhelm II. seiner Flotte das Fliegen befahl"] [[Die Welt]], 6 May 2013, {{in lang|de}}</ref> The [[Imperial Japan|Japanese]] established the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]], modelled on the [[Royal Naval Air Service|RNAS]], in 1913. On 24 January 1913 came the first wartime naval aviation interservice cooperation mission. Greek pilots on a seaplane observed and drew a diagram of the positions of the [[Turkish Navy|Turkish fleet]] against which they dropped four bombs. This event was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international.<ref>[https://www.haf.gr/en/history/history/history_2.asp Hellenic Air Force History – Balkan Wars<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718062057/https://www.haf.gr/en/history/history/history_2.asp |date=2009-07-18 }}</ref>

===World War I===
[[File:JapaneseMauriceFarman.jpg|thumb|left|Japanese [[Farman Aviation Works|Maurice Farman]] seaplane from {{ship|Japanese seaplane carrier|Wakamiya||2}}]]
At the outbreak of war the Royal Naval Air Service had 93 aircraft, six [[airship]]s, two balloons and 727 personnel, making it larger than the Royal Flying Corps.<ref>{{cite book |title=Naval Aviation in the First World War |last=Layman |page=206 }}</ref> The main roles of the RNAS were fleet reconnaissance, patrolling coasts for enemy ships and submarines, attacking enemy coastal territory and defending Britain from enemy air-raids, along with deployment along the Western Front. In 1914 the first aerial torpedo was dropped in trials performed in a [[Short Folder|Short "Folder"]] by Lieutenant (later [[Air Chief Marshal]] Sir) [[Arthur Longmore]],<ref name=GlobalSecurity>GlobalSecurity.org. Military. [https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/tb.htm TB Torpedo Bomber. T Torpedo and bombing.] Retrieved on 29 September 2009.</ref> and in August 1915, a [[Short Type 184]] piloted by Flight Commander [[Charles Edmonds]] from {{HMS|Ben-my-Chree}} sank a Turkish supply ship in the [[Sea of Marmara]] with a {{convert|14|in|mm|adj=mid|-diameter}}, {{convert|810|lb|-1|adj=on}} torpedo.<ref name=GlobalSecurity/><ref name=Guinness>{{cite book|title=Guinness Book of Air Facts and Feats|edition=3rd|year=1977}}</ref>

The first strike from a seaplane carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] carrier {{ship|Japanese seaplane carrier|Wakamiya||2}} conducted ship-launched air raids<ref>''Wakamiya'' is "credited with conducting the first successful carrier air raid in history"[https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/index.html Source:GlobalSecurity.org], also "the first air raid in history to result in a success" ([https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/wakamiya-av.htm here])</ref> from [[Kiaochow Bay]] during the [[Battle of Tsingtao]] in China.<ref>"Sabre et pinceau", Christian Polak, p92</ref> The four [[Maurice Farman]] seaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a German [[minelayer]] in the [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]] peninsula from September until 6 November 1914, when the Germans surrendered.<ref>[https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/wakamiya-av.htm IJN Wakamiya Aircraft Carrier<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> One Japanese plane was credited being shot down by the German aviator [[Gunther Plüschow]] in an [[Etrich Taube]], using his pistol.

On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on 25 December 1914 when twelve seaplanes from {{HMS|Engadine|1911|6}}, {{HMS|Riviera||2}} and {{HMS|Empress|1914|2}} ([[English Channel|cross-channel]] steamers converted into seaplane carriers) [[Cuxhaven Raid|attacked the Zeppelin base at Cuxhaven]]. The raid was not a complete success, owing to sub-optimal weather conditions, including fog and low cloud, but the raid was able to conclusively demonstrate the feasibility of air-to-land strikes from a naval platform. Two German airships were destroyed at the [[Tondern raid|Tøndern base]] on July 19, 1918, by seven [[Sopwith Camel]]s launched from the carrier {{HMS|Furious|47|6}}.<ref>Micheal Clodfelter, Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th ed., McFarland, 2017, p. 430</ref>

In August 1914 Germany operated 20 planes and one Zeppelin, another 15 planes were confiscated.<ref name=Welt/> They operated from bases in Germany and Flanders (Belgium). On 19 August 1918 several British torpedo boats were sunk by 10 German planes near Heligoland. These are considered as the first naval units solely destroyed by airplanes.<ref>Micheal Clodfelter, Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th ed., McFarland, 2017, p. 426</ref> During the war the German "Marineflieger" claimed the destruction of 270 enemy planes, 6 balloons, 2 airships, 1 Russian destroyer, 4 merchant ships, 3 submarines, 4 torpedo boats and 12 vehicles, for the loss of 170 German sea and land planes as well as 9 vehicles.<ref>Georg Paul Neumann, Die deutschen Luftstreitkräfte im Weltkriege, E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1920, p. 589</ref> Notable Marineflieger aces were [[Gotthard Sachsenberg]] (31 victories), [[Alexander Zenzes]] (18 victories), [[Friedrich Christiansen]] (13 victories, 1 airship and 1 submarine), [[Karl Meyer (aviator)|Karl Meyer]] (8 victories), [[Karl Scharon]] (8 victories), and [[Hans Goerth]] (7 victories).

===Development of the aircraft carrier===
[[File:100 years of the RAF MOD 45163717.jpg|thumb|[[Edwin Harris Dunning|Sqn. Cdr. E. H. Dunning]] makes the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship, a [[Sopwith Pup]] on {{HMS|Furious|1916|6}}, 2 August 1917]]
The need for a more mobile strike capacity led to the development of the aircraft carrier - the backbone of modern naval aviation. {{HMS|Ark Royal|1914|6}} was the first purpose-built seaplane carrier and was also arguably the first modern aircraft carrier.<ref>{{cite book|last=Layman|first=R. D.|title=Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1859–1922|year=1989|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-0-87021-210-9}}</ref> She was originally [[Keel laying|laid down]] as a merchant ship, but was converted on the building stocks to be a hybrid airplane/seaplane carrier with a launch platform and the capacity to hold up to four wheeled aircraft. [[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]] on 5 September 1914, she served in the [[Dardanelles]] campaign and throughout World War&nbsp;I.

During World War I the Royal Navy also used HMS ''Furious'' to experiment with the use of wheeled aircraft on ships. This ship was reconstructed three times between 1915 and 1925: first, while still under construction, it was modified to receive a [[flight deck]] on the fore-deck; in 1917 it was reconstructed with separate flight decks fore and aft of the superstructure; then finally, after the war, it was heavily reconstructed with a three-quarter length main flight deck, and a lower-level take-off only flight deck on the fore-deck.

On 2 August 1917, [[Edwin Harris Dunning|Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning]], Royal Navy, landed his [[Sopwith Pup]] aircraft on ''Furious'' in [[Scapa Flow]], [[Orkney]], becoming the first person ''to land'' a plane on a moving ship.<ref name="furious"/> He was killed five days later during another landing on ''Furious''.<ref name="furious">{{cite web | title = HMS Furious 1917 | work = Royal Navy | publisher = RN official web site | url = https://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.880/changeNav/3533 | access-date = 10 January 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080613210138/https://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.880/changeNav/3533 | archive-date = 13 June 2008 }}</ref>

{{HMS|Argus|I49|6}} was converted from an [[ocean liner]] and became the first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a full-length flight deck that allowed wheeled aircraft to take off and land. After [[Ship commissioning|commissioning]], the ship was heavily involved for several years in the development of the optimum design for other aircraft carriers. ''Argus'' also evaluated various types of [[arresting gear]], general procedures needed to operate a number of aircraft in concert, and fleet tactics.

The [[Tondern raid]], a British bombing raid against the [[Imperial German Navy]]'s airship base at [[Tønder]], [[Denmark]] was the first attack in history made by aircraft flying from a carrier flight deck, with seven [[Sopwith Camel]]s launched from HMS ''Furious''. For the loss of one man, the British destroyed two German [[zeppelin]]s, L.54 and L.60 and a captive balloon.

===Interwar period===
[[File:Grumman J2F-6 Duck Candy Clipper BuNo 33549 N1214N 1st Pass 10 15thAnny FOF 28Nov2010 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Grumman J2F Duck]] was an  [[amphibious aircraft|amphibious]] [[biplane]] used for patrol]] 
Genuine aircraft carriers did not emerge beyond Britain until the early 1920s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/ev-1910s/ev-1910/ely-birm.htm | title=Eugene Ely's Flight from USS ''Birmingham'', 14 November 1910 | publisher=U.S. Department of the Navy – Naval Historical Center | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021206155632/https://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/ev-1910s/ev-1910/ely-birm.htm | archive-date=6 December 2002 | access-date=10 June 2022}}</ref>

The Japanese {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}} (1921) was the world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, although the initial plans and [[laid down|laying down]] for {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}} (1924) had begun earlier.<ref>Milanovich, Kathrin. "Hôshô: The First Aircraft Carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy", {{nowrap|pp. 9 ff.}} in John Jordan's ''Warship''. Conway (London), 2008. {{ISBN|978-1-84486-062-3}}.</ref> Both ''Hōshō'' and ''Hermes'' initially boasted the two most distinctive features of a modern aircraft carrier: a full-length flight deck and a starboard-side control tower [[Island (aircraft carrier)|island]]. Both continued to be adjusted in the light of further experimentation and experience, however: ''Hōshō'' even opted to remove its island entirely in favor of a less obstructed flight deck and improved pilot visibility.<ref>Milanovich (2008), {{nowrap|p. 17 ff.}}.</ref> Instead, Japanese carriers opted to control their flight operations from a platform extending from the side of the flight deck.<ref>Peattie, Mark. ''Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941'', {{nowrap|p. 53.}} Naval Institute Press (Annapolis), 2001. {{ISBN|1-55750-432-6}}.</ref>

In the United States, Admiral [[William S. Benson|William Benson]] attempted to entirely dissolve the USN's [[Bureau of Aeronautics#Origins: 1920s and 1930s|Naval Aeronautics]] program in 1919. Assistant Secretary of the Navy [[Franklin D. Roosevelt#Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913–1919)|Franklin Roosevelt]] and others succeeded in maintaining it, but the service continued to support battleship-based doctrines. To counter [[Billy Mitchell]]'s campaign to establish a separate Department of Aeronautics, [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Josephus Daniels]] ordered a rigged test against {{USS|Indiana|BB-1|6}} in 1920 which reached the conclusion that "the entire experiment pointed to the improbability of a modern battleship being either destroyed or completely put out of action by aerial bombs."<ref>Correll, John T. "Billy Mitchell and the Battleships" in ''Air Force Magazine'', {{nowrap|pp. 64 f.}} June 2008.</ref> Investigation by the ''[[New-York Tribune]]'' that discovered the rigging led to [[United States Congress|Congressional]] resolutions compelling [[Project B|more honest studies]]. The sinking of {{SMS|Ostfriesland}} involved violating the Navy's [[rules of engagement]] but completely vindicated Mitchell to the public.<ref>[[Naval History & Heritage Command]]. ''[https://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navybomb2.htm The Naval Bombing Experiments: Bombing Operations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201213720/https://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navybomb2.htm |date=2014-02-01 }}''. 3 Apr 2007. Accessed 31 Dec 2010.</ref> 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 very fate had befallen the two air services of the United Kingdom 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. The first aircraft carrier entered the U.S. fleet with the conversion of the [[Collier (ship)|collier]] USS ''Jupiter'' and its recommissioning as {{USS|Langley|CV-1|6}} in 1922.

Many British naval vessels carried float planes, seaplanes or amphibians for reconnaissance and spotting: two to four on battleships or [[battlecruiser]]s and one on cruisers. The aircraft, a [[Fairey Seafox]] or later a [[Supermarine Walrus]], were [[Aircraft catapult|catapult-launched]], and landed on the sea alongside for recovery by crane. Several [[submarine aircraft carriers]] were built by Japan, each carrying one floatplane, which did not prove effective in war. The French Navy built one large [[submarine]], {{ship|French submarine|Surcouf||2}}, which also carried one floatplane, and was also not effective in war.

===World War II===
{{See also|Aircraft carrier operations during World War II}}
[[World War II]] saw the emergence of naval aviation as the decisive element in the war at sea. The principal users were Japan, United States (both with Pacific interests to protect) and Britain. Germany, the Soviet Union, France and Italy had a lesser involvement. [[Soviet Naval Aviation]] was mostly organised as land-based coastal defense force (apart from some scout floatplanes it consisted almost exclusively of land-based types also used by its air arms).

During the course of the war, seaborne aircraft were used in fleet actions at sea ([[Battle of Midway|Midway]], {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||2}}), strikes against naval units in port ([[Battle of Taranto|Taranto]], [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]]), support of ground forces ([[Battle of Okinawa|Okinawa]], [[Allied invasion of Italy]]) and [[anti-submarine warfare]] (the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]). [[Carrier-based aircraft]] were specialised as [[dive bomber]]s, [[torpedo bomber]]s, and [[Fighter aircraft|fighters]]. Surface-based aircraft such as the [[PBY Catalina]] helped finding submarines and surface fleets.

In World War II the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship as the most powerful naval offensive weapons system as battles between fleets were increasingly fought out of gun range by aircraft. The Japanese {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}, the heaviest battleship ever built, was first turned back by light [[escort carrier]] aircraft and later sunk lacking its own air cover.
[[File:Douglas SBD 5 tricolor with bomb.jpg|thumb|The Douglas Dauntless SBD was used extensively during the [[Battle of Midway]].]]
During the [[Doolittle Raid]] of 1942, 16 [[Army Air Force|Army]] medium bombers were launched from the carrier ''Hornet'' on one-way missions to bomb Japan. All were lost to fuel exhaustion after bombing their targets and the experiment was not repeated. Smaller carriers were built in large numbers to escort slow cargo convoys or supplement fast carriers. Aircraft for observation or light raids were also carried by battleships and cruisers, while blimps were used to search for attack submarines.

Experience showed that there was a need for widespread use of aircraft which could not be met quickly enough by building new fleet aircraft carriers. This was particularly true in the [[North Atlantic]], where convoys were highly vulnerable to [[U-boat]] attack. The British authorities used unorthodox, temporary, but effective means of giving air protection such as [[CAM ship]]s and [[merchant aircraft carrier]]s, merchant ships modified to carry a small number of aircraft. The solution to the problem were large numbers of mass-produced merchant hulls converted into [[escort aircraft carriers]] (also known as "jeep carriers"). These basic vessels, unsuited to fleet action by their capacity, speed and vulnerability, nevertheless provided air cover where it was needed.

The Royal Navy had observed the impact of naval aviation and, obliged to prioritise their use of resources, abandoned battleships as the mainstay of the fleet. {{HMS|Vanguard|23|6}} was therefore the last British battleship and her sisters were cancelled. The United States had already instigated a large construction programme (which was also cut short) but these large ships were mainly used as anti-aircraft batteries or for [[Naval gunfire support|shore bombardment]].

Other actions involving naval aviation included:
* Battle of the Atlantic, aircraft carried by low-cost escort carriers were used for antisubmarine patrol, defense, and attack.
* At the start of the [[Pacific War]] in 1941, Japanese carrier-based aircraft sank many US warships during the attack on Pearl Harbor and land-based aircraft [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse|sank two large British warships]]. Engagements between Japanese and American naval fleets were then conducted largely or entirely by aircraft - examples include the battles of [[Battle of the Coral Sea|Coral Sea]], Midway, [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea|Bismarck Sea]] and [[Battle of the Philippine Sea|Philippine Sea]].<ref name="boyne 227">Boyne (2003), pp.227–8</ref>
* [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], with the first appearance of [[kamikaze]]s, perhaps the [[largest naval battle in history]]. Japan's last carriers and pilots are deliberately sacrificed, a [[Japanese battleship Musashi|battleship]] is sunk by aircraft.
* [[Operation Ten-Go]] demonstrated U.S. air supremacy in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific theater]] by this stage in the war and the vulnerability of [[surface ship]]s without air cover to aerial attack.

===Post-war developments===
[[File:British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS1, UK - Navy AN2111926.jpg|thumb|left|The ski-jump and a [[Sea Harrier]] on Royal Navy carrier {{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}}.]]
Jet aircraft were used on aircraft carriers after the War. The first jet landing on a carrier was made by [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Lt Cdr Eric 'Winkle' Brown]] who landed on {{HMS|Ocean|R68|6}} in the specially modified [[de Havilland Vampire]] ([[United Kingdom military aircraft registration number|registration]] LZ551/G) on 3 December 1945.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation>{{Cite book|last=Sturtivant|first=Ray|title=British Naval Aviation, The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990|publisher=Arm & Armour Press|date=1990|location=[[London]], England|pages=161–179|isbn=978-0-85368-938-6}}</ref>  Following the introduction of [[Flight deck#Angled flight deck|angled flight decks]], jets were regularly operating from carriers by the mid-1950s.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/>

An important development of the early 1950s was the British invention of the angled flight deck by Capt D.R.F. Campbell RN in conjunction with [[Lewis Boddington]] of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/> The runway was canted at an angle of a few degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship. If an aircraft missed the arrestor cables (referred to as a "[[bolter (aviation)|bolter]]"), the pilot only needed to increase [[engine]] power to maximum to get airborne again, and would not hit the parked aircraft because the angled deck pointed out over the sea. The angled flight deck was first tested on {{HMS|Triumph|R16|6}}, by painting angled deck markings onto the centerline flight deck for touch and go landings.<ref name=SPCflightdeck>{{cite web |url=https://www.navy.gov.au/history/angled-flight-deck |title=The angled flight deck |access-date=22 January 2013 |work=Sea Power Centre Australia |publisher=Royal Australian Navy}}</ref> The modern [[Aircraft catapult|steam-powered catapult]], powered by steam from a ship's [[boiler]]s or reactors, was invented by Commander C.C. Mitchell of the [[Royal Naval Reserve]].<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/> It was widely adopted following trials on {{HMS|Perseus|R51|6}} between 1950 and 1952 which showed it to be more powerful and reliable than the hydraulic catapults which had been introduced in the 1940s.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/> The first [[Optical Landing System]], the [[Mirror landing aid|Mirror Landing Aid]] was invented by Lieutenant Commander H. C. N. Goodhart RN.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/> The first trials of a mirror landing sight were conducted on HMS ''Illustrious'' in 1952.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/>

The US Navy built the first aircraft carrier to be powered by [[nuclear reactor]]s. {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}} was powered by eight nuclear reactors and was the second surface warship (after {{USS|Long Beach|CGN-9|6}}) to be powered in this way. The post-war years also saw the development of the [[helicopter]], with a variety of useful roles and mission capability aboard aircraft carriers and other naval ships. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United Kingdom and the United States converted some older carriers into Commando Carriers or [[Landing Platform Helicopter]]s (LPH); seagoing helicopter airfields like {{HMS|Bulwark|R08|6}}. To mitigate the expensive connotations of the term "aircraft carrier", the {{sclass|Invincible|aircraft carrier|0}} carriers were originally designated as "through deck cruisers" and were initially to operate as helicopter-only craft escort carriers.

The arrival of the Sea Harrier [[VTOL]]/[[STOVL]] fast jet meant that the Invincible-class could carry fixed-wing aircraft, despite their short flight decks. The British also introduced the [[ski-jump ramp]] as an alternative to contemporary catapult systems.<ref name=BritishNavalAviation/> As the Royal Navy retired or sold the last of its World War&nbsp;II-era carriers, they were replaced with smaller ships designed to operate helicopters and the V/STOVL Sea Harrier jet. The ski-jump gave the Harriers an enhanced STOVL capability, allowing them to take off with heavier payloads.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA378145|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125013609/https://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA378145|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2009|title=Using Simulation to Optimize Ski Jump Ramp Profiles for STOVL Aircraft|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2013, the US Navy completed the first successful catapult launch and arrested landing of an [[unmanned aerial vehicle]] (UAV) aboard an aircraft carrier. After a decade of research and planning, the US Navy has been testing the integration of UAVs with carrier-based forces since 2013, using the experimental [[Northrop Grumman X-47B]], and is working to procure a fleet of carrier-based UAVs, referred to as the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ernst|first1=Douglas|title=Navy's X-47B drone completes 'key' carrier tests alongside F/A-18 Hornet|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/19/navys-new-x-47b-drone-completes-key-aircraft-carri/|access-date=24 March 2015|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=19 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Sean|title=Top Gun, robot-style: Navy moves ahead on carrier-based drone program|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/04/top-gun-robot-style-navy-moves-ahead-on-carrier-based-drone-program/|access-date=24 March 2015|work=arstechnica|date=23 April 2014}}</ref>

==Roles==

Naval aviation forces primarily perform naval roles at sea. However, they are also used for other tasks which vary between states. Common roles for such forces include:
[[File:US Navy 071112-N-1465K-005 An MH-53E Sea Dragon, from Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron (HM) 15, performs mine countermeasure training using the MK-105 sled.jpg|thumb|An [[Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion|MH-53E]] helicopter, performs mine countermeasure training using the MK-105 sled]]

===Fleet air defense===
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.

===Strategic projection===
Naval aviation also provides countries with the opportunity to deploy military aircraft over land and sea, without the need for air bases on land.

===Mine countermeasures===
Aircraft may be used to conduct [[naval mine]] [[minesweeping|clearance]], the aircraft tows a sled through the water but is itself at a significant distance from the water, hopefully putting itself out of harm's way. Aircraft include the [[MH-53E]] and [[AW101]].<ref>{{cite web |first= Greg |last= Waldron |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/japan-selects-northrop-mine-hunting-gear-for-mch101-fleet-363840/ |title= Japan selects Northrop mine-hunting gear for MCH101 fleet |work= Flight International |date= 25 October 2011 |access-date= 5 January 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111110121208/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/japan-selects-northrop-mine-hunting-gear-for-mch101-fleet-363840/ |archive-date= 10 November 2011 |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Anti-surface warfare===
Aircraft operated by navies are also used in the [[anti-surface warfare]] (ASUW or ASuW) role, to attack enemy ships and other, [[surface combatant]]s. This is generally conducted using air-launched [[anti-ship missile]]s.

===Amphibious warfare===
Naval aviation is also used as part of [[amphibious warfare]]. Aircraft based on naval ships provide support to [[marines]] and other forces performing amphibious landings. Ship-based aircraft may also be used to support amphibious forces as they move inland.

===Maritime patrol===
Naval aircraft are used for various [[Maritime patrol aircraft|maritime patrol]] missions, such as reconnaissance, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement.
[[File:Breguet 1150 Atlantic, Germany - Navy AN1088449.jpg|thumb|A [[German Navy]] [[Bréguet 1150 Atlantic|1150 Atlantic]] is an example of a [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]] land based aircraft]]

===Vertical replenishment===
[[Vertical replenishment]] (VERTREP) is a method of supplying naval vessels at sea, by [[helicopter]]. This means moving cargo and supplies from supply ships to the flight decks of other naval vessels using naval helicopters.

===Anti-submarine warfare===
During the [[Cold War]], the navies of [[NATO]] faced a significant threat from [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] submarine forces, specifically [[Soviet Navy]] [[SSN (U.S. 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 ships. These carriers are typically around 20,000 tons [[displacement (ship)|displacement]] and carry a mix of ASW helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Land-based maritime patrol aircraft are also useful in this role, since they can operate independently of aircraft carriers.

===Disaster relief===
Naval aircraft are used to airlift supplies, insert specialized personnel (e.g. medical staff, relief workers), and evacuate persons in distress in the aftermath of natural disasters. Naval aircraft are vital in cases where traditional infrastructure to provide relief are destroyed or overtaxed in the wake of a disaster, such as when a region's airport is destroyed or overcrowded and the region cannot be effectively accessed by road or helicopter. The capability of ships to provide clean, fresh water which can be transported by helicopter to affected areas is also valuable. Naval aircraft played an important part in providing relief in the wake of the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]] and [[Typhoon Haiyan]].

==List of naval aviation units==
===Current===
* [[Argentine Naval Aviation]] ([[Argentine Navy]])
* [[Fleet Air Arm (RAN)]] ([[Royal Australian Navy]])
* [[Bangladesh Naval Aviation]] ([[Bangladesh Navy]])[[File:Operação Atlântico 2018 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A Brazilian Navy EC725 helicopter]]
* [[Brazilian Naval Aviation]] ([[Brazilian Navy]])
* [[People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force]] ([[People's Liberation Army Navy|Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy]])
* [[Republic of China Naval Aviation Command]] ([[Republic of China Navy]])
* {{ill|Chilean Navy Aviation|es|Aviación Naval de Chile}} ([[Chilean Navy]])
* [[Colombian Navy#Aircraft|Colombian Naval Aviation]] ([[Colombian Navy]])
* [[United States Marine Corps Aviation|Department of Aviation]] ([[United States Marine Corps]])
* [[Flotilla de Aeronaves (FLOAN)]] ([[Spanish Navy]])
* [[French Naval Aviation]] ([[French Navy]])
* [[Marineflieger]] ([[German Navy]])
* [[Navy Aviation Command]] ([[Hellenic Navy]])
* [[Indian Naval Air Arm]] ([[Indian Navy]])
* [[Indonesian Naval Aviation Center]] ([[Indonesian Navy]])
* [[Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation]] ([[Islamic Republic of Iran Navy]])
* [[Italian Naval Aviation]] ([[Italian Navy]])
* [[Fleet Air Force (JMSDF)|Fleet Air Force]] ([[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]])
* [[Republic of Korea Navy#Republic of Korea Fleet|Air Wing Six]] ([[Republic of Korea Navy]])
* [[Royal Malaysian Navy Aviation]] ([[Royal Malaysian Navy]])
* [[Mexican Naval Aviation]] ([[Mexican Navy]])
* [[Pakistan Naval Air Arm]] ([[Pakistan Navy]])
* [[Peruvian Naval Aviation]] ([[Peruvian Navy]])
* [[Polish Navy#Ships and naval aircraft|Polish Naval Aviation]] ([[Polish Navy]]) [[File:Royal Australian Air Force (A47-006) Boeing P-8A Poseidon.jpg|thumb|Although operated by the [[RAAF]] the [[Boeing P-8 Poseidon|Boeing P-8A]] flies patrol for naval operations]]
* [[Portuguese Naval Aviation]] ([[Portuguese Navy]])
* [[Russian Naval Aviation]] ([[Russian Navy]])
* [[Royal Thai Naval Air Division]] ([[Royal Thai Navy]])
* [[Turkish Naval Aviation]] ([[Turkish Navy]])
* [[Ukrainian Naval Aviation]] ([[Ukrainian Navy]])
* [[Fleet Air Arm]] (United Kingdom [[Royal Navy]])
* [[Commander, Naval Air Forces|United States Naval Air Forces]] ([[United States Navy]])
* [[Naval Air Force, Vietnam People's Navy]] ([[Vietnam People's Navy]])

===Former===
* [[K.u.K. Seefliegerkorps]] ([[Austro-Hungarian Navy]])
* [[Naval Air Service (Greece)]] ([[Greece Navy]])
* [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] ([[Imperial Japanese Navy]])
* [[Netherlands Naval Aviation Service]] ([[Royal Netherlands Navy]])
* [[Royal Naval Air Service]] (UK [[Royal Navy]])
* [[Soviet Naval Aviation]] ([[Soviet Navy]])

==See also==
* [[Aerial warfare]]
* [[Army aviation]]
* [[List of naval air forces]]
* [[Military aviation]]
* [[Modern United States Navy carrier air operations]]
* [[Naval air squadron]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Grosnick, Roy A. United States Naval Aviation 1910 - 1995 (4th ed. 1997) [https://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Guide-Aviation-History-ebook/dp/B00D9HLFB4/  partly online]. Full text (775 pages) public domain edition is also available [https://www.history.navy.mil/branches/usna1910.htm online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216235851/https://www.history.navy.mil/branches/usna1910.htm |date=2014-12-16 }}.
* Ireland, Bernard. '' The History of Aircraft Carriers: An authoritative guide to 100 years of aircraft carrier development'' (2008)
* Polmar, Norman. ''Aircraft carriers;: A graphic history of carrier aviation and its influence on world events'' (1969)
* Polmar, Norman. ''Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events'' (2nd ed. 2 vol 2006)
* Polmar, Norman, ed. ''Historic Naval Aircraft: The Best of "Naval History" Magazine'' (2004)
* Smith, Douglas, V. ''One Hundred Years of U.S. Navy Air Power'' (2010)
* Trimble, William F. ''Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation'' (2010)

===World War II===
* King, Dan, ed. ''The Last Zero Fighter: Firsthand Accounts from WWII Japanese Naval Pilots'' (2012) [https://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Zero-Fighter-Firsthand/dp/1468178806/  excerpt and text search]
* Lundstrom, John B. ''The First Team: Pacific Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway'' (2005) [https://www.amazon.com/The-First-Team-Pacific-Combat/dp/159114471X/ excerpt and text search]
* [[Clark G. Reynolds|Reynolds, Clark G.]], ''The fast carriers: the forging of an air navy'' (3rd ed. 1992)
* Reynolds, Clark G. '' On the Warpath in the Pacific: Admiral Jocko Clark and the Fast Carriers'' (2005) [https://www.amazon.com/On-Warpath-Pacific-Admiral-Carriers/dp/1591147166/ excerpt and text search]
* Symonds, Craig L. ''The Battle of Midway'' (2011) [https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Pivotal-Moments-American-History/dp/0195397932/   excerpt and text search]
* Tillman, Barrett. ''Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War&nbsp;II'' (2012) [https://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Americas-Fightingest-Helped-World/dp/1439190879/  excerpt and text search]

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Naval aviation}}
*[https://www.history.navy.mil/branches/usna1910.htm United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216235851/https://www.history.navy.mil/branches/usna1910.htm |date=2014-12-16 }} - A comprehensive history from the U.S. [[Naval Historical Center]]

{{Military branches}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naval Aviation}}
[[Category:Naval aviation| ]]