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CATOBAR (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery[1] orcatapult-assisted take-off barrier arrested recovery[2]) is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of anaircraft carrier. Under this technique, aircraft launch using acatapult-assisted take-off and land on the ship (the recovery phase) usingarrestor wires.
Although this system is costlier than alternative methods, it provides greater flexibility in carrier operations, since it imposes less onerous design elements on fixed wing aircraft than alternative methods of launch and recovery such asSTOVL orSTOBAR, allowing for a greater payload for more ordnance and/or fuel. CATOBAR can launch aircraft that lack a highthrust to weight ratio, including heavier non-fighter aircraft such as theE-2 Hawkeye andGrumman C-2 Greyhound.[3][4][5]
The catapult system in use in most modern CATOBAR carriers is thesteam catapult. Its primary advantage is the amount of power and control it can provide. During World War II the US Navy used a hydraulic catapult.
The United States and China completed the development ofelectromagnetic catapult to launch carrier-based aircraft using a linear motor drive instead of steam. The electromagnetic catapult is found on the AmericanGerald R. Ford-class carriers (the electromagnetic aircraft launch system)[6] and the Chinese carrierFujian.
Following the decommissioning of Brazil'sNAe São Paulo in February 2017, only three states currently operate carriers that use the CATOBAR system: the U.S. with itsNimitz-class andGerald R. Ford-class, France with itsCharles De Gaulle, and China with its Type-003Fujian.
| Class | Picture | Origin | No. of ships | Propulsion | Displacement | Operator | Aircraft carried | Catapult |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimitz | .jpg) | United States | 10 | Nuclear | 100,020 t (220,510,000 lb) | F/A-18C Hornet F/A-18E/F Super Hornet F-35C Lightning II EA-18G Growler C-2 Greyhound E-2C/D Hawkeye | C-13-1 or C-13-2 steam | |
| Gerald R. Ford | _arrives_at_Naval_Station_Norfolk_on_14_April_2017.JPG) | United States | 1 | Nuclear | 100,000 t (220,000,000 lb) | United States Navy | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet F-35C Lightning II EA-18G Growler E-2D Hawkeye | EMALS |
| Charles de Gaulle | _underway_2009.jpg) | France | 1 | Nuclear | 42,500 t (93,700,000 lb) | French Navy | Rafale M E-2C Hawkeye | C-13-3 steam |
| Class | Picture | Origin | No. of ships | Propulsion | Displacement | Operator | Aircraft carried | Catapult |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald R. Ford | | United States | 2 | Nuclear | 100,000 t (220,000,000 lb) | United States Navy | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet F-35C Lightning II E-2D Hawkeye | EMALS |
| Fujian (Type 003) | China | 1 | Conventional | 08000 80,000+ t | Shenyang J-15 Shenyang J-35 Xi'an KJ-600 Harbin Z-20 | EM catapult[7] | ||
| PANG | France | 1 | Nuclear | 75,000 t | French Navy | Dassault Rafale M orFCAS | EMALS | |
| Type 004 | China | 1 | Nuclear | 110,000 t | People's Liberation Army Navy | Shenyang J-15 orShenyang J-35 Xi'an KJ-600 | EMALS |
The ChineseFujian (Type 003) features anintegrated electric propulsion system that will allow the operation ofelectromagnetic catapults, similar to theElectromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) used by theUnited States Navy.[8][9]
INS Vishal, India's second indigenous aircraft carrier of theVikrant-class, is planned to be of 65,000 ton displacement and to utilize the EMALS catapults developed byGeneral Atomics, as it supports heavier fighters, AEW aircraft and UCAVs that cannot launch using aSTOBAR ski jump ramps.[10]
Under Project Ark Royal, theRoyal Navy plans to install catapults and arrestor equipment to its twoSTOVL-configuredQueen Elizabeth-classaircraft carriers to launch and recover combat drones which are being procured underProject Vixen.[11]
The Turkish defence industry is underway at developing an indigenous catapult system forMUGEM-class aircraft carrier. With the ski-jump being modular by design, this can be removed and the ship could be reconfigured as a CATOBAR carrier.[12]