page_title: Carrier-based aircraft
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Carrier-based aircraft / History
caption_attribution_description: A De Havilland Sea Vampire Mk.10 taking off from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier 'HMS Ocean' on 3 December 1945. The plane was flown by Cpt. Eric "Winkle" Brown and was the first landing and take off of a jet airplane from an aircraft carrier. The plane had been converted for carrier trials.
context_page_description: Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstand the abrupt forces of launching from and recovering on a pitching deck. In addition, their wings are generally able to fold up, easing operations in tight quarters.
  Such aircraft are designed for many purposes including air-to-air combat, surface attack, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, transport, weather observation, reconnaissance and airborne early warning and control duties.
  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, destroyers, frigates and container ships.
context_section_description: The 1903 advent of fixed-wing aircraft was followed in 1910 by the first flight of an aircraft from the  deck of an anchored warship (the United States Navy's USS Birmingham), and in 1912, by the first flight of an aircraft from the deck of a warship underway (the Royal Navy's HMS Hibernia). 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 Béarn (1927). With these developments, the need for specialized aircraft adapted for take-offs and landings from the flight decks of those ships became recognized.
  The significance of air power grew between the wars, driven by the increased range, carrying power, and effectiveness of carrier-launched aircraft, until it became impossible to disregard its importance during World War II, following the loss of many warships to aircraft, including the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, the Battle of Taranto, the Attack on Pearl Harbor and numerous other incidents. Following the war, carrier operations continued to increase in size and importance.
caption: The first carrier landing and take-off of a jet aircraft, by a De Havilland Vampire in 1945.
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