Navy Aircraft, Carrier-Based Though attempted in the Great War, the carrier-based aircraft would have to wait decades to see its true potent value.
1
Aeromarine 39 The Aeromarine 39 was a two-seat plane for land-based or seaplane training ordered by the US Navy in 1917. The versatile aircraft was built by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company of Keyport, New Jersey. The design was a s...
Aichi D3A (Val) The D3A series of aircraft (dubbed "Val" by the Allies) were thought to be all but extinct when the war in the Pacific began. The rude awakening came in the form of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii - home to the ...
BAe Sea Harrier The arrival of the land-based Hawker Siddeley Harrier revolutionized the British military approach upon its inception into RAF service in 1969. The system allowed for vertical take-offs and landings by providing the hovering ...
1978
6
Bell XFL Airabonita The XFL "Airabonita" was a Bell Aircraft Company product developed in parallel with the P-39 Airacobra, a land-based USAAF design that eventually achieved operational status. In essence, the Airabonita was a "navalized" versi...
1940
7
Blackburn / Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer The Blackburn Buccaneer was a highly-respected low-level carrier-borne strike aircraft utilized by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. The Buccaneer featured a crew of two seated in tandem, an internal weapons bay to comp...
1962
8
Blackburn Firebrand The Blackburn Firebrand was a carried-based strike fighter aircraft developed by Blackburn Aircraft of the United Kingdom. She was a design of G.E. Petty and went on to live a troubled development before reaching operation st...
1945
9
Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Hornet The F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based attack fighter currently in frontline service with a variety of forces worldwide. Derived from the failed YF-17 Cobra attempt at a new USAF lightweight fighter (the F-17 lost o...
1983
10
Boeing / McDonnell Douglas / Northrop F/A-18 Super Hornet The Super Hornet is the latest, and most likely the ultimate, evolution in the F/A-18 Hornet series of precision strike aircraft covering carrierborne operations. Produced by a consortium of contractors that includes Boeing a...
2002
11
Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight The CH-46 Sea Knight is similar in design and role to the CH-47 Chinook series of transport helicopters. Both offer up unobstructed access to the aircraft by keeping engine components mounted above the design. Both also utili...
1964
12
Boeing F4B The Boeing-produced F4B series of aircraft was produced in large quantities for the United States Army and the United States Navy (as the P-12). The aircraft was of simple biplane design with open cockpit, a static undercarri...
1929
13
Breguet Br.1050 Alize (Tradewind) The Breguet Br.1050 "Alize" (meaning "tradewind") was a French production aircraft suitable for carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) tactics. The system was fielded in limited quantity throughout the Cold War and proved...
1956
14
Brewster F2A Buffalo The stubby F2A Buffalo series became the United States Navy's first operational aircraft of monoplane design. Despite this honor, the system as a whole failed to live up to expectations set forth by technology and combat tact...
1937
15
Curtiss F6C HAWK The Curtiss F6C Hawk series of aircraft was in fact the US Navy/Marine model of the US Army's P-1 Hawk series. The US Navy found the P-1 attractive enough to begin fielding it as a carrier-based aircraft whilst the US Marines...
1924
16
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unassuming dive bomber / reconnaissance aircraft serving throughout World War 2 beginning in 1943. Originally designed in a competition to replace the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C...
Dassault Etendard The base Dassault-produced Etendard (meaning "Standard") was a private venture that was initially greeted without much fervor. When the French Navy came looking for a lightweight carrier-capable platform, the Etendard series ...
1958
19
Dassault Super Etendard (Standard) The Dassault Super Etendard ("Standard") was a further development of the base Etendard platform that performed well in service with the French Navy. The system saw deliveries start from the late 1970's onward and by the end ...
1978
20
de Havilland D.H.103 Hornet / Sea Hornet From the outset, the de Havilland D.H.103 "Hornet" was designed to a British requirement of a twin-engine, long-range fighter-bomber capable of operations in the Far East. With the specification having been drawn up by 1943, ...
1946
21
de Havilland D.H.110 Sea Vixen In the 1950's, the de Havilland production of the Sea Vixen became the Royal Navy's first swept wing fighter design and Britain's first all-missile aircraft. The Sea Vixen was selected to replace the Sea Venom and became a fo...
1958
22
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk The A-4 Skyhawk (nicknamed "Heinemann's Hot Rod" and the "Scooter") came about as a private venture when the Douglas corporation was seeking to replace the aging AD Skyraider (A-1 Skyraider) piston-engine aircraft. The succes...
Douglas F3D / F-10 Skyknight The Douglas F3D series of aircraft holds several distinctions in the world of aviation history and in the circle of United States military aviation. To start off, the F3D became the world's first jet-powered carrier-based nig...
1950
25
Douglas F4D Skyray / F-6 Skyray The F4D Skyray (affectionately nicknamed the "Ford" for its "F", "Four" and "D" used in the designation) stemmed from a 1947 United States Navy requirement to field a competitive Mach 1-capable, high-altitude interceptor. Not...
1956
26
Douglas SBD Dauntless The Douglas DBS Dauntless dive bomber was a key cog in the America Navy war effort throughout the Pacific during World War 2. Though a product of the middle-to-late 1930's, the type continued to soldier on even as more advanc...
Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly was a hugely successful, two-seat, carrierborne fighter aircraft serving with the Royal Fleet Air Arm through the latter half of the Second World War, eventually seeing service up until the mid-1950's. The ...
Grumman / Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound The Grumman C-2 Greyhound was developed from the successful Grumman E-2 Hawkeye. Whereas the latter was a dedicated carrier-based Airborne Early Warning platform, the Greyhound was evolved into a carrier-based transport featu...
1967
31
Grumman A-6 Intruder The Grumman A-6 Intruder series of strike aircraft was designed to a United States Navy specification drawn up covering an attack aircraft capable carrying and delivering large payloads over distance and in any weather. The i...
1968
32
Grumman E-2 Hawkeye The E-2 Hawkeye series serves carrier battle groups (principally in the United States Navy) and is called upon as an all-weather airborne command and control battle space management system. The Hawkeye became operational in 1...
1964
33
Grumman F11F / F-11 Tiger The Grumman-produced F11F Tiger was designed at about the time the Grumman Cougar was already close to production. The program goal of the Tiger series was to produce a highly-capable daytime fighter with exceptional dogfight...
1957
34
Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat-series of variable-geometry wing carrier-capable interceptors is one of the true living success stories of Cold War aircraft design. The system was popularized by the Hollywood motion picture "Top Gun"...
1974
35
Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat was the unsung hero of the Allied Pacific Theater campaign in the early years of World War 2. Often overshadowed by the upcoming Grumman F6F Hellcats and Vought F4U Corsair hotrods, the stubby Wildcat ...
1940
36
Grumman F6F Hellcat The F6F Hellcat was the successor to - and a logical evolution of – the capable F4F Wildcat series of carrier-borne aircraft fielded by the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater of World War 2. In the conflict, the Hellca...
1943
37
Grumman F7F Tigercat The F7F Tigercat was another carrier-borne aircraft development in Grumman's long line of "cat" named fighters. The system was originally designed as a twin-engine fighter for use off of the decks of US Navy Midway-class airc...
1944
38
Grumman F8F Bearcat In many ways, the Grumman F8F Bearcat was the pinnacle of United States piston-engine fighter design. The aircraft arrived within the waning months of World War 2, missing combat action in all theaters altogether, but still m...
1945
39
Grumman F9F Cougar The F9F Cougar was a direct and further development of the F9F Panther (detailed elsewhere on this site. The similarities between the two were limited to just the forward fuselage of the Panther being used in the Cougar desig...
1952
40
Grumman F9F Panther The Grumman F9F Panther series saw extensive combat in the Korean War for the United States Navy, accounting for over 78,000 combat sorties. The system was primarily utilized as a close-support strike aircraft but could hold ...
1950
41
Grumman TBF Avenger The TBF Avenger became a classic warfighter thanks to its resilience in the ongoing battle over the Pacific in the Second World War. Able to deliver payloads of torpedoes, drop bombs and rockets, the system was also capable (...
Hawker Sea Fury / Fury The Hawker Sea Fury was developed out Hawker's Typhoon and Tempest aircraft designs utilized by Britain during World War 2. Though not without their limitations, the Typhoon and Tempest platforms had substantial inherent bene...
1945
46
Hawker Sea Hurricane The Hawker Sea Hurricane appeared in 1941 in an effort to protect British merchant ships from German naval attacks. Basically modified versions of the successful Hawker land-based Hurricane fighters, Sea Hurricanes were at fi...
Kamov Ka-25 (Hormone) The Kamov Ka-25 (NATO codename of "Hormone") was developed from the Ka-20, which itself was a response to a Soviet Navy requirement for a ship-borne helicopter to replace the aging Mil Mi-4 platforms. The Ka-25 became a mains...
1966
50
Kamov Ka-27 (Helix) The Ka-27 Helix was designed and built as a replacement for the aging Soviet-era Ka-25 navy helicopter - also built by Kamov.
The Ka-27 is designated as an anti-ship helicopter for the Russian Navy but fulfills a variety o...
1975
51
Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking The S-3 Viking series of carrier-borne aircraft was a joint production effort from the Lockheed and Vought aircraft firms. Selected from no fewer than five proposals from various other companies an including the two aforement...
1974
52
Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion The P-3 Orion aircraft is a product of Lockheed Martin, designed and accepted at a time when Lockheed could do little wrong in the way of earning government contracts. The P-3 was a direct requirement for a United States Navy...
McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) / BAe Systems AV-8B Harrier II While the original Hawker Siddeley Harrier proved revolutionary for its time, and the follow-up BAe Systems Sea Harrier bettered the type's original design with the inclusion of radar and improvements in out-of-the-cockpit vi...
1985
55
McDonnell FH-1 Phantom The FH-1 Phantom served with the United States Navy as their first jet-powered carrer-based aircraft up until 1950 and was in design as early as 1943. The system featured a straight wing design, twin Westinghouse engines, a c...
1948
56
Mitsubishi A5M (Claude) The Mitsubishi A5M (code-named "Claude" by the Allies) became the world's first shipborne monoplane fighter aircraft when it was inducted into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1937. The system served in some capacit...
1937
57
Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zeke / Zero) With a design history beginning as early as 1937, the A6M series (commonly referred to as the "Zero" or by the Allied codename of "Zeke") became the first carrierborne fighter aircraft to supercede all other land-based counte...
1942
58
Nakajima B5N (Kate) By 1941, the B5N series of torpedo bombers were considered the best of their type anywhere in the world. The system was initially designed from 1935 onwards and was in full operational use at the outbreak of the Second World ...
1941
59
Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Jill) The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (translating to "heavenly mountain") series was a capable torpedo bomber fielded by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the Second World War. The system performed capably and would stay in operational ...
1942
60
North American / Boeing T-2 Buckeye The North American (now Boeing) T-2 Buckeye was responsible for the training of thousands of American naval aviators from 1959 onwards. The system was fielded as an intermediate budget trainer designed to give United States N...
1959
61
North American FJ-1 Fury The North American FJ-1 Fury aircraft system appeared for a limited time with United States Naval air forces but was instrumental in the design of another North American classic warfighter - the F-86 Sabre. The FJ-1 Fury spaw...
1947
62
Northrop Grumman EA-6 Prowler The Prowler series of carrierbased aircraft are dedicated electronic warfare systems based on the Vietnam-era A-6 Intruder strike models. Since their introduction, the Prowler series has seen action up through the present Ame...
1963
63
Rockwell XFV-12 The XFV-12 aircraft was a proposed Rockwell International design to a United States Navy requirement for a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft system. Though a promising concept from the beginning, the XFV-12 was te...
Sikorsky MH-60 (Knighthawk) The MH-60S Knighthawk is the United States Navy's newest multi-mission helicopter. Originally designated as the CH-60S to signify its primary vertical replenishment role, the Knighthawk has since had its designation revised t...
2002
66
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King At its peak, the Sikorsky SH-3 series of naval aircraft was a widely used and successful platform utilized in anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations. Development stemmed from a United States Navy 1957 contrac...
Sukhoi Su-33 (Flanker-D) The Su-33 (NATO designation of "Flanker-D") represents the naval equivalent to the land-based Russian-produced Su-27 Flanker series of air superiority aircraft, which in itself was produced to rival the American F-15 during t...
1994
69
Supermarine Attacker The Supermarine Attacker was an unspectacular aircraft that was most notably used by the British Royal Navy. The system was initially designed for the Royal Air Force to take advantage of an already existing piston engine fig...
1951
70
Supermarine Scimitar The Supermarine Scimitar was an oft-forgotten carrier-based, jet-powered, single-seat fighter for the British Fleet Air Arm. The aircraft held a few "firsts" in its service run with the British Royal Navy - it became the fir...
1957
71
Supermarine Seafire With the successful conversions of Hawker Hurricanes to carrier-operation roles, it was decided to take the successful land-based Supermarine Spitfires and attempt the same modifications. The resulting design was the Supermar...
1942
72
Vought / LTV A-7 Corsair II The middle-weight Vought-produced A-7 Corsair II was designed as a replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk light-weight fighter / bomber, and was based on the engineering successes of the F-8 Crusader. Owing its general visual appear...
1967
73
Vought F4U Corsair The F4U Corsair series of aircraft was one of the finer fighter developments of the Second World War, primarily seeing combat in the Pacific Theater of War. The uniquely designed bent-wings and ever-improving powerplant assur...
1942
74
Vought F7U Cutlass The Chance Vought F7U Cutlass was an interesting aircraft in many ways. For one, the aircraft was the direct result of American research into the jet designs and technologies of the Arado company - the German aircraft firm th...
1949
75
Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought-produced F-8 Crusader was a direct response to a Navy need for a supersonic carrier-based fighter platform. Utilizing nearly the identical powerplant of the F-100 Super Sabre, the F-8 Crusader became the world's fi...
Yakovlev Yak-38 (Forger) The Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger became the first (and last) VTOL service aircraft for the Soviet Union / Russian Federation. Attempting to fulfill the same role as did the British Aerospace Harrier VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Land...
1971
78
Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Judy) The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (translating to "Comet" and nicknamed "Judy" by the Allies) was a capable dive bomber serving the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. The system saw some reliability issues in early pre...
1942
Totals:
78
There are a total of 78 Navy aircraft in the Military Factory.
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