Navalised aircraft

A navalised aircraft (or navalized aircraft) is an aircraft that has been specifically designed for naval use, in some cases as a variant of a land-based design. An aircraft based on an aircraft carrier is called carrier-based aircraft.

Westland Scout and Wasp silhouettes

Characteristics

A navalised aircraft typically differs from its land-based equivalent by:

  • The airframe, engine and avionics are marinised against salt water corrosion.
  • It is designed to be used on a flight deck. For a fixed wing aircraft this typically means catapult attachment points, a tailhook and strengthened undercarriage. Naval helicopters usually have wheels rather than skids and may have mechanisms to attach to the deck.
  • It is designed to occupy minimum hangar space – for example the wings, tail-boom or rotors may fold.
  • There is enhanced protection against water ingress (including that from hosing down with fresh water to get rid of salt water).
  • Equipment such as sensors and weapons are optimised for naval roles.
  • The avionics is compatible with the complex electronic equipment of a warship, and that there is no electromagnetic interference between the two.
  • There is provision for ditching at sea.
  • Helicopters may have provision for receiving fuel through the cabin while hovering adjacent to a ship.

For safety reasons, the aviation fuel provided by ships may be different (e.g. AVCAT) from that provided by airfields and tanker aircraft.[1]

Examples

The T-45 Goshawk is a navalised version of the BAE Hawk jet trainer. Differences from the Hawk include changes to the undercarriage for aircraft carrier compatibility and a strengthened airframe. The engine design was also modified for the aircraft's role at sea.[2] A proposed navalised version of the Alpha Jet would have had similar design modifications.[3]

Other examples of navalised variants of land-based aircraft include:

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References
  1. Shell Fuels Technical Data Sheet - F-44
  2. naval-technology.com (accessed 16/10/2011)
  3. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%201042.html Flightglobal article from 1991
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