Naval aviation

"Naval aviator" redirects here. For the term used for pilots in the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Coast Guard, seeUnited States Naval Aviator.

"Naval aircraft" redirects here. For the term for aircraft specifically designed for naval use, seeNavalised aircraft.

AnF/A-18C Hornetlaunches from the flight deck of theaircraft carrierUSSKitty Hawk.

Naval aviationis the application ofmilitary air powerbynavies,whether fromwarshipsthat embark aircraft, or land bases.

Naval aviation units are typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of anaircraft carrier.Carrier-based aircraftmust 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 robustfolding mechanismsthat 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, includingair-to-air combat,surface attack,submarine attack,search and rescue,matérieltransport,weather observation,reconnaissanceand wide areacommand and controlduties.

Naval helicopterscan be used for many of the same missions asfixed-wing aircraftwhile operating from aircraft carriers,helicopter carriers,destroyersandfrigates.

History

Establishment

Mayflywas 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 atWoolwich Commonfor theAdmiralty.Samuel Franklin Codydemonstrated the capabilities of his 8-foot-long black kite and it was proposed for use as either a mechanism to hold up wires forwirelesscommunications or as a manned reconnaissance device that would give the viewer the advantage of considerable height.

In 1908Prime MinisterH. H. Asquithapproved the formation of an "Aerial Sub-Committee of theCommittee of Imperial Defence"to investigate the potential for naval aviation. In 1909 this body accepted the proposal of CaptainReginald Baconmade to theFirst Sea LordSir John Fisherthat rigid airships should be constructed for theRoyal Navyto be used for reconnaissance. This resulted in the construction ofMayflyin 1909, the first air component of the navy to become operational, and the genesis of modern naval aviation.

The first pilots for the Royal Navy were transferred from theRoyal Aero Clubin June 1910 along with two aircraft with which to train new pilots, and an airfield atEastchurchbecame the Naval Flying School, the first such facility in the world.Two hundred applications were received, and four were accepted: LieutenantC R Samson,LieutenantA M Longmore,Lieutenant A Gregory and CaptainE L Gerrard,RMLI.

The French also established a naval aviation capability in 1910 with the establishment of theService Aeronautiqueand the first flight training schools.

U.S. naval aviation began with pioneer aviatorGlenn Curtisswho contracted with theUnited States Navyto demonstrate that airplanes could take off from and land aboard ships at sea. One of his pilots,Eugene Ely,took off from thecruiserUSSBirminghamanchored off theVirginiacoast in November 1910. Two months later Ely landed aboard another cruiser,USSPennsylvania,inSan 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 firstseaplanefrom the water atSan Diego Bayand 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 firstnaval aviator.

$25,000 was appropriated for theBureau of Navigation (United States Navy)to purchase three airplanes and in the spring of 1911 four additional officers were trained as pilots by theWright brothersand Curtiss. A camp with a primitive landing field was established on theSevern Riverat Greenbury Point, nearAnnapolis, 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. CAPTWashington Irving Chambersfelt 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.

The group expanded with the addition of six aviators in 1912 and five in 1913, from both the Navy andMarine Corps,and conducted maneuvers with the Fleet from thebattleshipUSSMississippi,designated as the Navy's aviation ship. Meanwhile, CaptainHenry C. Mustinsuccessfully tested the concept of thecatapult launchin August 1912, and in 1915 made the first catapult launching from a ship underway. The first permanentnaval air stationwas established atPensacola, 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, fivefloatplanesandflying boatsflown by ten aviators operated fromMississippiand the cruiserBirminghamoffVeracruzandTampico,Mexico, respectively, conducting reconnaissance for troops ashore in the wake of theTampico Affair.

LieutenantCharles Samson's historic takeoff fromHiberniain 1912.

In January 1912, the British battleshipHMSAfricatook part in aircraft experiments atSheerness.She was fitted for flying off aircraft with a 100-foot (30 m) downward-sloping runway which was installed on her foredeck, running over her forward 12-inch (305 mm)gun turretfrom her forebridge to herbowand equipped with rails to guide the aircraft. TheGnome-enginedShort Improved S.27"S.38",pusherseaplane piloted by LieutenantCharles Samsonbecome the first British aircraft to take-off from a ship while atanchorin theRiver Medway,on 10 January 1912.Africathen transferred her flight equipment to hersister shipHibernia.

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.Hiberniasteamed at 10.5knots(19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) at theRoyal Fleet ReviewinWeymouth Bay,England.Hiberniathen transferred her aviation equipment to battleshipLondon.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 theRoyal Flying Corpsand in 1913 a seaplane base on theIsle of Grain,an airship base atKingsnorthand eight new airfields were approved for construction.The first aircraft participation in naval manoeuvres took place in 1913 with the cruiserHermesconverted into aseaplane carrier.In 1914, naval aviation was split again, and became theRoyal Naval Air Service.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 wereGermany,within itsMarine-Fliegerabteilungnaval aviation units within theKaiserliche Marine,andRussia.In May 1913 Germany established a navalzeppelindetachment inBerlin-Johannisthaland an airplane squadron inPutzig(Puck, Poland).TheJapaneseestablished theImperial Japanese Navy Air Service,modelled on theRNAS,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 theTurkish fleetagainst which they dropped four bombs. This event was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international.

World War I

JapaneseMaurice Farmanseaplane fromWakamiya

At the outbreak of war the Royal Naval Air Service had 93 aircraft, sixairships,two balloons and 727 personnel, making it larger than the Royal Flying Corps.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 aShort "Folder"by Lieutenant (laterAir Chief MarshalSir)Arthur Longmore,and in August 1915, aShort Type 184piloted by Flight CommanderCharles EdmondsfromHMSBen-my-Chreesank a Turkish supply ship in theSea of Marmarawith a 14-inch-diameter (360 mm), 810-pound (370 kg) torpedo.

The first strike from a seaplane carrier against a land target as well as a sea target took place in September 1914 when theImperial Japanese NavycarrierWakamiyaconducted ship-launched air raidsfromKiaochow Bayduring theBattle of Tsingtaoin China.The fourMaurice Farmanseaplanes bombarded German-held land targets (communication centers and command centers) and damaged a Germanminelayerin theTsingtaopeninsula from September until 6 November 1914, when the Germans surrendered.One Japanese plane was credited being shot down by the German aviatorGunther Plüschowin anEtrich Taube,using his pistol.

On the Western front the first naval air raid occurred on 25 December 1914 when twelve seaplanes fromHMSEngadine,RivieraandEmpress(cross-channelsteamers converted into seaplane carriers)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 theTøndern baseon July 19, 1918, by sevenSopwith Camelslaunched from the carrierHMSFurious.

In August 1914 Germany operated 20 planes and one Zeppelin, another 15 planes were confiscated.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.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.Notable Marineflieger aces wereGotthard Sachsenberg(31 victories),Alexander Zenzes(18 victories),Friedrich Christiansen(13 victories, 1 airship and 1 submarine),Karl Meyer(8 victories),Karl Scharon(8 victories), andHans Goerth(7 victories).

Development of the aircraft carrier

Sqn. Cdr. E. H. Dunningmakes the first landing of an aircraft on a moving ship, aSopwith PuponHMSFurious,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.HMSArk Royalwas the first purpose-built seaplane carrier and was also arguably the first modern aircraft carrier.She was originallylaid downas 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.Launchedon 5 September 1914, she served in theDardanellescampaign and throughout World War I.

During World War I the Royal Navy also used HMSFuriousto 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 aflight deckon 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,Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning,Royal Navy, landed hisSopwith Pupaircraft onFuriousinScapa Flow,Orkney,becoming the first personto landa plane on a moving ship.He was killed five days later during another landing onFurious.

HMSArguswas converted from anocean linerand 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. Aftercommissioning,the ship was heavily involved for several years in the development of the optimum design for other aircraft carriers.Argusalso evaluated various types ofarresting gear,general procedures needed to operate a number of aircraft in concert, and fleet tactics.

TheTondern raid,a British bombing raid against theImperial German Navy's airship base atTønder,Denmarkwas the first attack in history made by aircraft flying from a carrier flight deck, with sevenSopwith Camelslaunched from HMSFurious.For the loss of one man, the British destroyed two Germanzeppelins,L.54 and L.60 and a captive balloon.

Interwar period

TheGrumman J2F Duckwas anamphibiousbiplaneused for patrol

Genuine aircraft carriers did not emerge beyond Britain until the early 1920s.

The JapaneseHōshō(1921) was the world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier, although the initial plans andlaying downforHMSHermes(1924) had begun earlier.BothHōshōandHermesinitially boasted the two most distinctive features of a modern aircraft carrier: a full-length flight deck and a starboard-side control towerisland.Both continued to be adjusted in the light of further experimentation and experience, however:Hōshōeven opted to remove its island entirely in favor of a less obstructed flight deck and improved pilot visibility.Instead, Japanese carriers opted to control their flight operations from a platform extending from the side of the flight deck.

In the United States, AdmiralWilliam Bensonattempted to entirely dissolve the USN'sNaval Aeronauticsprogram in 1919. Assistant Secretary of the NavyFranklin Rooseveltand others succeeded in maintaining it, but the service continued to support battleship-based doctrines. To counterBilly Mitchell's campaign to establish a separate Department of Aeronautics,Secretary of the NavyJosephus Danielsordered a rigged test againstUSSIndianain 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."Investigation by theNew-York Tribunethat discovered the rigging led toCongressionalresolutions compellingmore honest studies.The sinking ofSMSOstfrieslandinvolved violating the Navy'srules of engagementbut completely vindicated Mitchell to the public.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 ofallthe 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 theRoyal 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 thecollierUSSJupiterand its recommissioning asUSSLangleyin 1922.

Many British naval vessels carried float planes, seaplanes or amphibians for reconnaissance and spotting: two to four on battleships orbattlecruisersand one on cruisers. The aircraft, aFairey Seafoxor later aSupermarine Walrus,werecatapult-launched,and landed on the sea alongside for recovery by crane. Severalsubmarine aircraft carrierswere built by Japan, each carrying one floatplane, which did not prove effective in war. The French Navy built one largesubmarine,Surcouf,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 IIsaw 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 Aviationwas 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 (Midway,Bismarck), strikes against naval units in port (Taranto,Pearl Harbor), support of ground forces (Okinawa,Allied invasion of Italy) andanti-submarine warfare(theBattle of the Atlantic).Carrier-based aircraftwere specialised asdive bombers,torpedo bombers,andfighters.Surface-based aircraft such as thePBY Catalinahelped 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 JapaneseYamato,the heaviest battleship ever built, was first turned back by lightescort carrieraircraft and later sunk lacking its own air cover.

The Douglas Dauntless SBD was used extensively during theBattle of Midway.

During theDoolittle Raidof 1942, 16Armymedium bombers were launched from the carrierHorneton 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 theNorth Atlantic,where convoys were highly vulnerable toU-boatattack. The British authorities used unorthodox, temporary, but effective means of giving air protection such asCAM shipsandmerchant aircraft carriers,merchant ships modified to carry a small number of aircraft. The solution to the problem were large numbers of mass-produced merchant hulls converted intoescort 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.HMSVanguardwas 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 forshore 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 thePacific Warin 1941, Japanese carrier-based aircraft sank many US warships during the attack on Pearl Harbor and land-based aircraftsank two large British warships.Engagements between Japanese and American naval fleets were then conducted largely or entirely by aircraft - examples include the battles ofCoral Sea,Midway,Bismarck SeaandPhilippine Sea.
• Battle of Leyte Gulf,with the first appearance ofkamikazes,perhaps thelargest naval battle in history.Japan's last carriers and pilots are deliberately sacrificed, abattleshipis sunk by aircraft.
• Operation Ten-Godemonstrated U.S. air supremacy in thePacific theaterby this stage in the war and the vulnerability ofsurface shipswithout air cover to aerial attack.

Post-war developments

The ski-jump and aSea Harrieron Royal Navy carrierHMSInvincible.

Jet aircraft were used on aircraft carriers after the War. The first jet landing on a carrier was made byLt Cdr Eric 'Winkle' Brownwho landed onHMSOceanin the specially modifiedde Havilland Vampire(registrationLZ551/G) on 3 December 1945.Following the introduction ofangled flight decks,jets were regularly operating from carriers by the mid-1950s.

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 withLewis Boddingtonof the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough.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"), the pilot only needed to increaseenginepower 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 onHMSTriumph,by painting angled deck markings onto the centerline flight deck for touch and go landings.The modernsteam-powered catapult,powered by steam from a ship'sboilersor reactors, was invented by Commander C.C. Mitchell of theRoyal Naval Reserve.It was widely adopted following trials onHMSPerseusbetween 1950 and 1952 which showed it to be more powerful and reliable than the hydraulic catapults which had been introduced in the 1940s.The firstOptical Landing System,theMirror Landing Aidwas invented by Lieutenant Commander H. C. N. Goodhart RN.The first trials of a mirror landing sight were conducted on HMSIllustriousin 1952.

The US Navy built the first aircraft carrier to be powered bynuclear reactors.USSEnterprisewas powered by eight nuclear reactors and was the second surface warship (afterUSSLong Beach) to be powered in this way. The post-war years also saw the development of thehelicopter,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 orLanding Platform Helicopters(LPH); seagoing helicopter airfields likeHMSBulwark.To mitigate the expensive connotations of the term "aircraft carrier", theInvincible-classcarriers were originally designated as "through deck cruisers" and were initially to operate as helicopter-only craft escort carriers.

The arrival of the Sea HarrierVTOL/STOVLfast jet meant that the Invincible-class could carry fixed-wing aircraft, despite their short flight decks. The British also introduced theski-jump rampas an alternative to contemporary catapult systems.As the Royal Navy retired or sold the last of its World War 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.

In 2013, the US Navy completed the first successful catapult launch and arrested landing of anunmanned 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 experimentalNorthrop 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.

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:

AnMH-53Ehelicopter, 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 conductnaval mineclearance,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 theMH-53EandAW101.

Anti-surface warfare

Aircraft operated by navies are also used in theanti-surface warfare(ASUW or ASuW) role, to attack enemy ships and other,surface combatants.This is generally conducted using air-launchedanti-ship missiles.

Amphibious warfare

Naval aviation is also used as part ofamphibious warfare.Aircraft based on naval ships provide support tomarinesand 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 variousmaritime patrolmissions, such as reconnaissance, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement.

AGerman Navy1150 Atlanticis an example of aASWland based aircraft

Vertical replenishment

Vertical replenishment,or VERTREP is a method of supplying naval vessels at sea, byhelicopter.This means moving cargo and supplies from supply ships to the flight decks of other naval vessels using naval helicopters.

Anti-submarine warfare

During theCold War,the navies ofNATOfaced a significant threat fromSovietsubmarine forces, specificallySoviet NavySSNandSSGNassets. This resulted in the development and deployment of light aircraft carriers with majoranti-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 tonsdisplacementand 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 the2010 Haiti earthquakeandTyphoon Haiyan.

List of naval aviation units

Current

• Argentine Naval Aviation(Argentine Navy)
• Fleet Air Arm (RAN)(Royal Australian Navy)
• Bangladesh Naval Aviation(Bangladesh Navy)

  

  A Brazilian Navy EC725 helicopter

• Brazilian Naval Aviation(Brazilian Navy)
• People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force(Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy)
• Republic of China Naval Aviation Command(Republic of China Navy)
• Chilean Navy Aviation(Chilean Navy)
• Colombian Naval Aviation(Colombian Navy)
• 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(Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force)
• 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 Naval Aviation(Polish Navy)

  

  Although operated by theRAAFtheBoeing P-8Aflies 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 KingdomRoyal Navy)
• United States Naval Air Forces(United States Navy)
• Naval Air Force(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(UKRoyal 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

Further reading

• Grosnick, Roy A. United States Naval Aviation 1910 - 1995 (4th ed. 1997)partly online.Full text (775 pages) public domain edition is also availableonlineArchived2014-12-16 at theWayback Machine.
• 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)excerpt and text search
• Lundstrom, John B.The First Team: Pacific Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway(2005)excerpt and text search
• 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)excerpt and text search
• Symonds, Craig L.The Battle of Midway(2011)excerpt and text search
• Tillman, Barrett.Enterprise: America's Fightingest Ship and the Men Who Helped Win World War II(2012)excerpt and text search

External links

Media related toNaval aviationat Wikimedia Commons

• United States Naval Aviation 1910-1995Archived2014-12-16 at theWayback Machine- A comprehensive history from the U.S.Naval Historical Center