Navalised aircraft

Westland Scout and Wasp silhouettes

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.

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 ingestion of water (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.

• 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 a different fuel (e.g. AVCAT) from the fuel 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 compatability and a strengthened airframe. The engine design was also modified for the aircraft's at-sea role.^[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:

• Supermarine Seafire
• Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk
• Sea Harrier
• Navalised Eurofighter (proposed)

See also

• Carrier-based aircraft
• Naval aviation

References

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