Q&A ยท 3:12:13-3:14:57

Could a modified B-25 land on a Midway-class carrier?

A tailhook alone would not turn a land-based bomber into a reusable carrier aircraft.

Question

Could a B-25 with stronger landing gear and a tailhook land on a Midway-class carrier?

Short answer

Perhaps only marginally; repeated carrier recovery would require redesigning much more than the hook and landing gear.

Notes

A B-25 fitted with stronger landing gear and a tailhook would be a marginal proposition for a 1945 Midway-class carrier. Regular carrier landings would require extensive airframe changes, so the result would differ substantially from the original land-based bomber. The F-35 comparison illustrates the weight and cost attributed to combining different service requirements in related aircraft. In that assessment, the A variant carries reinforcement it would not need solely for its own role, while carrier requirements also affect the B variant.