Carrier-capable is not the same as carrier-designed

What separates an aircraft that can use a carrier from one suited to sustained carrier operations?

Sustained carrier operations require landing gear and structural strength built to withstand repeated deck use. An occasional successful launch or landing does not establish that durability.

An aircraft may demonstrate a carrier takeoff or landing without being robust enough for routine naval service. Its landing gear, wing structure, and fuselage must tolerate repeated arrested recoveries and deck handling. The Seafire illustrates the difference: it could operate from carriers, but the strain produced recurring structural and undercarriage problems. Aircraft such as the Fulmar and Swordfish were built around the carrier environment and could sustain it more reliably. The distinction matters when evaluating proposals to adapt a land-based design for naval aviation.