CATOBAR permits heavier aircraft but demands specialized arrested-landing and catapult training. Catapult launches and arrested recoveries impose structural loads on the aircraft as well as proficiency demands on pilots and deck crews. STOVL simplifies movement between land bases and ships and can launch or recover fighters rapidly, though aircraft payload and range pay a price. That commonality can be valuable when land-based air-force squadrons must reinforce a naval air group quickly. STOBAR combines a ski-jump launch with arrested recovery, retaining weight limits while also imposing demanding carrier-landing training. In this comparison it is an awkward compromise when other choices are available. PA2 also turns the launch-system choice into an industrial question: a British CATOBAR Queen Elizabeth design could have enabled a shared three-ship British-French class and perhaps attracted another customer into the construction chain.
Chapter · 30:03-34:45
CATOBAR, STOVL, and STOBAR tradeoffs
Launch and recovery systems trade aircraft weight and flexibility against training demands, sortie mechanics, and joint-force accessibility.