Since World War II, exceptional carrier-based fighters have repeatedly more than held their own against land-based adversaries.
Here’
s What You Need To Remember: Designing an airplane that can fly at high speeds lugging heavy weapons loads, and yet still take off and land on a short flight deck a few hundred meters long has always posed a formidable engineering challenge. Sea-based fighters typically feature folding wings for easier stowage, ruggedized landing gear and arrester equipment, and greater robustness to endure the wear and tear from sea-based operations. These all literally weigh against the exquisite engineering exhibited by land-based fighters.
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The F-106 actually proved that the need for such aircraft was simply overstated.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The F-106 Delta Dart proved to be the last dedicated Air Force interceptor, and the aircraft were gradually retired by the early 1980s. Some of those aircraft were converted into target drones and designated QF-106A, while six were retained by NASA for test purposes and used throughout the 1990s.
Throughout the Cold War, the United States Air Force continued to develop interceptor aircraft to address the threat from Soviet bombers. This included such aircraft as the Convair F-102 and the North American F-108, and finally, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, which was designed to be the “Ultimate Interceptor.” But in the end, the F-106 actually proved that the need for such aircraft was simply overstated.
After many close calls, the Lexington finally arrived, prepared for battle.
Here s What You Need To Remember: Sixteen days later it was back in Pearl Harbor, where the venerable carrier finally had its eight-inch gun turrets removed in exchange for additional rapid-fire antiaircraft batteries. The Navy finally appreciated that the carrier’s ability to launch and defend against swarms of aircraft that could attack targets hundreds of miles away was more important than a few extra big guns.
On March 4, 2018 an expedition funded by philanthropist Paul Allen discovered the shattered remnants of the carrier USS
Lexington two miles below the ocean’s surface in the Coral Sea. The first full-sized fleet carrier to serve in the U.S. Navy, the Lady Lex had sunk to its watery grave nearly seventy-six years earlier, fighting the first, frenetic carrier-on-carrier battle in history.