Airbourne Aircraft Carriers

We have all heard of naval aircraft carriers but why not any airbourne ones. Im sure some american crackpot has spent billions designing one.
Any ideas?

watch tail spin, if i remember correctly

I like the way you think ! I used to watch a cartoon as a kid, I can't remember the name of it, it was set in the future and the "main ship" was like a huge aircraft carrier.... the smaller "fighters" would fly out of it and go to battle...

anyway.. I'm doing some searching, here's one topic I found, not sure it's the same idea...

www.air-and-space.com...

Found this too :

The US Air Force can easily expand its capabilities by adding fighter attachment points on its KC-135 and KC-10 refueler aircraft. Hardpoints on the bottom of the aircraft, similar to a bomb attachment hardpoints, would allow modified fighters to dock. After taking off, fighter aircraft could latch onto the tankers in the same way they marry-up for fuel. This would allow a tanker to carry several fighters to distant overseas bases. Once docked, the pilots could idle their engine and take a nap. When they reach their destination, the tanker crew could wake up the pilots and release them to land.

www.g2mil.com...

In 1953, the Air Force announced it had transformed its B-36 Peacemaker bomber into a �flying aircraft carrier� capable of launching and recovering F-84 Thunderjet fighters while in flight. Apparently, someone didn�t get the memo, as the idea of a bomber carrying its own fighter escort in its belly died out.


www.af.mil...

Huge airborne carriers would probably be very vulnerable so that is maybe why they aren't used

Originally posted by Hyperen
Huge airborne carriers would probably be very vulnerable so that is maybe why they aren't used

would they really be ?

I mean they're up in the air.. I know radar could find them, but, they'd have fighters to fight off other aircraft and it would proabably have a missle defense system.

An aircraft carrier in the water is subject to other boats, submarines, torpedos, planes, missiles,

It might be the same amount of risk... ???

However what if it malfucntioned, could you imagine and aircraft carrier falling out of the sky..

that would be very handy launching base BUT the cost and all would be imense
you could put helium tanks on it! thatd keep it up well for a while

The cost to keep them going would be stupid, why not just fly some f-16s over with mid-air refuelling? same affect

Ahh, but what if it was a space based carrier which would launch fighters from orbit to come into the atmosphere from out there. THAT way we wouldn't have to worry about fueling the carrier as much, it could just stay in low earth orbit.

yeah but theres the problem about getting it there and manning the thing and new fighters as well

Originally posted by elevatedone
I like the way you think ! I used to watch a cartoon as a kid, I can't remember the name of it, it was set in the future and the "main ship" was like a huge aircraft carrier.... the smaller "fighters" would fly out of it and go to battle...

anyway.. I'm doing some searching, here's one topic I found, not sure it's the same idea...

www.air-and-space.com...

was that show called captain scarlet?

Originally posted by elevatedone

Originally posted by Hyperen
Huge airborne carriers would probably be very vulnerable so that is maybe why they aren't used

would they really be ?

I mean they're up in the air.. I know radar could find them, but, they'd have fighters to fight off other aircraft and it would proabably have a missle defense system.

An aircraft carrier in the water is subject to other boats, submarines, torpedos, planes, missiles,

It might be the same amount of risk... ???

However what if it malfucntioned, could you imagine and aircraft carrier falling out of the sky..

The Naval aircraft carrier has a huge fleet of boats to protect it and the air arm but the air one would just have planes so it would be as vulnerale as an Water aircraft carrier just with its own aircraft to protect it

[Edited on 30/4/04 by Hyperen]

The airforce currently thinks of posibility to use huge lighter-than-air airship as airborne carrier. It could be completely automatized and carry small UCAVs (smaller than X45 or X47). It's surface should be radar transparent.
Other aplications for airships are reconnaissance and heavy transport (more than 600 tons).

obviously know one has heard of the rumored aircraft brilliant buzzard

Originally posted by machinegunjordan
obviously know one has heard of the rumored aircraft brilliant buzzard

well then why don't you enlighten us ? Pictures, links, something.

A description of what your're talking about ?

i dun know how to post links but go to a thread i created under aircraft projects called brilliant buzzard. it has some links and predessesor pictures.

This reminds me of the great arcade games Raiden (I, II and DX), Raiden Fighters (I, II, and Jet). The first level they take off from a airborne aircraft carrier. Looks very cool. They also have VTOL aircraft animation. Also very cool.

www.klov.com...

[Edited on 4/30/04 by xenophanes85]

A cartoon was mentioned - wasnt that battle of the planets ?

in world war 1, they designed an airship to carry small planes