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The V-22 is not a "V/STOL" aircraft and is considered a "rotary wing" aircraft and is operated in the same manner and has the same missions as large transport helicopters by the U.S. typically "taxiing" before takeoff when loaded but landing vertically after a short "hover". It's "tilt-rotor" design and relatively light-duty landing gear and brakes, like those of large transport helicopters, require the pilot to land vertically and "hold" the aircraft stationary on a moving and/or unlevel lan...
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{{Short description|Method of aircraft landing}}
[[File:HMS Queen Elizabeth on DT-2.jpg|thumb|Two F-35B Lightning II aircraft landing onboard HMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' in 2018]]

'''Shipborne rolling vertical landing''' ('''SRVL''') is a method used to land a [[V/STOL]] aircraft that uses both the vertical [[thrust]] from the jet engine and [[lift (force)|lift]] from the wings.
'''Shipborne rolling vertical landing''' ('''SRVL''') is a method used to land a [[V/STOL]] aircraft that uses both the vertical [[thrust]] from the jet engine and [[lift (force)|lift]] from the wings.


A V/STOL aircraft normally either lands vertically or it makes a conventional runway landing. For a vertical landing it uses downward thrust from the [[Lift jet|lift fan]] and/or rotated [[Propelling nozzle|jet nozzle(s)]], while for a runway landing the jet nozzle(s) are pointed rearward. With a rolling vertical landing the aircraft uses downward jet thrust to fly slowly forward while it is still moving fast enough to also generate wing lift. This allows for a rolling landing with a significantly reduced approach speed and landing distance. This landing method was created because hovering and true vertical landings are impossible over and on moving vessels.
A V/STOL aircraft normally either lands vertically or it makes a conventional runway landing. For a vertical landing it uses downward thrust from the [[Lift jet|lift fan]] and/or rotated [[Propelling nozzle|jet nozzle(s)]], while for a runway landing the jet nozzle(s) are pointed rearward. With a rolling vertical landing the aircraft uses downward jet thrust to hover while it is still moving fast enough to also generate wing lift. This allows for a rolling landing with a significantly reduced approach speed and landing distance, requirements not necessary on [[CATOBAR|Catapult-assisted take-off barrier-arrested recovery]] (CATOBAR) carriers.


With an SRVL manoeuvre, a V/STOL aircraft can make a rolling landing on an [[aircraft carrier]] and come to an effective stop with the [[disc brakes]] in the [[landing gear]]. Unlike a conventional rolling landing on a carrier, this does not require the use of an [[Arresting gear|arrestor wire]] and [[tailhook]]. The operational advantage of this technique is that it can increase the landing payload capacity of a V/STOL aircraft, which can be restricted when it lands vertically. It can also reduce the level of wear on the lift engines and extend their operational life. Similarly, it can reduce the amount of wear upon the deck surface of a carrier caused by the downward jet exhaust from vertical landings. The primary "advantage", however, is that neither the aircraft or the carrier have to come to a standstill with zero forward speed for aircraft recovery.
With an SRVL manoeuvre, a V/STOL aircraft can make a rolling landing on an [[aircraft carrier]] and come to an effective stop with the [[disc brakes]] in the [[landing gear]]. Unlike a rolling landing on a CATOBAR carrier, this does not require the use of an [[Arresting gear|arrestor wire]] and [[tailhook]]. The operational advantage of this technique is that it can increase the landing payload capacity of a V/STOL aircraft, which can be restricted when it lands vertically. For vertical landing, Harriers need to dump unused fuel and unused munitions to drop below the permissible payload capacity for safe landing.


The SRVL manoeuvre can also reduce the level of wear on the lift engines and extend their operational life. Similarly, it can reduce the amount of wear upon the deck surface of a carrier caused by the downward jet exhaust from vertical landings.
The operational disadvantage is that a damaged aircraft and/or injured pilot unable to "match speed" with the carrier and/or maintain control during or reach the correct low speed for a "rolling landing" cannot be safely and quickly recovered. Unlike modern CATOBAR carriers and aircraft with instrument landing systems, arresting wires as well as barriers available to stop aircraft and an open deck moving full-sized into any available headwind effectively reducing the aircraft's "stall speed" relative to the ship by dozens of knots, a "rolling landing" with a V/STOL aircraft depends entirely on the aircraft and pilot successfully landing on a low-speed, ski jump-blocked deck with limited and/or unstable airflow back over the flight deck and potentially damaged or disabled brakes to get the aircraft "safely" recovered or the ship itself coming to a halt or dramatically reducing speed to allow the aircraft to "hover" prior to landing.

Regardless, while modern CATOBAR carriers can and do conduct launches and recoveries simultaneously in all weather and light and sea conditions and "lose" an aircraft during recovery even less frequently than during launch, ski-jump carriers and V/STOL aircraft have a limited, fair-weather and spotty history of flight operations in "combat" conditions at best.

Explaining why the UK - supposed inventor of the aircraft carrier and pioneer of "combat" V/STOL and STOVL aicraft in general and carrier-based operations in particular - is only slowly, intermittently and nearly imperceptibly "developing" it's carrier V/STOL capability with "help" from the United States Navy, which apart from being the "parent force" of the USMC, has no history or experience operating V/STOL aircraft and none at all with ski-jump carriers. As long as the RN plays the "rookie" and appears to "need" the U.S. to operate its "supercarriers" while the USMC and its F-35Bs and "baby carriers" fill in for the UK and perform its "NATO" role while the RN gets its carrier(s) "operational", the UK can blame its failures on the USN and take full credit for its "achievements" such as finally getting a carrier "operational" without losing any aircraft and/or aircrews belonging to the UK.

"Training" just off the east coast of the U.S. in early to mid-Fall when the Atlantic and North American weather are typically at their calmest will do nothing whatsoever to prepare the RN for carrier aviation in the North Sea or South Atlantic in winter any other "rough" seas and/or inclement weather, but having its "supercarriers" docked in a home port they can only navigate in and out of in "perfect" sea, tide, wind and water depth conditions with assistance from a fleet of tugs and only after "lowering" various equipment on top the island superstructurers and then having to coordinate with the RAF and/or RN "Fleet Air Arm" to actually deploy carriers with "combat" airplanes on board will definitely increase the chances any NATO "conflict" will be "resolved" long before the UK "supercarrier" can sail into "harm's way".

Even though the UK currently has the "world's largest" fleet of F-35Bs and a brand-new purpose-built "supercarrier" to deploy them on while the USMC has only 10 operational aircraft on a converted amphibious landing support ship and has never operated it's own aircraft carriers ever, the USMC has deployed its carrier and aircraft to the Persian Gulf and successfully carried out "combat" operations against "ISIS" there at the same time the UK deployed its "supercarrier" to Florida, Virginia, Maryland and New York to conduct "flight operations" and "training" with two "UK" F-35Bs allegedly conducting 500 successful landings after inventing the "rolling" landing described here over several days during a multi-month "deployment" during which the UK "supercarrier" Departed the UK bound for Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, USA and first made landfall on the U.S. east coast weeks later in...Florida.
After several days of "intensive" training and practice in how to land and park V/STOL aircraft on a "supercarrier" and at least three "visits" to U.S. ports to no doubt "show the flag", the HMS Queen Elizabeth eventually returned to its "home port" of Plymouth for several months before and sans aircraft and ultimately was sent to Rosyth for "scheduled maintenance" in dry dock next to its "sister ship" and after being "committed" to a deployment to the South China Sea to "show the flag" and exercise "freedom of navigation" rights in Chinese-claimed "territorial waters" just as soon as it's "operational". Which could be as early as "2020". Or not.


==History==
==History==
===Harrier===
===Harrier===
[[File:VAAC Harrier (27864714292).jpg|thumb|VAAC Harrier]]
[[File:VAAC Harrier (27864714292).jpg|thumb|VAAC Harrier]]
An SRVL development program was undertaken with the [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier|Harrier]] by the UK defence manufacturer, [[Qinetiq]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qinetiq-led-team-demonstrates-carrier-landing-system-for-319734/ |title=Qinetiq-led team demonstrates carrier landing system for JSF |publisher= ''flightglobal.com'' |accessdate=10 June 2012}}</ref> In 2007 the company used their Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) Harrier test aircraft to demonstrate the feasibility of the landing technique on the [[French navy]] carrier [[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91)|''Charles de Gaulle'']]. A series of landing approach trials were also flown with the [[Royal Navy]] carrier [[HMS Illustrious (R06)|HMS ''Illustrious'']] in 2008. The carrier was fitted with a visual landing aid called a “Bedford Array”, which provides glidepath information to the pilot through a helmet-mounted display.
An SRVL development program was undertaken with by the UK defence manufacturer, [[Qinetiq]] for the planned JSF.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/qinetiq-led-team-demonstrates-carrier-landing-system-for-319734/ |title=Qinetiq-led team demonstrates carrier landing system for JSF |website= flightglobal.com |access-date=10 June 2012}}</ref> In 2007 the company used the Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) [[Hawker Siddeley Harrier]] test aircraft to demonstrate the feasibility of the landing technique on the [[French Navy]] carrier {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/jetartaviationltd/videos/2543378362544388/ |title=VAAC Harrier 2007 - World's First SRVL (Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing) |date=12 December 2019 |publisher=Jet Art Aviation Ltd |access-date=12 December 2019 }}</ref> A series of landing approach trials were also flown with the [[Royal Navy]] carrier {{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}} in 2008. The carrier was fitted with a visual landing aid called a “Bedford Array”, which provides glidepath information to the pilot through a helmet-mounted display.

⚫
===Yak-38===
[[File:Yak-38 Forger wings folded.jpg|thumb|right|The Yak-38 used rolling landings on Soviet Navy carriers in the 1980s]]


⚫
===Osprey===
The [[Yakovlev Yak-38|Yak-38 "Forger"]] became operational with the [[Soviet Navy]] in the early 1970s. The aircraft was initially flown from carriers using VTOL only, but in the early 1980s trials were made with rolling landings on the [[Kiev class aircraft carrier]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.defence.pk/forums/military-photos-multimedia/3956-f-35stovl-has-soviet-roots-yak-38-a.html|title= f-35 stovl has soviet roots yak 38 a |publisher= ''www.defence.pk'' |accessdate=10 June 2012}}{{rs|date=August 2018}}</ref> The Yak-38 had a separate pair of lift engines with a very high fuel consumption, which reduced the range when it was flown with vertical take offs and landings. SRVL landings gave an improved range performance and were conducted with the use of a safety net. The aircraft was withdrawn from service in the 1990s.
In October 2015, the [[United States Navy|US Navy]]'s [[Naval Air Systems Command]] (NAVAIR) tested rolling landings and takeoffs with the [[Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey]] [[tiltrotor]] on a carrier, preparing for [[carrier onboard delivery]].<ref name=aw2015-11-12>{{cite web|url=http://aviationweek.com/defense/v-22-testing-could-lead-higher-takeoff-weights |title=V-22 Osprey Testing Could Lead To Higher Takeoff Weights |author=Tony Osborne |date= 12 November 2015 |work=[[Aviation Week]]}}</ref>


===F-35B===
===F-35B Lightning II===
[[File:F-35B after vertical landing.jpg|thumb|right|The F-35B will use SRVL landings with the Royal Navy]]
[[File:Two F-35B Lightning II aircraft land on the flight deck of USS America. (30650055226).jpg|thumb|right|The F-35B will use SRVL landings with the Royal Navy]]
⚫
SRVL landing is under development for use with the [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II#F-35B|F-35B]] when it enters service with the Royal Navy in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-gets-funds-for-uk-f-35-landing-modification-348294/ |title=Lockheed gets funds for UK F-35 landing modification |publisher= ''flightglobal.com'' |accessdate=10 June 2012}}</ref> The aircraft will operate in the [[STOVL]] mode on the new [[Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier]]s. Rolling landings will enable the F-35B to land on these carriers with an increased weapon and fuel load and will use the aircraft's computer controlled disc brakes. On the weekend of 13/14 October 2018, the Royal Navy announced that British test pilot Peter Wilson made history when he conducted the first ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) in an F-35B (test aircraft BF-04) onto HMS ''Queen Elizabeth''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2018/october/15/181015-f35-revolutionary-landing |title=F-35 pilot makes history with revolutionary method of landing jets on HMS Queen Elizabeth |date=15 October 2018 |publisher=Royal Navy |access-date=15 October 2018 }}</ref>


⚫
SRVL landing is under development for use with the [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II#F-35B|Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-gets-funds-for-uk-f-35-landing-modification-348294/ |title=Lockheed gets funds for UK F-35 landing modification |website= flightglobal.com |access-date=10 June 2012}}</ref> The aircraft will operate in the [[STOVL]] mode on the first of the new {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|1}}s. Rolling landings will enable the F-35B to land on these carriers with an increased weapon and fuel load and will use the aircraft's computer controlled disc brakes. On the weekend of 13/14 October 2018, the Royal Navy announced that British test pilot Peter Wilson made history when he conducted the first-ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) with a F-35 Lightning in test aircraft BF-04 onto {{HMS|Queen Elizabeth|R08|6}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2018/october/15/181015-f35-revolutionary-landing |title=F-35 pilot makes history with revolutionary method of landing jets on HMS Queen Elizabeth |date=15 October 2018 |publisher=Royal Navy |access-date=15 October 2018 }}</ref> Her [[sister ship]], {{HMS|Prince of Wales|R09|6}}, is equipped with the full 'Bedford Array' Visual Landing Aid system. By taking inputs from inertial references to stabilise against deck motions, combined with a ship-referenced velocity vector in a helmet-mounted display, a pilot can fly an accurate approach to the deck on a constant glidepath.
Lref>


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 14:11, 14 January 2024

Two F-35B Lightning II aircraft landing onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2018

Shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) is a method used to land a V/STOL aircraft that uses both the vertical thrust from the jet engine and lift from the wings.

A V/STOL aircraft normally either lands vertically or it makes a conventional runway landing. For a vertical landing it uses downward thrust from the lift fan and/or rotated jet nozzle(s), while for a runway landing the jet nozzle(s) are pointed rearward. With a rolling vertical landing the aircraft uses downward jet thrust to hover while it is still moving fast enough to also generate wing lift. This allows for a rolling landing with a significantly reduced approach speed and landing distance, requirements not necessary on Catapult-assisted take-off barrier-arrested recovery (CATOBAR) carriers.

With an SRVL manoeuvre, a V/STOL aircraft can make a rolling landing on an aircraft carrier and come to an effective stop with the disc brakes in the landing gear. Unlike a rolling landing on a CATOBAR carrier, this does not require the use of an arrestor wire and tailhook. The operational advantage of this technique is that it can increase the landing payload capacity of a V/STOL aircraft, which can be restricted when it lands vertically. For vertical landing, Harriers need to dump unused fuel and unused munitions to drop below the permissible payload capacity for safe landing.

The SRVL manoeuvre can also reduce the level of wear on the lift engines and extend their operational life. Similarly, it can reduce the amount of wear upon the deck surface of a carrier caused by the downward jet exhaust from vertical landings.

History

[edit]

Harrier

[edit]
VAAC Harrier

An SRVL development program was undertaken with by the UK defence manufacturer, Qinetiq for the planned JSF.[1] In 2007 the company used the Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) Hawker Siddeley Harrier test aircraft to demonstrate the feasibility of the landing technique on the French Navy carrier Charles de Gaulle.[2] A series of landing approach trials were also flown with the Royal Navy carrier HMS Illustrious in 2008. The carrier was fitted with a visual landing aid called a “Bedford Array”, which provides glidepath information to the pilot through a helmet-mounted display.

Osprey

[edit]

In October 2015, the US Navy's Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) tested rolling landings and takeoffs with the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor on a carrier, preparing for carrier onboard delivery.[3]

F-35B Lightning II

[edit]
The F-35B will use SRVL landings with the Royal Navy

SRVL landing is under development for use with the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II.[4] The aircraft will operate in the STOVL mode on the first of the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Rolling landings will enable the F-35B to land on these carriers with an increased weapon and fuel load and will use the aircraft's computer controlled disc brakes. On the weekend of 13/14 October 2018, the Royal Navy announced that British test pilot Peter Wilson made history when he conducted the first-ever shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL) with a F-35 Lightning in test aircraft BF-04 onto HMS Queen Elizabeth.[5] Her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, is equipped with the full 'Bedford Array' Visual Landing Aid system. By taking inputs from inertial references to stabilise against deck motions, combined with a ship-referenced velocity vector in a helmet-mounted display, a pilot can fly an accurate approach to the deck on a constant glidepath.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Qinetiq-led team demonstrates carrier landing system for JSF". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  2. ^ "VAAC Harrier 2007 - World's First SRVL (Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing)". Jet Art Aviation Ltd. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  3. ^ Tony Osborne (12 November 2015). "V-22 Osprey Testing Could Lead To Higher Takeoff Weights". Aviation Week.
  4. ^ "Lockheed gets funds for UK F-35 landing modification". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  5. ^ "F-35 pilot makes history with revolutionary method of landing jets on HMS Queen Elizabeth". Royal Navy. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
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