Launchship

A launchship is a type of aircraft carrier common in navies on Atar. They are among the largest oceanbound armed ships on the planet.

Instead of launching aircraft from a deck like an Eartian aircraft carrier, the aircraft are loaded onto a rail in the hanger deck that transports them to an inclined launch rail. The launch rail then launches them into the air at a 14° angle at high speed (>200mph). Aircraft are landed on a launchship by flying them at low speed into a special conveyor net suspended above the armored deck. The net continuously transports the captured aircraft back into the hanger deck.

The advantages of this arrangement is that it allows for aircraft to launch in quick succession while simultaneously allowing others to land. It also allows for the deck to be very heavily armored, and eliminates the need for a vulnerable aircraft elevator, making them harder to sink.

The main disadvantage is that, although hard to sink, any damage to the launch rail and its backups, or to the landing conveyor, will render the ship essentially useless until it is repaired at dock. For this reason, many feature an 'A' shaped armored roof over the forward deck and launch rail.

Some launchships can also fire shells, anti-aircraft fire, plasma, missiles, and/or torpedoes.