I'm not sure that operating jet engines in an enclosed space where they are also refueled is a good idea from a risk managment perspective. Build-up of fumes, exhaust, etc...I wanna ask an opinions. How viable it is to install a catapult inside a hangar and launch the fighter aircraft directly from inside the hangar using this catapult? No need to taxi and enter runway.
Something similar has already been tried by both the US, Germany and the USSR. It was called Zero Length Launch where a solid-rocket booster was used to launch an aircraft off a trailer-mounted rail (They never launched it from a hangar though). You can check out a video at [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah3QPvqr4ek"]F-84 ZELL trials - YouTube[/nomedia]. The US tested the concept on F-84 Thunderjets, the Germans on F-104G Starfighters and the Russians on MiG-19s.I wanna ask an opinions. How viable it is to install a catapult inside a hangar and launch the fighter aircraft directly from inside the hangar using this catapult? No need to taxi and enter runway.
Compare the length of the catapult to the dimensions of standard hangers and you will find that they won't fit, so you need bigger hangers just to hold the catapults, not to mention that there is now a large area (the catapult) in the hanger that must be kept clear of parked aircraft. You also have the catapult itself which is a very large, complex, expensive, and energy hungry beast.I wanna ask an opinions. How viable it is to install a catapult inside a hangar and launch the fighter aircraft directly from inside the hangar using this catapult? No need to taxi and enter runway.
that is a short space to launch an aircraftSome Essex class carriers of the USN were fitted with a catapult in the hangar deck. Follow the link below for pics and information.
Essex-class Hangar Catapult
What if all the complex catapult mechanism is underground? Only the shuttle and the track is visible above ground.Compare the length of the catapult to the dimensions of standard hangers and you will find that they won't fit, so you need bigger hangers just to hold the catapults, not to mention that there is now a large area (the catapult) in the hanger that must be kept clear of parked aircraft. You also have the catapult itself which is a very large, complex, expensive, and energy hungry beast.
The catapult hanger is a fixed location, and therefore extremely vulnerable high value target, and unlikely to survive long when the shooting starts. Unlike the aircraft which will be dispersed, and can in many cases operate from any section of road with a straight section of sufficient length and width.