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A Sea Harrier launches from the flight deck of HMS Illustrious in 2001
A short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is able to take off from a short runway (or take off vertically if it does not have a heavy payload) and land vertically (i.e. with no runway). The formal NATO definition (since 1991) is:
A Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of clearing a 15 m (50 ft) obstacle within 450 m (1,500 ft) of commencing take-off run, and capable of landing vertically.[1]
On aircraft carriers, non-catapult-assisted fixed-wing short takeoffs are accomplished with the use of thrust vectoring, which may also be used in conjunction with a runway "ski-jump". There are 14 aircraft carriers that operate these STOVL aircraft: United States (9), United Kingdom (2), Italy (2), and Spain (1). Use of STOVL tends to allow aircraft to carry a larger payload compared to vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), while still only requiring a short runway. The most famous examples are the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and the BAe Sea Harrier. Although technically a V/STOL aircraft, they are operationally STOVL aircraft due to the extra weight carried at take-off for fuel and armaments. The same is true of the B variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which demonstrated VTOL capability in test flights but is operationally a STOVL.
^"NATO Glossary of Terms and Definitions" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2003.
A short take-off and vertical landing aircraft (STOVL aircraft) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is able to take off from a short runway (or take off vertically...
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deck with the ski-jump ramp in front, after deciding to purchase F-35B STOVL aircraft. Turkey was a Level 3 partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program...
became the Joint Strike Fighter. The CALF was a DARPA program to develop a STOVL strike fighter (SSF) for the United States Marine Corps and replacement...
aircraft. Alternate methods of launch and recovery can only use aircraft with STOVL or STOBAR capability. STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) is a...
turboshaft principle is the Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 turbofan engine for the STOVL Lockheed F-35B Lightning II – in conventional mode it operates as a turbofan...
aircraft carrier, combining elements of "short take-off and vertical landing" (STOVL) with "catapult-assisted take-off, barrier-arrested recovery" (CATOBAR)...
short take-off and landing (STOL) or short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft cannot perform without a runway. In 1942, the Sikorsky R-4 became...
aircraft-carrying cruiser. She is equipped with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft and helicopters. Giuseppe Garibaldi was involved in combat air...
small aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships are capable of V/STOL, STOVL, VTOL, tiltrotor, and rotary wing aircraft operations. They also contain...
land or aircraft carriers. Both are slated to be replaced by 340 of the STOVL B version of the F-35 Lightning II and 80 of the carrier F-35C versions...
September 2002, the MoD announced that the Royal Navy and RAF will operate the STOVL F-35B variant. At the same time it was announced that the carriers would...
many aircraft carriers, the amphibious landing ship has a ski jump for STOVL operations, and is equipped with the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II...
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