Ground Aircraft Carriers

[shin_getter]

While looking for ideas about operating drones off land vehicles, I find that there is no (easily findable) resource that collects ground aircraft carrier designs.

Well I'll just start:
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Area 88

What other designs of this category do you know, please post!

Also any semi-serious proposals you know?

 

[illRoyalPanda]

https://hazeps3.fandom.com/wiki/Land_Carrier
this like "Carrier on land" from HAZE is really cool if not widely impractical

 

[Dilandu]

Also any semi-serious proposals you know?

AFAIK, none. Too much obvious contradictions. Essentially, land carrier would require a very large piece of flat land to operate - but in that case, why don't just build an airfield there?

 

[helmutkohl]

While looking for ideas about operating drones off land vehicles, I find that there is no (easily findable) resource that collects ground aircraft carrier designs.

Well I'll just start:
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

ah, so thats where the game got its inspiration from, didnt know they had it in the manga too

 

[Dilandu]

From purely engineering point of view, "Deserts of Kharakh" produce basically the best justification for land carrier - a dry, desert planet, with severe weather conditions and lack of hard surface, which made stationary airfields impractical (they could be buried by sandstorms too easily, and could only be supplied by relatively large crawler vehicles anyway).

Still, the game design for land carrier is kinda wrong. They essentially took the naval carrier and put it on tracks (and tracks for some reason are so tiny, that the whole machine would hardly be able to move without risking to break apart - there is no reasons why tracks can't be covering the whole bottom). More practical land carrier would have:

* Rotating launch catapults - its MUCH harder to turn the ground carrier against wind than naval one. Also, the terrain produces all kind of interference, from direct obstackles to turbulence.

* Articulated landing pads - since the terrain is rarely perfectly flat, finding an appropriate landing area could be a major headache.

* Likely more multi-tiered structure, with hangars atop one other - since the excessive length would seriously hamper the maneuvering.

 

[Yellow Palace]

* Rotating launch catapults - its MUCH harder to turn the ground carrier against wind than naval one. Also, the terrain produces all kind of interference, from direct obstackles to turbulence.

* Articulated landing pads - since the terrain is rarely perfectly flat, finding an appropriate landing area could be a major headache.

TBH at that point I'd be considering mounting the entire hangar and flight deck on one enormous roller bearing.

 

[Justo Miranda]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Snow_Cruiser

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElRITpI9t9E

 

[shin_getter]

From purely engineering point of view, "Deserts of Kharakh" produce basically the best justification for land carrier - a dry, desert planet, with severe weather conditions and lack of hard surface, which made stationary airfields impractical (they could be buried by sandstorms too easily, and could only be supplied by relatively large crawler vehicles anyway).

There are multiple different conditions that make land carriers a good idea.

One idea is a planet with very long day cycles (very slow planetary spin). Such planet would have very uneven temperatures across the surface and inhabitants may have to be constantly be on the move to be in the temperate zone, resulting "mortal engines" like civilization.

Another would simply be the theater of operations being multiple of aircraft range with very low force density, thus airfields as inefficient to cover space. This is what happens with aircraft carriers since force density of oceans is very low. This is also why small drones have carriers, because its range is far insufficient if operating from fixed bases. This is what happens in Homeworld imo. (didn't play the game)

---------
The unevenness of ground does make large ground vehicles difficult, some possible solutions:
1. Hovercraft with flexible adaptive skirts
2. Using energy consuming means to shorten liftoff/landing space requirements more, like for example rockets. Personally I think using Evtols to boost/catch the main vehicle have great potential with current tech stack.

 

[Dilandu]

The unevenness of ground does make large ground vehicles difficult, some possible solutions:
1. Hovercraft with flexible adaptive skirts
2. Using energy consuming means to shorten liftoff/landing space requirements more, like for example rockets. Personally I think using Evtols to boost/catch the main vehicle have great potential with current tech stack.

IMHO, the standard caterpillar trucks aren't the best idea for VERY big machines. Something like Pedrail tracks may be more practical.

 

[shin_getter]

Here comes a new challenger


https://www.twz.com/news-features/c...ft-catapult-seen-in-action-for-the-first-time

 

[Fluff]

Amtrak wars sci fi they flew microlights armed with paintball guns firing darts, from a ground train.

 

[Fluff]

Here comes a new challenger
View attachment 816745

https://www.twz.com/news-features/c...ft-catapult-seen-in-action-for-the-first-time

If I understand this, the trucks are static, and make up an EM catapult. Whats the point, just have one truck drive down the road...

 

[Cthell]

Very much a joke, not a serious proposal, but still probably belongs here:

by Stan Mott

 

[JoeCalPo]

I am building a model of the snow cruiser, with markings for Miskatonic University.

There are many flying things that launch from mobile ground vehicles - rockets and missiles, though they're pointedly launch-only
I expect there will be vehicles built to carry and operate multiple drones, it there aren't already. Having your control platform movable improves survivability.

 

[Scott Kenny]

What other designs of [ground aircraft carriers] do you know, please post!

Dream Pod 9's Heavy Gear setting has a few land-carriers.


(edit: the aircraft launch/landing bays are on the sides of the hull amidships, those 4 panels painted light gray.)


And the better one:


These are set something like 4500 years in the future and are operating on an odd mix of maglev and vectored-thrust/hovercraft lift. They're also set on a planet where surface water is very limited (like 95% land!) and that has a very large equatorial desert. The design team went nuts on the setting, as it was not just a tabletop miniatures game but was released with an entire roleplaying game and background, all at once.

Also any semi-serious proposals you know?

No, there's not really any place on Earth where it'd make sense before the advent of small drones.

Now, with small drones and other one-way effectors, IMO pretty much every vehicle will need to carry a few drones for observation at the very least.

 

[Foo Fighter]

The Ukrainians have already used HGV to as drone carriers to attack their invaders homeland, while it may be a one way trip, future use is no more ludicrous than the wheel SPG in use and planning now.
Considering the potential for miniaturisation, you could do a lot with one HGV drone carrier.