History of Airborne Aircraft Carriers

The aviation history demonstrated that between 1917 and after World War II, the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and Germany expressed their keen interest in experimenting airborne aircraft carriers in the sky. Particularly, capable of carrying parasite fighter aircraft, with the ability to launch and recover in midair. 

The history reveled that these concepts weren't completely successful, especially in regard to recovering parasite aircraft back onto the mother aircraft. In fact, these dreams faded almost three quarter century ago, mainly due to lack of finding effective solution on recovery capabilities.

Nonetheless, the U.S. and other nations continued to remain interested in the airborne aircraft carrier concept. In early 1970s, the U.S. aviation industry brought various designs along the line of the original idea, using the existing platform, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet as a flying mother aircraft carrier. The design was considered, basically changing wing layouts and using the early system of belly hatch on a trapeze system. However, this also did not materialize.

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Return of History - For the Future

In recent years, once again the U.S. military is focusing on this long record of interest footnote of aviation history into future action plan. Specifically, focusing on developing the family of unmanned systems, and system -of -systems that have the ability to integrate with manned, unmanned and space systems.

The main objective of the idea is to support global-strike operations in access-denial environments, and areas where manned, unmanned systems, and humans are unable to access.

However, this program is seeking innovation solutions to build required capabilities using the existing platform, B-52, B-1, C-130 aircraft as a mother aircraft. Pentagon wants ideas for flying aircraft carrier. Pentagon wants ideas for flying aircraft carrier

EQQ Unmanned Airborne Aircraft Carrier

Analyzing the history of airborne aircraft carriers, success and failures of previous advancements, EQQUERA took a different approach, by innovating a flatbed unmanned aircraft carrier concept. The key objective of this new idea is to find effective solutions to launch and recover small systems in midair. The concept is named “Mother Hen and Friendly Chicks”, also known as EQQ UAS (EQQ Unmanned Areal System).

In fact, the EQQ UAS concept would focus to develop a complete new platform rather than using the existing platform for the mother aircraft carrier. The new platform would allow the system to be designed with new configurations using emerging new technology that would support a wide range of mission capabilities, to combat challenge threat environments.

EQQUERA system would be designed to serve multiple applications; civil applications and military combat and non-combat roles and missions. In other words, civil applications would be designed to combat wildfires, Arctic missions and humanitarian missions. The military missions will focus on access to anti-access environment with multi mission operation capabilities in high-mid–low altitudes, including the unique system to launch and recover small systems in midair. 

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