Does anyone know why US aircraft carriers don't have a sloped ramp at the end of the runway like UK carriers?
If a Harrier were to take off from a US carrier, would it then have to be catapulted? Can it take off conventionally like an ordinary plane on the usual deck runway?
Can an F-14 or F-18 take off a US carrier deck without catapults? What if it used the whole length of the deck? Would the take-offs be better if it had a ski jump at the end without catapults? Just wondering.