SOFREP has reported about China’s third (and ongoing production for fourth) aircraft carrier as well as India’s very first aircraft carrier. But, how should the US take it to the next level? By producing the world’s first flying aircraft carrier.

Though aircraft carriers allow our troops to be agile in different locations, these are also very vulnerable targets. Once an enemy’s missile hits the carrier, aside from a loss in infrastructure, it would also result in a massive loss in strategic positioning on the battlefield. This is why a flying aircraft carrier could be the solution to this potential threat.

Naval aviation history is filled with various methods to bring our most powerful jet fighters to the sea. Our navies tried airships, submarines, and even sea takeoff, but these were not as efficient as our existing aircraft carriers.

During World War I and World War II, there has been a lot of experimentation in navies around the world. How do we use naval aviation, and where do we position them? In 1925, the US Navy’s USS Langley (CV-1) was the only aircraft carrier. Meanwhile, the Germans used the Los Angeles (zeppelin) to test their fixed-wing takeoff-and-landing concepts. What navies before were trying to do was to find out how feasible flying aircraft carriers would be. Are they cheaper to produce? Are they more efficient? How about operational training and manpower?