Naval Aviation is the use of air power by the navies; it involves usage of manned aircrafts and also carriers. Naval Aviation utilizes the usage of aircrafts aboard the carriers near to the target, the aircrafts used for the carrier operations need to be sturdy enough to withstand the different kind of stresses faced . The aircrafts are specially modified for such kind of operations. The Navy uses its aircrafts for Reconnaissance, Search and Rescue, surface attack, air-to-air combat, surface warfare and for material and personnel transport.
The history of naval aviation dates back to the year 1910 when Glenn Curtiss, A pioneer aviator showed that the airplanes can take off from and land on ships at sea, which led to the development of the concept of aircraft carriers . The navies also operated sea airplanes or flying boats during the most part of World War I. By the Second World War, Naval Aviation was significantly improved and it became a decisive element in the war at sea. Japan, US and UK were the significant users. Naval Aviation played an important role in Battle of Midway, Pearl Harbor and Battle of Okinawa etc. during that period. It was also used for Anti Submarine Warfare.
The development of advanced aircraft carriers has given a significant boost for the Naval Aviation secto0r. It enables the navies to have an Air cover for its forces while at sea, which cannot be provided by land based aircraft due to the distance factor,. The Anti Submarine Helicopters on board the Naval Carriers and destroyers are potent weapons against submerged threats. During the period of the cold war, the NATO navies began deploying light aircraft carriers with ASW helicopters and also started using long range reconnaissance planes for countering the threat by the Soviet SSNs and SSGN submarines.