It's been 100 years since the US Navy launched its first aircraft from its first aircraft carrier. A world war, the Cold War, and a breathtaking amount of development and progress have transformed carrier-based military aircraft beyond recognition. The US Navy's first carrier-based fighter aircraft was the little Vought VE-7 biplane (this was also the age when the Navy was experimenting with flying airship carriers launching Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawks). Now, the Navy is retrofitting its carriers to operate the cutting-edge F-35C multirole strike fighter. Here is a throwback to how today's US carrier-based fighter aircraft compares with their original progenitors.
