STOBAR in the context of "Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian"

A carrier-based aircraft (also known as carrier-capable aircraft, carrier-borne aircraft, carrier aircraft or aeronaval aircraft) is a navalised aircraft designed for seaborne flight operations from aircraft carriers. The term is generally applied only to shipborne fixed-wing aircraft that require a runway of some sort for takeoff and landing, as VTOL aircraft such as helicopters are inherently capable of adapting to flight operations from a wide variety of ships (not just aircraft carriers) as long as the served vessel is equipped with helipads or a sufficiently spacious deck that can provide a reliable landing area, which include helicopter carriers, amphibious assault ships, aviation-capable surface combatants (cruisers, destroyers, frigates and some corvettes), container ships and even cruiseliners.

Carrier-based aircraft are designed for many purposes including aerial combat, surface attack, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue (SAR), carrier onboard delivery (COD), weather observation, reconnaissance and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C). Such aircraft must be able to take off from the short distance available on the carrier's flight deck and be sturdy enough to withstand the abrupt forces exerted by on a pitching deck due to sea waves. Some modern carrier aircraft are designed for catapult-assisted takeoffs and thus also need to be constructed more robust airframes and landing gears that can handle sudden forward accelerations. Arrestor hook is mandatory feature for those designed for CATOBAR or STOBAR landing, while thrust vectoring or tiltrotor nacelles are commonly seen in those capable of V/STOL operations. In addition, their wings are generally larger (thus can generate more lift) than the land-launched counterparts, and are typically able to fold up or swing back for taxiing, pushback and parking in tight quarters.

INS Vikramaditya (lit. 'Valour Comparable to the Sun') is a conventionally powered STOBAR aircraft carrier currently serving as the flagship of the Indian Navy. It is a modified Kiev class aircraft cruiser purchased from Russia and entered into service in 2013.

Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov) before being decommissioned in 1996. After years of negotiations, the carrier was purchased by India on 20 January 2004. The transformed ship completed her sea trials in July 2013 and first naval aviation trials in September 2013.

An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. Similar systems are also found at land-based airfields for expeditionary or emergency use. Typical systems consist of several steel wire ropes laid across the aircraft landing area, designed to be caught by an aircraft's tailhook. During a normal arrestment, the tailhook engages the wire and the aircraft's kinetic energy is transferred to hydraulic damping systems attached below the carrier deck. There are other related systems that use nets to catch aircraft wings or landing gear. These barricade and barrier systems are only used for emergency arrestments for aircraft without operable tailhooks.