Several different aircraft are used on board the various airships in service with the US Navy. The primary defensive fighter is the Curtiss F15C Skyhawk, a small single engine monoplane armed with four machine guns. The primary bomber/reconnaissance platform is the Douglas SBD-1Z, a heavily modified version of the standard Navy dive bomber. It lacks built-in landing gear, having simple gear that can be jettisoned after take off from a ground base and is often fitted with a large belly fuel tank for extended recon missions. A variant of the OS2U Kingfisher is also used, both with and without floats. It's primary use is as a utility "boat" for ferrying crew or cargo, as well as air-sea rescue when equipped with floats. The Kingfisher is also used in the anti-submarine role, carrying depth charges or spotting targets for the airship's own depth charges.
This post has been edited 2 times, last edit by "CanisD" (Oct 5th 2010, 1:09am)