World War II ended with the aircraft carrier as the supreme warship type. So the leading navies of the world considered how to best optimize this platform.
A 2021 article in Naval History magazine explains that among the challenges of the new jet-powered aircraft were the the limited space and weight requirements for aircraft. Could a designer save on both by foregoing landing gear? In the late 1940s, Royal Navy considered this option. Perhaps a jet without landing gear could land on a carrier if the flight deck was covered with rubber. After hitting the arresting cable, a jet could come to a gradual if bouncy stop.
The US Navy conducted similar experiments. Although there were no serious accidents, it was a risky landing method. Furthermore, a jet without landing gear could land only on this type of runway. So relying on rubber-coated flight decks would be too limiting. Both navies ultimately dropped the idea.
-via US Naval Institute
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Nobody is every likely to prove this conclusively since the artist never told.
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