Catapult Fighter Data

Launches a single fighter from the ship's catapult. It is available on Tier IV and higher Japanese cruisers, Tier V-VIII British cruisers, Tier V and higher American cruisers, and Tier VI and higher German cruisers. It is also available to most battleships Tier VII and higher. Note that hull upgrades may affect whether this consumable is available. Ships with catapult-launched aircraft usually must choose between equipping either a Catapult Fighter or a Spotting Aircraft .

Once launched, a Catapult Fighter will automatically orbit around the ship at a radius of about 3.25 km and intercept any nearby enemy planes. With only a single plane per "squadron", the fighter is not capable of much damage and can easily be disposed of by a carrier fighter squadron. However, like carrier fighters it will lock enemy fighter squadrons in place; or slow down and increase the dispersion of attack aircraft. This can buy some critical time to evade, for other AA assets to thin the enemy squadron, or tip the balance in a close fighter battle.

In addition to defending from enemy aircraft, the fighter can spot torpedoes or enemy ships that pass near it, allowing it to function as a sort of poor-man's Hydroacoustic Search/Surveillance Radar. In this role it offers a longer duration and a faster cooldown than Spotting Aircraft , but a shorter orbital radius.

Note: Catapult Fighter can be exchanged for either Spotting Aircraft  or Surveillance Radar  (on eligible ships).

				CATAPULT FIGHTER I		CATAPULT FIGHTER II
				Cost: Free		Cost: 15 OR 22,500
Class or Ship	Tier	Nation(s)	Duration	Cooldown	Charges	Cooldown	Charges
Musashi	IX		180 seconds	90 seconds	5	60 seconds	6
Cruiser	Varies	Varies	360 seconds	180 seconds	Varies	120 seconds	+1
Battleship	Varies	Varies	90 seconds	180 seconds	Varies	120 seconds	+1

The base number of charges depends on the specific ship. Practically, due to the long duration and cooldown, the number of charges is rarely a concern.

Base charges	Catapult Fighter	Both	Spotting Aircraft
1	Cruisers: Katori, Kuma
2	Cruisers: Duguay-Trouin, Emile Bertin, Graf Spee, Nürnberg, Omaha	Cruisers: Zao	Battleships: Myogi
3	Cruisers: Admiral Hipper, Algérie, Aoba, Charles Martel, Dallas?, De Grasse, Furutaka, Helena?, Königsberg, Mogami, Myoko, Yorck	Cruisers: Buffalo, Edinburgh, Emerald, Fiji, Hindenburg, Leander, Ibuki, Perth, Roon, Saint-Louis Battleships: Gneisenau, Iowa, King George V, Lion, Nagato	Cruisers: Budyonny, Chapayev, Kirov, Duca d'Aosta, Murmansk, Shchors Battleships: Fuso, Kongo, New Mexico, Queen Elizabeth
4	Cruisers: Baltimore, New Orleans, Pensacola	Cruisers: Des Moines Battleships: Amagi, Bismarck, Monarch, North Carolina, Richelieu (A hull only)
5		Battleships: Alsace, Friedrich der Große, Izumo, Musashi
6		Battleships: Montana
7		Battleships: Großer Kurfürst, Yamato