The zero length launch system or zero length take-off system (ZLL, ZLTO, ZEL, ZELL) was a system whereby
jet fighters and
attack aircraft were intended to be placed upon
rockets attached to mobile
launch platforms. Most zero length launch experiments took place in the
1950s, during the
Cold War.The primary advantage of a zero length launch system is the elimination of the need for a vulnerable
airfield for takeoffs. In the event of a sudden attack, air forces could field credible air defenses and launch airstrikes even with their own airbases destroyed. Although launching aircraft using rocket boosters proved to be relatively trouble-free, zero length launch systems still required a conventional runway if the aircraft was expected to land. Bulky mobile launching platforms also proved to be expensive to operate and difficult to transport. Security would also have been an issue with mobile launchers, especially if equipped with
nuclear-armed strike fighters.
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