A construction project at a British Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) World War II-era site has unearthed an unusual find. Developed between 1938 and 1940, the RAE Mark III Catapult was designed to launch fully fueled and loaded bombers from runways as short as 270 feet long. The project never succeeded in launching an aircraft, and the site of the underground catapult system was paved over with a conventional runway in 1941.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/archaeologists-unearth-world-war-ii-era-air-catapult-system-in-uk