CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Under this technique, aircraft launch using a catapult-assisted take-off and land on the ship using arrestor wires.
Catapult launches aboard USS Ronald Reagan
Image: USS Nimitz (CVN 68)
Image: USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) arrives at Naval Station Norfolk on 14 April 2017
Image: Charles De Gaulle (R91) underway 2009
An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off in a limited distance, typically from the deck of a vessel. They can also be installed on land-based runways, although this is rarely done. They are usually used on aircraft carriers as a form of assisted take off.
F-14 Tomcat preparing to connect to a catapult on USS Saratoga
Samuel Langley's catapult, houseboat and unsuccessful man-carrying Aerodrome (1903)
A Supermarine Walrus being launched from the catapult of HMS Bermuda (1943)
Test launch of a Hurricane using the rocket-catapult of a CAM ship, Greenock, Scotland, 31 May 1941