(DoD, NATO) A structure which provides an auxiliary source of thrust to a missile or aircraft; must combine the functions of directing and accelerating the missile during its travel on the catapult; serves the same functions for a missile as does a gun tube for a shell.
Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.
| APA | Military Dictionary (DoD). (2011). catapult. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/catapult/definitions/1960702 |
| Chicago | Military Dictionary (DoD). 2011. "catapult" http://smartdefine.org/catapult/definitions/1960702 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Military Dictionary (DoD) 2011, catapult, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/catapult/definitions/1960702>. |
| MLA | Military Dictionary (DoD). "catapult" 4 April 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/catapult/definitions/1960702> |