F-104G "DA+102" test pilot Brown entering the cockpit Lakehurst 1964

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 effective air defenses and launch air strikes 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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