A new era of aircraft carrier fighter jet attack at sea is emerging.
Electromagnetic launch technology has replaced steam catapults to massively increase sortie rates and offensive military options for U.S. Navy maritime power projection.
(EMALS) Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System
The successful completion of the U.S. Navy’s at-sea operational testing of its next-generation Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) onboard the USS Ford means carrier commanders will now have a new set of attack possibilities due to the capabilities of this first of kind technology.
EMALS, now installed on the USS Ford and undergoing integration into the future USS Kennedy and USS Enterprise aircraft carriers is supported by new landing technology called Advanced Arresting Gear.
The operational assessments were part of the Navy’s eighteen-month-long post-delivery test and trial period for the USS Ford, a key step in anticipation of its ultimate combat deployment.
The EMALS system, in development as far back as 2000 with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, consists of a series of transformers and rectifiers designed to convert and store electrical power through motor-generators before bringing power to the launch motors on the ship’s catapults.
Aircraft Launched with Electrical Energy
By having an electrical pulse come down, the aircraft is pulled down the catapult to launch; the precise weight of the aircraft can be dialed in. As the aircraft accelerates down the catapult, it can reach the precise speed it needs to launch, senior Navy officials have said.
