VIDEO: U.S. Navy Tests Electromagnetic Jet Fighter Catapult

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[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (June 5, 2015) U.S. Navy Sailors, civilian employees and contractors observed a "dead-load" test of the new electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) aboard Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The weighted sled was launched into the James River where it was recovered for additional test launches. (U.S. Navy video/Released)

[UMCRevMom@aol.com]

Most aircraft carriers currently use steam powered catapults to launch fighter jets. It helps them reach takeoff speed faster and leave the carrier safely, but unfortunately, they’re a pain to work with. steam powered catapults take up a lot of space on the ship, and generally require a fair amount of manpower to operate. They also require vast amounts of water. A ship can only produce or store a certain amount of desalinated water per day because the steam catapult cannot use sea water directly due to its corrosive nature. In a war-like situation where every minute matters, not being able to launch jet fighters quickly is a big issue. So, in order to replace the traditional steam catapult, the United States Navy is working on developing a new, more practical method for launching fighter jets off aircraft carriers. Dubbed the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System or EMALS, the new electromagnetic catapult is more resource efficient and is able to provide a steadier acceleration speed in comparison to steam catapults. The electromagnetic catapult can launch fighter jets every 45 seconds according an article published on air and space. With more tweaking and modifications the system could be able launch fighter jets to speeds reaching 240mph (390km/h). In order to test the EMALS’ efficiency, the Navy recently conducted a test aboard the USS Gerald Ford carrier, in which they launched a sled with a dead-load made of around 80,000 pounds of steel (approximately the weight of a fighter jet) using the electromagnetic catapult. Related: Watch the U.S. Navy test out its ultra-precise laser system in the Persian Gulf The test demonstrated that the EMALS system not only provides smoother acceleration during launches, but also puts less stress on the aircraft. On top of that, the system also weighs less and requires less space, since it does away with the steam catapult’s piping, pumps, motors, and complex control systems. It’s only built into one ship at this point, but EMALS is designed to be compatible with advanced aircraft carriers that the Navy plans on using in the future. More testing is needed, however, so for the time being, the Navy has retrieved the 80,000 pound test sled above from the depths of the James River, and plans to conduct more dead-load launches before actually deploying the EMALS system. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/us-navy-electromagnetic-aircraft-launch-system/

[Flash Bazbeaux]

Finally the Kushmaker has a real job.

[colorado tanker]

Bet it would work on cars, too!

[USNBandit]

Steam cats have gotten better over the years, but assuming it works like it’s supposed to, this should give a way gentler shot. Cat shots can sometimes physically hurt in light winds and heavy weights.

[catbertz]

Thanks for your post. I’ve never read abt the steam cat’s water requirements/limitations. Now the push for mag launch makes total sense.

[ExGeeEye]

Dumb question of the day: if a B-25 can get off an 800-foot Yorktown-class carrier deck under it’s own power, why can’t a modern jet fighter get off a thousand-foot Nimitz-class deck? Why any catapult needed?

[forgotten man]

What are the two objects attached to the island? I don’t see those on Nimitz class aircraft carriers.

[RandallFlagg]

Good question. I’ll guess that it’s because fighters have less wing to provide enough lift, but I could be wrong.

[cld51860]

You mean they haven’t re-named it the U.S.S. Barack Obama, like in that FPS video game a couple of years ago (can’t remember which one now)?

[colorado tanker]

From what I saw on the video this looks like it’s close to actual use.

[cld51860]

P.S.: Those Intruders look photoshopped...

[Traveler59]

I wonder if having a large electromagnet charging and discharging is going to mess up navigation and communication systems.

[edpc]

Or the deck crews exposed to it

[X Fretensis]

The water requirement is not directly associated with the cat. The water is for the boilers or the reactors that generate steam to operate the catapults

[katana]

True enough. Jet fighters require higher speeds and longer runways to takeoff than a WWII bomber. Doolittle’s B25’s were modified to minimize weight and extend range and they had to be launched into a strong head wind. They had a little more than one and a half football fields of deck for a runway. It was almost miraculous that none ended up in the water, especially as they had to launch earlier than planned since the carrier had been spotted by a Japanese patrol boat. The Navy could not afford to lose the USS Hornet and they had to get away from those waters as fast as possible.

[RandallFlagg]

That’s kinda what I thought.
I served on an amphib carrier (USS Peleliu), and we didn’t have any cats. We only launched choppers and Harriers.

[yarddog]

In the old B&W film of the takeoffs from the Hornet, some of the B-25s look like they practically just rise in the air from the deck.

One actually took off without flaps by accident.

[batterycommander]

Is that the Tilley on the three wire?

[spokeshave]

Doolittle’s B25’s were modified to minimize weight and extend range and they had to be launched into a strong head wind.

...they also had 100 octane petrol for the engines...I read that Doolittle persuaded the US gobmint to fund a special refinery to produce 100 octane gas for aviation....and some of it was sent to UK to give Battle of Britain fighters an edge over the German Luftwaffe.