EMALS to start sled trials on CVN 78 in late 2015

[surya kiran]

EMALS to start sled trials on CVN 78 in late 2015 - IHS Jane's 360

Dead-load launches from the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) technology equipping the new Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) are set to start in late 2015, the US Navy (USN) has confirmed.

At-sea aircraft launches from EMALS are expected to follow in 2016 after Ford 's delivery from Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding business.

An industry team led by General Atomics has developed EMALS as the successor to the venerable C-13 steam catapult installed on all current USN nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Ford , now in advanced construction at Newport News, is the first carrier to receive the new system. A land-based EMALS prototype at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, has been used to support demonstration, qualification, and reliability growth activities.

Based on linear motor technology, EMALS promises benefits in performance, control, and through-life costs of ownership. For example, it delivers higher launch energy capacity, provides for more accurate end-speed control, brings substantial improvements in system maintenance, and offers increased reliability and efficiency.

According to PMA-251, the Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR's) Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Program Office, nearly all EMALS' hardware components have now been delivered and installed in Ford .

"CVN 78 is projected to deliver in spring 2016, and at-sea EMALS aircraft launches will begin shortly thereafter," said PMA-251. "Starting in late 2015, the ship is scheduled to launch dead-loads, or weighted sleds, from the system, leading up to manned launches after delivery."

More than 450 manned aircraft launches - involving every fixed-wing carrier-borne aircraft type in the USN inventory - have been completed from the EMALS prototype at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst during two Aircraft Compatibility Testing (ACT) campaigns. ACT Phase 1 concluded in late 2011 following 134 launches (aircraft types comprising the F/A-18E Super Hornet, T-45C Goshawk, C-2A Greyhound, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and F-35C Lightning II).

On completion of ACT 1, the EMALS demonstrator was reconfigured to be more representative of the actual ship configuration on board Ford , which will use four catapults sharing several energy storage and power conversion subsystems.

ACT Phase 2 began on 25 June 2013 and concluded on 6 April 2014 after a further 310 launches (including launches of the EA-18G Growler and F/A-18C Hornet, as well as another round of testing with aircraft types previously launched during Phase 1). In Phase 2 various carrier situations were simulated, including off-centre launches and planned system faults, to demonstrate that aircraft could meet end-speed and validate launch-critical reliability.

 

[T90TankGuy]

Can any one confirm if our second carrier will have EMALS ?
@sancho?

 

[sancho]

Can any one confirm if our second carrier will have EMALS ?
@sancho?

No, we can't even confirm if it gets steam catapults as of now. All we know is, IN wants a CATOBAR for years again and hope that the US finally will reconsider, but if EMALS will be provided is a whole different issue.
In the meantime the Russians have started their own EMALS development and are constantly asking us to join their carrier developments. So the options might increase, although I'm not sure if they aim on using catapults for fighters or only for AEW aircrafts.

 

[T90TankGuy]

No, we can't even confirm if it gets steam catapults as of now. All we know is, IN wants a CATOBAR for years again and hope that the US finally will reconsider, but if EMALS will be provided is a whole different issue.
In the meantime the Russians have started their own EMALS development and are constantly asking us to join their carrier developments. So the options might increase, although I'm not sure if they aim on using catapults for fighters or only for AEW aircrafts.

Sancho do you think we will partner with the Russians in building a new class of AC, or will we try using an indigenous design ?

 

[sancho]

Sancho do you think we will partner with the Russians in building a new class of AC, or will we try using an indigenous design ?

They want us to team up with them for the new carrier, to get shared funding. For us it would be smarter to use our own design and development experience of IAC 1 and modify it for IAC 2.

 

[Indus Falcon]

Electromagnetic system to replace steam launches on US Navy carriers
By David Szondy June 23, 2014

A fighter plane taking off from a strike carrier is a dramatic sight – not the least because of the woosh and plume of steam as the catapult blasts the aircraft into the air. In a few years, such launches may still be dramatic, but they’ll also be a bit quieter and very plume-free. That’s because the US Navy has completed testing of its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS); clearing it for use on the new Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carriers.

When the Navy launched an F/A-18C Hornet for the first time as part of the second and final test phase of the EMALS at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey land-based test site, it opened the way for the system’s deployment on US aircraft carriers starting with the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) that is currently under construction at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Newport News, Virginia.

Under development for over 25 years, EMALS is the first new carrier catapult technology in 60 years to advance to practical application. Instead of using a piston forced along by a head of steam, it uses computer-controlled, solid-state electrics to propel an armature down a track.

The EMALS is designed to replace the steam-powered launch system that has been the standard on strike carriers since the 1950s. According to the Navy, EMALS is capable of being used by a wide variety of aircraft, is near-silent, and enjoys smoother acceleration and a more consistent launch speed. It also has higher launch energy, is more reliable, mechanically simpler, and is easier to maintain.

EMALS has already been tested in the first phase of ACT testing that ended in 2011 and included 134 manned launches of aircraft, including the F/A-18E Super Hornet, T-45C Goshawk, C-2A Greyhound, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and F-35C Lightning II. The second phase, which ended in April, saw launches of the EA-18G Growler and F/A-18C Hornet. In all, 452 manned launches were conducted.

"The successful manned-aircraft test launches replicated various carrier situations to demonstrate that the catapult would provide the required aircraft end-speed and to validate EMALS launch-critical reliability," says George Sulich, EMALS integrated test team lead.

The EMALS has already been installed on the Gerald R Ford and will also be included on all subsequent Ford-class carriers. In late 2015, the Gerald R Ford will conduct dead-load launches using weighted sleds in anticipation of later manned tests.

"This is an amazing and pivotal time for naval aviation," says Captain Frank Morley, who leads the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265). "Who would have thought 35 years ago that the Hornet would launch from anything other than steam catapult technology. We are fortunate to witness this historic milestone."

Morley added that the USS Gerald R Ford is projected to be completed in 2016, with at-sea EMALS aircraft launches scheduled to begin shortly thereafter.

Source: US Navy

An F/A-18C Hornet is launched from a test runway using EMALS (Image: US Navy)

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye launches successfully using EMALS(Image: US Navy)

C-2A Greyhound prepares for launch (Image: US Navy)

T-45C Goshawk prepares for launch (Image: US Navy)

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye prepares for launch (Image: US Navy)

An F-35C Lightning II test aircraft prepares for first EMALS launch (Image: US Navy)

An F-35C Lightning II awaiting first EMALS launch (Image: US Navy)



Electromagnetic system to replace steam launches on US Navy carriers

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

....and drones launches too