Media outlets indicate that the U.S. Navy will stick to its original decision to install an electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) on the new Gerald Ford carrier that is slated for delivery by 2015. This decision comes despite a recent cautionary report from the Government Accounting Office (GAO) that design problems and cost overruns could delay delivery of the ship. Proponents of EMALS contend that it will allow the carrier to launch more jets, will require less maintenance than the steam catapults now in use on U.S. aircraft carriers, and will generate less stress and wear on the planes. Privately held General Atomics (GA) is under contract to develop EMALS. According to GA literature, the EMALS achieves a peak-to-mean force ration much lower than those of steam catapults by using a state-of-the-art control system to control the current into a linear induction motor, which has been developed for configuration for the flight deck.Learn more details at the General Atomics’ website.
Navy Chooses EM Option
