For the last six decades the US Navy has used steam powered catapults to launch airplanes of the decks of aircraft carriers. Starting with the USS Gerald Ford that will change to an electromagnetic system that will be heaving today’s warbirds into the sky. The steam design was both effective and time proven but it was also pretty violent and not as efficient as it could be and that’s where this new design comes it. It has been tested for years on land and in the video you will see below it has been tested with lots of “dead loads” which are fired right off the of the ship with impunity!
The electromagnetic launcher has the capability to better sense the weight of the load that it is pulling and it will be far more gentle on the aircraft that it is launching. Basically a massive rolling magnetic wave propels the cable down the runway, pulling the airplane along with it. This system can launch everything from drones to fully loaded attack planes.
The USS Genera Ford, being the newest aircraft carrier in the fleet is being finished up at Newport News, Virginia. It can generate up to 13,800 volts of electricity whereas previous carriers could only muster 4,160 so retrofitting these systems onto those ships would be an insanely expensive and likely unnecessary venture.
On the flip side of this program is the arrestor system which will go from one form of hydraulic system to another. Currently the arrestor uses hydraulic pressure to stop the airplane once it grabs the cable. The new system which we believe was also designed to be more gentle used what’s basically a water brake. When the plane grabs the cable it will now slowed by a so-called “water twister” which can automatically and instantly adjust to differing airplane weights, etc.
Some pretty cool stuff and it must have been fun being the guy that punched the button launching these things into the ocean!
Why are they clapping after every shot? Is the sled tied by some ” invisible ” cordage to a babe’s bikini top? 🙂 ” In the Navy…” 🙂
The good old US Navy was called in to help rid the world of Chevys and all things LS powered in the name of world peace…..
they should paint a confederate flag and a 01 on that test sled