Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford

The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a type of aircraft launching system developed by General Atomics for the United States Navy. The system launches carrier-based aircraft by means of a catapult employing a linear induction motor rather than the conventional steam piston. EMALS was first installed on the United States Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford.

Its main advantage is that it accelerates aircraft more smoothly, putting less stress on their airframes. Compared to steam catapults, the EMALS also weighs less, is expected to cost less and require less maintenance, and can launch both heavier and lighter aircraft than a steam piston-driven system. It also reduces the carrier's requirement of fresh water, thus reducing the demand for energy-intensive desalination.

China is reportedly developing a similar system

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater.

Construction began on 11 August 2005, when Northrop Grumman held a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that forms part of a side shell unit of the carrier. The keel of Gerald R. Ford was laid down on 13 November 2009. She was christened on 9 November 2013. Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet replacing the decommissioned USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which ended her 51 years of active service in December 2012. Originally scheduled for delivery in 2015, Gerald R. Ford was delivered to the Navy on 31 May 2017 and formally commissioned by President Donald Trump on 22 July 2017. She is expected to leave on her first deployment around 2022. As of 2017, she is the world's largest aircraft carrier, and the largest warship ever constructed in terms of displacement.

[jeffersdom]

It's Always Nice To See The REAL STUFF In Action .

[Dra]

I like the fact that it's quiet, crew members below deck won't get that rushing slamming noise while they're sleeping

[spaghettimonstersjudgingyo]

I bet the guys who had to clean the grease, water and oil out of the steam catapults are going to be real excited to have this new system.

[mashnochannelmoderator]

I'm stationed on the USS Esignhower and this is a life saver

[clayz]

Hey, thanks for keeping the top gun music out of this. Great video.

[joe]

Sitting on that sled eating your
👁👄👁🍿💨👀

[Xaito]

I guess it makes sense, but I'll miss the steam punk aesthetics of the steam catapult.

[rocketman]

Amazing to see it pull actual planes instead of just testing with placeholders. It would've been so cool to see an F-14 launching off this had it still been around. That plane was arguably the coolest plane in the hands of the navy.


Also, is it just me or does this thing pull a lot faster than steam? With steam, once the plane leaves the deck, it falls for a few feet before actually climbing. This is most clearly visible with F-18s, but the F-18 with magnetic launcher seemed to instantly go for a climb once leaving the deck. Seems magnetic pull is much more controllable, and more powerful.

[TrueCourse]

I would’ve loved to see them use Red Bull Flugtag vehicles in their initial EMALS tests off the Gerald Ford’s flight deck. 🤣

[TigerNL]

Those E-2's sound like a swarm of angry hornets lol

[clayz]

They should give those dead-load cars a wing shape just to see how far they can go.

[wocannaseilai]

5:35 kinda insane to see a 80000 lb object slip on water like a pebble

[johnosbourn]

Do they recover those Dead weight sleds?

[hGW]

1:31 Jeez, inflating those tires must be a hazard onto themselves.

[HabitualButtonPusher]

You would think they could have put that fuel hose on a retractable wheel/reel. Guess they had to cut costs somewhere though.

[lancesurgeon]

Oh Wow!!!! A Ron Popele pocket aircraft launcher!!! LOL!!!

[TeddyRaid]

"Stored kinetic energy." so ... potential energy?

[Gunbudder]

23:57 i've never actually seen an F-18 with all of its external tanks on. it looks crazy lol

[samuelheath]

Looking forward to the deployment of the f-35c on us super carriers as well as mq-25 refueling drones

[billpalmer]

how much does it cost to install and how long ? from scratch