Mil Tech — EMALS Coming to Carriers
Oct 07 2009
Launching aircraft from a full-size aircraft carrier still is being done much as it was in World War II — by steam. But that is about to change.
The U.S. Navy is building an Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) that will provide a smoother launch with more launch energy potential.
While steam catapults require large and heavy maintenance-intensive ancillary systems, such as oil and hydraulic systems, water to brake the catapult, pumps, control systems and motors, EMALS has a smaller footprint and does away with most of steam’s auxiliary systems.
“EMALS basically is an electric motor, and while most are circular, ours is a linear electric motor,” says Navy Capt. Randy Mahr, program officer for the Aircraft Launch & Recovery Equipment Program Office PMA251. “These are motors that have been used on people movers, electric trains, and in the theme park industry, but the chief difference is ours is bigger and will accelerate things faster.”
Mahr says because EMALS has fewer moving parts than a steam catapult — essentially the armature that holds the plane on track is the only part that moves — the system will deliver higher reliability and require less maintenance, which will reduce the number of sailors required by about 20.
The EMALS catapults will look the same as steam-powered ones, Mahr says, but EMALS provides constant acceleration down the length of the catapult, putting less stress on the airplane. EMALS also handles launches of lighter and unmanned aircraft more smoothly, he adds.
Because EMALS must deliver so much electricity to launch an aircraft, it will require 12 motor generators on board to power the carrier’s four catapults. The CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, under construction in Newport News , Va., expected to launch in 2015, will be the first ship to use EMALS.
About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz., freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He’s also the author of the historical mystery, Full Moon.
