US Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System launches first fighter jet

For more than 50 years, the on-ramp to the highway to the danger zone was a steam catapult that launched fighter jets from an aircraft carrier, but it looks like that could soon be set to change. The U.S. Navy just announced yesterday that its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, has passed a key test by launching a manned F/A-18E Super Hornet for the first time (several more successful launches then followed). Among other advantages, that system promises to allow the Navy to launch a wider range of aircraft from a carrier — including everything from lightweight unmanned aircraft to heavy strike fighters — and do so while also bringing “substantial improvements” to weight, maintenance, and efficiency. Head on past the break for the official announcement (sorry no video). Continue reading US Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System launches first fighter jet US Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System launches first fighter jet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Posted by on December 21, 2010. Filed under News, Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry