EMALS - Successful

Very good news - EMALS works. On July 13 General Atomics agreed to a $676.2 million fixed-price contract to produce the EMALS system and a new advanced arresting gear installation for the first Ford class carrier. All indications are they are on cost and schedule to begin installing equipment into the new carrier next year.

The article describes why this is important for the Navy.

The current aircraft launch system for Navy aircraft carriers is the steam catapult. Newer, heavier and faster aircraft will result in launch energy requirements approaching the limits of the steam catapult system.

The mission and function of EMALS remains the same as the steam catapult; however, EMALS employs entirely different technologies. EMALS will deliver the necessary higher launch energy capacity as well as substantial improvements in system weight, maintenance, increased efficiency and more accurate end-speed control.

In other words, we can now start talking about a C-2 and S-3 replacement. The additional capability of EMALS over steam launches allows the Navy to think about larger, more capable manned aircraft from aircraft carriers to support the unmanned aviation attack squadrons of the future.

These new technologies, like EMALS, the Navy has coming online with the Ford and Zumwalt classes are absolutely worth getting excited about.