NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- NAVAIR’s Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Program is gearing up for extended reliability testing (ERT) of the Advanced Arresting Gear system with full system start scheduled to commence later this month in San Diego.

“This is the beginning of the future for carrier-based Naval aircraft and by allowing a more diverse range of aircraft landing access on our carriers, we’re giving our Fleet an undeniable advantage at sea,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, NAVAIR’s Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment program manager.”

AAG is a modular, integrated system consisting of energy absorbers, power conditioning equipment and digital controls which will replace the Mk-7 arresting gear. The Mk-7 system is a linear hydraulic machine that requires hands-on, aircraft specified tension adjustments for each landing. The AAG design is a rotary-based and operates with a digital control system which provides greater control of the arresting forces. The aircraft energy is absorbed by a combination of hydraulic shock absorbers, water twisters, friction brakes and electric motors.

According to program experts, the AAG architecture, Health Monitoring Assessment and Prognostics technology and digital control system provides for built-in test and diagnosis, resulting in the system requiring less maintenance and manpower to operate than the Mk-7. This change in architecture is designed to provide higher reliability and safety margins, while allowing Sailors to focus on other areas of need. The system is also designed to allow arrestment of a broader range of aircraft, from the lightest unmanned aerial vehicles to the heaviest manned fighters.

The ERT is the first integrated testing milestone in the AAG program’s development and demonstration phase. During this testing, the AAG’s basic digital control, power conditioning and electrical motor subsystems are operated in conjunction with one another in order to determine carrier reliability. The system is slated to be installed on CVN 78 by 2015.

“Carrier flight deck missions demand versatility,” said Capt. Jim Donnelly, ALRE Future Systems team lead. “AAG is a system designed for just that.”

Donnelly said the new system will rapidly adjust for weight, offering increased sortie rates similar to new systems like the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, the planned aircraft launch system for Ford-class carriers.

“The AAG is designed to be reliable, diverse, automated and easy to maintain,” said Ken Lee, AAG integrated product team lead for the ALRE program. “By replacing the manual, hydraulic Mk-7 arresting gear with a modular, automated, rotary design, it’s going to make the daily arresting gear duties of Sailors less laborious.”

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Cutline: Engineers at General Atomics in San Diego, prepare Advanced Arresting Gear cabinets for Extended Reliability Testing. The ERT commenced last month with full system start commencing later this month. (U.S. Navy Photo