EMALS examined by French
by Kathy Bozan

Representatives from the French government came to NAVAIR Lakehurst to discuss a potential cooperative agreement for further development of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system commonly referred to as EMALS.

EMALS is the US Navy’s next generation aircraft launching system planned to replace the current steam catapults. It is expected to be installed on the twenty-first century aircraft carrier class CVN21. The French Navy is similarly interested in designing its next carrier around the system. Their latest carrier, the Charles DeGaulle, currently launches aircraft utilizing the same existing catapults that EMALS is slated to replace.

EMALS will greatly enhance the operational capabilities of the carrier by expanding the performance envelope over the current launch system. Instead of steam, EMALS would use powered magnets to accelerate naval jets to speeds around 150 mph needed for takeoff from aircraft carrier flight decks.

NAVAIR Lakehurst presently supplies aircraft launch and recovery technology and engineering expertise to French Sailors as well as provides test support to French naval aircraft.

“It’s a natural evolution of our relationship with the French,” said Capt. Mark Bathrick, commanding officer. “They’re just coming to the experts.”

Over the past three years two contractors, General Atomics of San Diego and Northrop Grumman of Sunnyvale, Calif., have been building competing catapult designs on station at NAVAIR Lakehurst.

After about 10 months of testing, a single concept will be selected and used to build a full-size prototype at the test site under an approved FY04 military construction (MILCON) project.

Photo: The NAVAIR Lakehurst EMALS team met with a delegation from the French government comprised of representatives from the Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Transportation, and ship design managers from various others bureaus.