Navy Uses Magnets to Launch Fighter
FoxNews caught up to the previous article here on the 18 December launch of a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet with the EMALS. The EMALS is an electromagnetic launch system designed to replace the steam driven systems currently in operation. Interestingly, the article notes
Newer, heavier and faster aircraft will require more force to catapult from the carrier decks than steam-powered systems can supply. Electromagnets will be able to deliver, and allow for smooth acceleration at both high and low speeds, increasing the carrier’s ability to launch aircraft, the Navy said in a press release.
Presumably, that’s a reference to the F-35, the only substantial new aircraft slated to enter naval service in the reasonable future.
The article contains a link to the Navy’s somewhat slow YouTube video of the launch.