GoPro camera provides a unique point of view during a catapult launch using the new electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).
The following video was taken on Jun. 16, when ship’s sponsor Susan Ford Bales visited Newport News to see progress on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
During the demonstration, she gave the signal to fire the EMALS catapult, with two weighted sleds being launched off the carrier around 1:00 p.m.
The demo follows other tests conducted with a “dead-load” test of the new electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS) aboard Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
The video below shows the 8,000-lb sled with an end speed of 100 knots be catapulted into the James River where it was recovered for additional test launches.
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EMALS is the system that will replace the traditional steam catapults: it employs stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion for a higher control, monitoring and automation in the launching operations of current and future U.S. Navy embarked platforms.
