New launch system for aircraft carriers in shipboard testing

New launch system for aircraft carriers in shipboard testing
by Richard Tomkins
Patuxent River, Md. (UPI) Aug 15, 2014

Royal Navy getting more offshore patrol boats
London (UPI) Aug 15, 2013 - Three new offshore patrol vessels are to be built in Scotland for Britain's Royal Navy by BAE Systems.

A contract for the 295-foot River-class OPVs was issued by the Ministry of Defense and carries a value of about $580.5 million, the company reported.

"This is a significant contract award which marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for the UK shipbuilding sector," said Mick Ord, managing director at BAE Systems Naval Ships. "We're making major investments in our people, technology and facilities to create a world-class complex warship capability and the OPVs provide an opportunity to embed these new ways of working.

"This will ensure we remain competitive and are best placed to secure the Type 26 manufacturing contract, which together with the investments will sustain the long-term future of this highly skilled industry."

The vessels will feature a redesigned flight deck capable of landing Merlin helicopters and greater storage capacity. They will have a top speed of 24 knots and a range of 5,500 nautical miles, BAE said.

The new contract follows an award given BAE Systems in March for long lead items for the vessels, which are expected to enter into service in 2017 for operations such as counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling.

Manufacture of the boat's at BAE's shipyard in Glasgow will begin in March.

Below-deck testing of the U.S. Navy's new system for launching aircraft from carriers has started aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, which enters service in 2016.

The first sub-system of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, undergoing assessment is its launch control sub-system, the Navy said. It is one of six sub-systems that provide EMALS with the capability to launch all current and future planned carrier wing platforms.

The testing, at the Huntington Ingalls Industries' shipyard in Virginia, follows delivery of components, their installation by Navy and industry personnel, and the installation of EMALS software by General Atomics.

"The complex array of interconnected sub-systems internal to the ship is what essentially powers and controls the launches, so it's a pivotal point in the process of supplanting the steam-powered catapults currently in use with the powerful and efficient electromagnetic technology," said George Sulich, EMALS integrated product team lead.

"The complex array of interconnected subsystems internal to the ship is what essentially powers and controls the launches, so it's a pivotal point in the process of supplanting the steam-powered catapults currently in use with the powerful and efficient electromagnetic technology," said George Sulich, EMALS integrated product team lead, was quoted as saying by the Navy.

EMALS uses a liner motor drive to power an aircraft carrier's catapult system for launching aircraft instead of a steam piston engine. It can launch heavier aircraft than the steam-powered system and is easier to maintain.

The Navy said dead-load launches from the ship with EMALS will begin in late 2015.

The USS Gerald R. Ford will be the first U.S. aircraft carrier to employ the system.

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