The
US Navy and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) completed
successfully on March 31 their first aircraft arrestment with the Advanced
Arresting Gear (AAG). The system, which will be installed on the future
John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) aircraft carrier, currently under construction,
is integrated on the Pre-Commissioning Unit USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN
78), undergoing trials. |
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AAG is
a state-of-the-art turbo-electric system, that was designed for controlled
and reliable deceleration of aircraft during recovery operations on
the fleet’s new class of carriers.
The first successful arrestment took place at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst’s
Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS). A Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
was used to complete the test, which marked a major milestone in proving
AAG’s performance and “a step forward bringing this transformational
technology into the next phase of testing and optimization”, according
to Scott Forney, President of GA-EMS.
Dean Key, Director of Launch and Recovery Production Programmes and
AAG Design and Development, said: “More than 1,200 successful
dead load arrestments have been completed at the Jet Car Test Site in
Lakehurst, New Jersey. Now, with the arrestment of aircraft, we take
an important step in verifying the dynamic controls and system performance
as a whole. We’re extremely proud of this accomplishment, and
are excited to continue down this path of success as the AAG system
undergoes additional aircraft arrestment testing, and demonstration
activity.” |
