USS Gerald Ford Aircraft Carrier Passes Flight Deck Certification

SAN DIEGO, CA, 23 APRIL 2020 - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that successful USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Flight Deck Certification (FDC) has been completed with the support of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) system. The number of aircraft to have landed and taken off from CVN 78 now totals more than 2,000. CVN 78 used fleet squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), as well as pilots from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 and Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120 to obtain hundreds of sorties over a two week period with all arrested landings and catapult launches completed safely.

“We continue to see EMALS and AAG perform according to specifications to execute cats and traps with the objective of reaching the robust evolution rates necessary for combat,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “We are working closely with the Navy and CVN 78 crew to ensure operational performance is achieved. We remain extremely proud of our team, the squadrons’ pilots and the ship’s crew for all their hard work and dedication, and look forward to continuing success as CVN 78 undergoes these continued at sea periods.”

FDC is a qualification of the ship’s various aviation systems and includes the crews’ qualification to operate the numerous systems. FDC was completed March 20 following day and night launch and recovery exercises with F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. FDC is intended to qualify and prove ship and crew capabilities under operational conditions that can occur while on deployment.

On Jan. 31, CVN 78 completed Aircraft Compatibility Testing (ACT), a significant milestone that exhibited EMALS and AAG’s ability to launch and recover five types of aircraft in varying configurations – four of which for the first time. CVN 78 proved to accommodate the current naval air wing, including F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, EA-18G Growler, and T-45C Goshawk aircraft.

GA-EMS is delivering EMALS and AAG for the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and USS Enterprise (CVN 80). Significant cost savings are being realized through multiple ship production contracts, which minimize gaps in production while maximizing planning, scheduling and delivery to support all three Ford-class carriers.

Source: General Atomics EMALS and AAG Systems Support Successful USS Gerald R. Ford Flight Deck Certification

Resources

AAG - Advanced Arresting Gear
ACT - Aircraft Compatibility Testing
CVN - Attack Aircraft Carrier Nuclear-powered
CVW - Carrier Air Wing
EMALS - ElectroMagnetic Aircraft Launch System
GA-EMS - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
USS - United States Ship
VFA - Strike Fighter Squadron

Aerospace Forces : C-2A Greyhound
Navies : CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford
Aerospace Forces : E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
Aerospace Forces : EA-18G Growler
Aerospace Forces : F/A-18E Super Hornet
Aerospace Forces : F/A-18F Super Hornet
Aerospace Forces : T-45A Goshawk

United States of America