In late October, 16 Sailors from the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) became the first in the fleet officially trained to operate the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
The initial 10-day training was created for senior leadership either directly involved with launching operations or who perform supervisory duties from CVN 78’s V-2 who maintain the ship’s aircraft launch and recovery equipment.
These members of the ship’s pre-commissioning crew learned the ins and outs of EMALS during classroom instruction and the realistic experience of launching aircraft, under normal and abnormal scenarios, via simulation at contractor General Atomics’ (GA) Ship Set Control Lab in San Diego.
Five more training sessions will convene at Lakehurst between early 2015 and mid-2016, using the EMALS test site, where operators and maintainers from CVN 78 as well as CNATT instructors and Carrier and Field Service representatives will get up close and personal with the technology.
EMALS is currently being installed and undergoing numerous subsystem assessments on the path toward shipboard certification. The system is slated to make its debut in the fleet aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), scheduled to deliver in 2016.
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Press release, Image: US Navy