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Sending EMALS

Short answer: Carrier jets don't have room for a runway, so a catapult does the work. A shuttle in the deck hooks the launch bar on the jet's nose gear and drags the plane to flying speed in about two seconds.

The Nimitz-class fleet still uses C-13 steam catapults, which push the shuttle with steam-driven pistons. The new Ford class (USS Gerald R. Ford, CVN 78, and the carriers after it) uses EMALS, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System from General Atomics. It replaces the steam with a linear induction motor fed by energy stored in spinning generator rotors.

VideoWrite-up8 sources

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What should you know about Sending EMALS?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. Only the Navy's newest carriers, the Ford class, use EMALS. Nimitz-class carriers still launch jets with steam catapults.

    DD-025-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Most of the fleet still runs on steam)

  2. EMALS stores launch energy in spinning generator rotors, then releases it in a pulse lasting a couple of seconds to a linear motor under the deck.

    DD-025-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit E (Energy in spinning rotors)

Video transcript: Sending EMALS: Carrier Catapults Fling Fighter Jets to Flying Speed in About Two Seconds

DID YOU KNOW? Fighter jets launch from aircraft carriers using a catapult system designed to accelerate aircraft to takeoff speed in just a few moments. Modern U.S. carriers use either steam catapults or electromagnetic aircraft launch systems, or EMALS, which attach to a launch bar on the jet's nose gear and rapidly pull it down the deck, providing the immense force needed to reach flying speed in a very short distance. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 22.5s Reel ·

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Sending EMALS: Carrier Catapults Fling Fighter Jets to Flying Speed in About Two Seconds Instagram Reel · · 22.5s

The write-up

Carrier catapults fling fighter jets to flying speed in about two seconds. Steam on Nimitz-class carriers; EMALS linear motors on the new Ford class.

  1. Exhibit A

    Same job, new machine

    EMALS was built for USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Ford-class carriers that follow it. It does the same job as a steam catapult with entirely different technology: stored kinetic energy and solid-state power electronics.

  2. Exhibit B

    Most of the fleet still runs on steam

    Nimitz-class carriers use Mk 13 (C-13) steam catapults. Steam drives pistons through two slotted cylinders under the deck, and the pistons drag the launch shuttle.

  3. Exhibit C

    Launch bar meets shuttle

    With either system, the jet's nose-gear launch bar hooks onto a shuttle that rides in a slot in the deck. The catapult pulls the shuttle, and the shuttle pulls the jet.

  4. Exhibit D

    A linear motor in the deck

    EMALS uses a linear induction motor laid under the flight deck. Energized coils create a traveling magnetic field that drives the shuttle down a track roughly 100 meters (about 330 feet) long. It works like a maglev train or a launched roller coaster.

  5. Exhibit E

    Energy in spinning rotors

    Motor-generators store energy in the inertia of their spinning rotors. At launch they dump it as an electric pulse through power-conditioning electronics. The whole launch takes a couple of seconds, then the current reverses to brake the shuttle.

  6. Exhibit F

    Milestones

    The first shipboard no-load shots, on Ford in 2015, pushed the empty shuttle past 180 knots. The first fighter launch from the ship, an F/A-18 Super Hornet, came on July 28, 2017.

  7. Exhibit G

    Gentler and adjustable

    Unlike steam, EMALS can dial in the force for each aircraft's weight. The Navy says that lets it launch everything from light drones to heavy strike fighters with less stress on the airframes.

Questions people ask about Sending EMALS

What does EMALS stand for?

EMALS is the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, built for Ford-class carriers.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Same job, new machine) · Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), NAVAIR product page; Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR)

Which U.S. carriers use EMALS?

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and later Ford-class carriers have EMALS. Nimitz-class carriers use steam.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Most of the fleet still runs on steam) · Sailors Talk First USS Gerald R. Ford Trap, Launch (USNI News, 2017); Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (DTIC report ADA602992)

What part of the jet does the catapult grab?

The nose-gear launch bar hooks onto the catapult shuttle, which drags the jet down the deck.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Launch bar meets shuttle) · Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR); EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology)

What kind of motor drives EMALS?

A linear induction motor under the deck creates a traveling magnetic field that pulls the shuttle, like a maglev train.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (A linear motor in the deck) · EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology); A High-Tech Launch System for Carriers (IEEE Spectrum); Sailors Talk First USS Gerald R. Ford Trap, Launch (USNI News, 2017)

Where does EMALS store energy before a launch?

Motor-generators store energy in the inertia of their rotors and release it as a pulse.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Energy in spinning rotors) · Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR); Navy Announces Successful Test of Electromagnetic Catapult on CVN 78 (NAVSEA, 2015); EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology)

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. What does EMALS stand for?

    1. Electronic Missile Alert and Launch System
    2. Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System
    3. Emergency Marine Air Lift System
    4. Electric Motor Arrested Landing System
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System EMALS is the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, built for Ford-class carriers. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Same job, new machine) · Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), NAVAIR product page; Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR)

  2. Which U.S. carriers use EMALS?

    1. All of them
    2. Only the Ford class
    3. Only the Nimitz class
    4. None yet
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Only the Ford class USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and later Ford-class carriers have EMALS. Nimitz-class carriers use steam. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Most of the fleet still runs on steam) · Sailors Talk First USS Gerald R. Ford Trap, Launch (USNI News, 2017); Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (DTIC report ADA602992)

  3. What part of the jet does the catapult grab?

    1. The tail hook
    2. The nose-gear launch bar
    3. The wingtips
    4. The canopy
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. The nose-gear launch bar The nose-gear launch bar hooks onto the catapult shuttle, which drags the jet down the deck. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Launch bar meets shuttle) · Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR); EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology)

  4. What kind of motor drives EMALS?

    1. A diesel engine
    2. A steam turbine
    3. A linear induction motor
    4. A jet engine
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. A linear induction motor A linear induction motor under the deck creates a traveling magnetic field that pulls the shuttle, like a maglev train. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (A linear motor in the deck) · EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology); A High-Tech Launch System for Carriers (IEEE Spectrum); Sailors Talk First USS Gerald R. Ford Trap, Launch (USNI News, 2017)

  5. Where does EMALS store energy before a launch?

    1. Giant batteries
    2. Compressed air tanks
    3. Spinning generator rotors
    4. Steam boilers
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Spinning generator rotors Motor-generators store energy in the inertia of their rotors and release it as a pulse. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Energy in spinning rotors) · Navy completes EMALS shared generator testing (NAVAIR); Navy Announces Successful Test of Electromagnetic Catapult on CVN 78 (NAVSEA, 2015); EMALS: launching aircraft with the power of the railgun (Naval Technology)

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Sending EMALS." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-025, last updated Feb 6, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/sending-emals/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/sending-emals/ · Last updated

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