America’s newest aircraft carrier uses “digital” catapult on fighter for first time

America’s newest aircraft carrier uses “digital” catapult on fighter for first time

6 years ago
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https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/08/uss-ford-launches-first-fa-18-software-fix-for-catapult-pending/

Last week, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the US Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 successfully landed and then took off from the recently commissioned USS Gerald R. Ford—the first full use of the ship's next-generation flight arresting system and electromagnetic catapult. The landing and launch off the Virginia coast are a pair of major milestones for the systems, which have seen their share of controversy (and cost overruns). But the test doesn't close the book on the catapult's problems.