AssetID: 53519875
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: US Navy Catapults Cars Into James River To Test New Aircraft Carrier
Caption: The crew of America's newest aircraft carrier have been catapulting cars into the sea to test its electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). A team from Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division and the crew of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) began “dead-load” testing in late February. In this phase, large, wheeled, car-like structures of graduated weights up to 80,000 pounds to simulate the weight of actual aircraft are launched off the carrier's bow into the James River in Virginia. They are then retrieved and relaunched until the conclusion of the test programme to ensure the catapults are ready for their primary intended purpose to launch all carrier-based fixed wing aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy. The first dead loads used in this testing have special significance. Family members of shipbuilders signed them with messages of congratulations and gratitude during the shipyard's Family Day. The EMALS sends its payloads travelling more than 300 feet down the catapult track at more than 150 miles per hour before they crash down with a splash into the river.
Keywords: Navy,JFK,aircraft carrier,us navy,military,cars,feature,video,offbeat,sea,electromagnetic,launch,system,John F. Kennedy,Huntington Ingalls Industries
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