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An aircraft-carrier catapult accelerates a loaded aircraft along a short flight-deck track until it reaches flying speed before the bow. Steam catapults have performed that job for more than 50 years; the Ford-class carriers replace them with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which stores kinetic energy and delivers it through solid-state power electronics and linear motors. Public Navy tests show the scale of the system—dead-load carts up to 80,000 pounds, shuttle speeds above 180 knots in no-load testing, and 22 documented no-load shots—but those figures are not a single universal launch-force rating. EMALS reliability advantages are stated as design objectives and reported benefits, not as a published fleet-wide percentage comparison with steam. Operators learn the system through formal courses, a high-fidelity virtual trainer, and ship-representative testing.
What a carrier catapult does
Carrier aircraft cannot rely on a normal runway. The flight deck is only a few hundred feet long, and the ship may be moving into the wind while the aircraft is held at the bow. A catapult supplies the additional acceleration needed to reach a safe launch speed during that short run. The aircraft is connected to a launch shuttle; as the shuttle moves down the track, it pulls the aircraft to the required end speed. The aircraft then leaves the bow and climbs away using its own engine power and the airflow created by the ship’s motion and the wind.
The catapult is one part of a larger launching system. NAVAIR identifies steam catapults or EMALS, the Integrated Catapult Control System (often called the bubble), and jet-blast deflectors as related components. The control system coordinates the shot and monitors conditions; the deflectors protect people and equipment on the deck from engine exhaust.
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How a steam catapult works
A steam catapult uses high-pressure steam to drive a piston connected to the launch shuttle. Valves meter steam into the cylinder while the control system shapes the acceleration profile. A holdback device keeps the aircraft stationary until launch conditions are satisfied; once released, the shuttle and aircraft travel together until the end of the stroke. The steam system has been the Navy’s established carrier-launch technology for more than 50 years.
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How EMALS works
NAVAIR describes EMALS as a system that uses stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion. Ship generators charge energy-storage machinery. Power-conditioning electronics then release that energy in a controlled sequence to linear motors installed below the flight deck. The motors create a moving magnetic field that propels the launch shuttle along the track.
Because the electrical waveform and motor output can be controlled by software and power electronics, EMALS can shape acceleration and target a precise end speed. NAVSEA’s land and ship testing used ship generators, power-conditioning equipment and linear motors; in the 2015 no-load trials, the shuttle reached in excess of 180 knots before stopping at the end of the track. The underlying launch task is unchanged from steam: move the shuttle and aircraft from rest to flying speed in a short distance.
| Comparison point | Steam catapult | EMALS |
|---|---|---|
| Energy source | High-pressure steam driving a piston | Stored kinetic energy released through solid-state electrical conversion and linear motors |
| Control approach | Mechanical and hydraulic/steam control with the catapult control system | Computer-controlled power conversion, monitoring and motor control |
| Aircraft stress objective | Established operating method; acceleration profile depends on settings and aircraft | Smoother, more accurately controlled acceleration is a stated program benefit |
| Fleet reliability comparison | More than five decades of Navy use | Official sources cite improved reliability and maintainability as objectives; a current apples-to-apples failure-rate percentage is not stated in the cited Navy material |
| Aircraft envelope | Designed around existing carrier aircraft and catapult settings | Designed to launch current and future platforms from lightweight unmanned aircraft to heavy strike fighters |
How much force does a catapult use?
There is no single force value that applies to every carrier launch. The instantaneous force changes throughout the stroke and depends on aircraft mass, the required end speed, catapult settings, wind-over-deck, aircraft configuration and the available track length. A useful physics relationship is force = mass × acceleration; changing either mass or the acceleration profile changes the force transmitted through the launch bar and aircraft structure.
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- U.S. Fleet Forces reported a CVN-79 event in which nine wheeled carts were launched with graduated weights up to 80,000 pounds to simulate aircraft and gather EMALS performance data.
- NAVSEA’s CVN-78 report documented 22 no-load shots. Its dead-loads were wheeled steel vessels weighing up to 80,000 pounds.
- During those no-load tests, the shuttle reached more than 180 knots before stopping at the end of the track.
An 80,000-pound cart is therefore a test mass, not the force exerted on an aircraft and not a claim that every carrier aircraft weighs that much. Likewise, a shuttle speed above 180 knots in a no-load test is a machinery-performance result, not the speed of an aircraft at the bow. Aircraft launches use different settings and loads, and the Navy pages reporting these tests do not publish one normalized force number for all aircraft types.
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What the public tests demonstrate
Dead-load testing
Dead-load carts let engineers exercise the launch system without risking an aircraft. By varying cart weight, test teams can measure acceleration, end-speed control, energy delivery and stopping behavior across a range of simulated aircraft masses. The CVN-79 event used nine carts and weights up to 80,000 pounds; follow-on testing was planned across the carrier’s four catapults.
No-load testing
No-load shots test the shuttle, motors, controls and stopping systems without an aircraft or dead-load attached. NAVSEA recorded 22 such shots on CVN-78 and reported a shuttle speed in excess of 180 knots. These results establish that the system can cycle through high-speed launches and recover the shuttle, but they do not by themselves establish an operational sortie rate or a fleet failure probability.
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Is EMALS more reliable than a steam catapult?
Official Navy material consistently describes reliability and maintainability as reasons for adopting EMALS. NAVAIR lists increased reliability and efficiency, more accurate end-speed control, smoother acceleration, lower aircraft stress and reduced maintenance requirements among the system’s benefits. The Navy’s budget justification says EMALS replaces the C13 steam catapult on Ford-class carriers and is intended to improve reliability, maintainability and operational availability while reducing manning workload.
Those statements describe design goals and reported program benefits. The canonical public sources do not provide a current, directly comparable fleet failure-rate percentage for steam versus EMALS. It would be misleading to turn the objectives into a numerical guarantee. A fair comparison should examine several measures:
- Availability: how often a catapult is ready for the next launch cycle.
- Maintainability: the time, personnel and access required to diagnose and repair faults.
- Control accuracy: whether the system consistently delivers the commanded end speed.
- Aircraft loading: how gently the system can accelerate different masses and how that affects fatigue life.
- Diagnostics: how quickly operators can identify a failed component and return the catapult to service.
- Sortie generation: the number of launches a carrier can sustain under real deck, aircraft and crew constraints.
EMALS is engineered to improve each of these areas, but operational results depend on configuration, training, maintenance practice and the specific carrier. No publicly established percentage should be attached to a steam-versus-EMALS reliability claim without a dated, comparable dataset.
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Why smoother acceleration matters
A catapult must deliver enough energy to reach the launch end speed without imposing unnecessary peaks on the aircraft. A smoother acceleration curve can reduce stress on landing gear, the launch bar, airframe attachment points and sensitive onboard equipment. More accurate end-speed control also helps accommodate aircraft with different weights and aerodynamic requirements.
NAVAIR and Navy program documents associate EMALS with higher launch-energy capacity and compatibility across a broad mass range, from lightweight unmanned aircraft to heavy strike fighters. These are capability objectives and reported benefits; the actual setting for any shot remains tied to the aircraft type, weight, wind and carrier procedures.
What happens when a catapult fails?
A catapult casualty is handled as a controlled safety event, not as an improvised decision by one operator. The exact checklist is ship- and system-specific, but the response has a common logic:
- Stop the launch sequence. Operators and the aircrew confirm that the aircraft has not been released into an unsafe launch.
- Secure the system. The launch-control team isolates the affected catapult and prevents another shot while the fault is evaluated.
- Protect the deck. Jet-blast, aircraft movement and personnel-clearance procedures remain in force while the crew establishes a safe condition.
- Diagnose the fault. Control-system indications, maintenance workstations and inspections are used to identify whether the problem is in power conversion, motors, controls, the shuttle or associated equipment.
- Inspect the aircraft and launch path. If an aircraft was connected or partially accelerated, maintainers check the launch bar, attachment points and other affected components before moving it.
- Reset, repair or change catapults. The carrier can return the system to service after prescribed tests, move the aircraft to another catapult when directed, or defer launches until maintenance is complete.
EMALS’s monitoring and automation are intended to make fault identification and recovery more predictable. They do not eliminate the need for deck discipline, redundant checks or maintenance sign-off. A failed shot can therefore reduce launch capacity temporarily even when the other catapults remain available.
How carrier-deck crews are trained
Formal qualification
The Navy combines classroom instruction, hands-on practice, shipboard qualification and recurrent training. CNATTU Norfolk established the first EMALS course in 2021 to provide point-of-need instruction for Ford-class carrier requirements. Trainees learn normal operation, communications, system indications, safety boundaries and maintenance coordination before standing watches on a carrier.
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High-fidelity virtual training
NAWCTSD describes the MRTS 3D EMALS application as a high-fidelity trainer for operators and maintainers. It represents the Launch Control Officer position, Launch Control Monitor, deck-edge station, center-deck display and maintenance workstations. An instructor can select six aircraft types, set day or night conditions, insert more than 100 faults across five systems and rehearse up to 60 maintenance procedures.
This matters because launch crews must recognize abnormal indications under time pressure without creating a second hazard on a crowded deck. Instructors can pause, repeat or vary a scenario in the simulator; a live carrier cannot safely create every failure for practice.
Ship-representative testing at Lakehurst
NAVAIR identifies a land-based, ship-representative EMALS test site at Lakehurst. The site supports continuing system testing and personnel training, allowing engineers and crews to exercise equipment, procedures and troubleshooting before and during fleet introduction.
Who controls a launch?
Launching is a team activity. The Launch Control Officer oversees the catapult operation, while the Launch Control Monitor and deck-edge personnel verify status and communicate with the flight-deck team. The center-deck display and maintenance workstations provide additional system information. Aircraft handlers, the aircrew, safety observers and maintenance personnel each have defined responsibilities, and a launch proceeds only when the required conditions and signals agree.
The control architecture is especially important for EMALS because its stored energy, power electronics and linear motors must be coordinated precisely. Automation can reduce routine workload, but operators still make the go/no-go decisions required by carrier procedures and respond to abnormal indications.
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What EMALS means for future carrier aircraft
Steam catapults were optimized around the aircraft generations that carriers operated for decades. A digitally controlled electrical system offers a wider adjustment range for changing aircraft masses and launch requirements. The Navy describes EMALS as capable of supporting current and future carrier-air-wing platforms, including lightweight unmanned aircraft and heavy strike fighters.
That flexibility does not mean every aircraft can launch under every condition. Engineers still establish aircraft-specific launch settings, structural limits and end-speed requirements. The advantage is the ability to tailor the energy delivery more precisely rather than relying on a narrow set of steam-system operating points.
Key numbers and what they mean
| Figure | What it measures | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| More than 50 years | Navy use of steam catapults, as stated on NAVAIR’s launching-systems page | A guarantee that every steam catapult has identical performance or availability |
| 22 no-load shots | CVN-78 EMALS test shots documented by NAVSEA in 2015 | 22 aircraft launches or a fleet reliability percentage |
| In excess of 180 knots | Shuttle speed reported during the 2015 no-load testing | The airspeed of an operational aircraft at takeoff |
| Up to 80,000 pounds | Maximum dead-load cart mass used in reported tests | A universal launch force or the weight of every aircraft launched |
| Nine carts | Wheeled carts used in the CVN-79 dead-load launch event | Nine simultaneous launches |
| More than 100 faults; up to 60 maintenance procedures | Scenario and procedure capacity of the MRTS 3D EMALS trainer | A count of faults that occur during fleet operations |
Practical answers to the common questions
How does a carrier catapult work?
It couples an aircraft to a shuttle and accelerates both along a short deck track. Steam systems use a piston driven by steam; EMALS uses stored kinetic energy, solid-state power conversion and linear motors. The objective is the same: reach safe flying speed before the bow.
How much force is involved?
The force varies throughout each launch. Public tests provide dead-load masses and shuttle-speed results, not one universal force number. Aircraft mass, desired end speed, wind and catapult settings determine the actual acceleration profile.
Does EMALS have a proven percentage reliability advantage?
No comparable public fleet percentage is established in the cited Navy material. EMALS is designed and reported to improve reliability, maintainability, diagnostics and availability, but those claims should not be converted into an unsupported statistic.
How are crews prepared for failures?
They qualify through formal courses, shipboard practice and virtual scenarios. The MRTS 3D trainer can model six aircraft types, day or night conditions, more than 100 faults and up to 60 maintenance procedures across operator and maintainer stations.
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