CUVX Design Report - the AOE home page - Virginia Tech

CUVX Design – VT Team 2 Page 704.6.3 EMALSTwo Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launching Systems (EMALS) are used for launching aircraft. The launch deckis fully automated and unmanned. Both the UCAVs and UAVs are launched using EMALS. This new technologyreplaces the standard steam driven catapults currently in use on CVNs. CUVX-HI3 has two EMALS positionedside-by-side and staggered on the launch deck. The EMALS are 75 meters (starboard) and 85 meters (port) long, 3meters deep, 1 meter wide, and weighs approximately 220 MT. The 75 meter length is sufficient for the take-offrequirements of VT UCAV-N and Shadow 400. The aircraft shuttle starts 1.5 meters from the beginning of thetrack. It is estimated that 30 MW of power will be required to launch a single UCAV and the cycle time betweensuccessive launches is around 45 seconds depending on the amount of cooling. The tracks are spaced at a 2 degreeangle about the centerline and taper to 1.5 meters apart at the end. The machinery required for the system is locatedunderneath the launch deck in the area above the pilot house. The control systems for EMALS are accessible fromthe pilot house, but located in a low profile enclosed control center situated on the port side of the launch deck. Thisallows the flight control operator to view launch operations while protected by an enclosed environment. OneEMALS will be used as the primary launcher; the second system is available for redundancy. Figure 62 showscritical dimensions of the EMALS on the launch deck. Refer to Section 3.2.5.3 for additional information.Figure 62. Dimensioned Launch Deck and EMALS4.6.4 Jet Blast DeflectorsThere is a jet blast deflector/door 10 meters aft of the launch ramp on the ship’s launch deck that separates thelaunch deck from Hangar Deck 1. The port side of the deflector is a movable door that slides behind the starboardside of the deflector to allow aircraft through from Hangar Deck 1 out onto the launch deck. Both sides of thedeflector are angled down and aft from the centerline to direct the exhaust from launch out the vented sides of theship. The doors remain closed when there are no aircraft operations taking place, and must be closed before planescan be launched. The deflector has chilled water piped through it to dissipate the jet exhaust heat. It is estimatedthat this deflector will weigh 30 MT and will require 100 kW of power to open and close during aircraft launchoperations. A rendering of the jet blast deflector is shown in Figure 63. Refer to Figure 62 for its location on thelaunch deck.4.6.5 Arresting Gear and Recovery DeckFigure 63. Jet Blast DeflectorCable arresting gear is used to recover aircraft on the recovery deck. There are three cables in this system forthe aircraft to catch, evenly spaced seven meters apart. The first arresting cable is 15 meters from the aft deck edge.Limitations in the length of the recovery deck limit the spacing between these cables to be closer than on CVN.However, the spacing is sufficient for the landing of precision computer-controlled aircraft with the lower landing