GA system completes arresting test

SAN DIEGO - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced March 29 that its Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) system was successful in executing the first aircraft barricade arrestment at the Jet Car Track Site in Lakehurst, N.J., which marks a milestone in qualifying the system for barricade use on board Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. It’s the first such test by Naval Air Systems Command in more than 20 years. The barricade test sent an E-2C Hawkeye, weighing some 46,500 pounds, accelerated to arresting speed into the barricade netting attached to the AAG via stanchions. The aircraft was brought to a safe stop, according to GA-EMS President Scott Forney. AAG is a turbo-electric system designed for controlled and reliable deceleration of aircraft. AAG is installed on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) along with the GA-EMS Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which uses electromagnetic technology to launch aircraft from the deck of aircraft carriers. Both systems have been successfully tested during at-sea periods on CVN-78 and are in production for the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) and USS Enterprise (CVN-80). (Source: Seapower Magazine 03/29/19) Gulf Coast Note: GA’s EMS Division has a production and test facility at Shannon, Miss. – near Tupelo – to support production of EMALS and AAG programs for the next‐generation of aircraft carriers.