Ford preps for T-45 carrier landing

 The Navy and Marine Corps will be able to train their newest pilots aboard the newest aircraft carrier when Naval Air Systems Command integrates the T-45C Goshawk trainer with the USS Gerald R. Ford’s carrier arresting system. The Navy is evaluating how the General Atomics-built Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) operates with Goshawks and expects the trainers to be ready to join USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) flight operations in 2020. In August, T-45Cs completed 60 arrested landings at the Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The Goshawk likely will complete another 145 arrested landings at the RALS site. AAG and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) are new technologies aboard Ford-class carriers that are intended to save the Navy money and improve lethality. Navy officials expect the two systems will increase sortie generation by 25 to 30 percent over the current sortie rate aboard Nimitz-class carriers. The two new systems are also smarter than those they replace, tailoring the amount of force they use to launch and catch airplanes based on the aircraft type, therefore eliminating excess pressure on the airframes and reducing damage to the aircraft over their service life. When the Navy generates a Goshawk Aircraft Recovery Bulletin, Goshawks will be authorized to land on the newest aircraft carrier. Getting the T-45C approved to land on Ford is an essential step for the Navy and Marine Corps. As Ford-class ships join the fleet, new pilots will need to complete their training onboard these carriers. The next phase of CVN-78 flight operations is presently slated for early 2020, which will include the T-45C and other aircraft. (Source: USNI News 09/10/19) Gulf Coast Note: GA began testing of a full-scale power train of EMALS I 2008 at its Tupelo, Miss., assembly plant. This test program was designed to reduce technical risks, demonstrate EMALS system performance and meet contract specification requirements. Advanced jet pilots fly the T-45C from NAS Meridian, Miss. https://news.usni.org/2019/09/10/t-45c-goshawk-trainers-on-track-to-qualify-for-landing-on-ford-class-carriers