{"id":74908,"date":"2024-03-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/03\/18\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:18:33","slug":"future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/03\/18\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Future USS John F. Kennedy kicks off topside catapult testing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Topside testing of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System has begun aboard the Navy\u2019s second Ford-class aircraft carrier, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/05\/30\/how-the-uss-john-f-kennedy-got-her-island\/\" target=\"_blank\">the future John F. Kennedy.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/03\/09\/aircraft-carrier-ford-embarks-with-full-air-wing-for-first-time\/\" target=\"_blank\">known as EMALS<\/a>, is one of more than 20 new technologies installed aboard the Ford-class of carrier. The system propels aircraft from the flight deck and significantly reduces manning needs compared to the steam-powered catapult systems on Nimitz-class carriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newport News Shipyard is now conducting so-called \u201cdead load\u201d testing, where it hurls \u201clarge, wheeled, car-like structures of graduated weights up to 80,000 pounds\u201d off the bow of the carrier and into the James River, according to American shipbuilder HII. The exercise aims to use dead loads that are similar in weight to actual aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"315\" height=\"560\"\r\nsrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KkcvfBeQpQw\"\r\ntitle=\"YouTube video player\"\r\nframeborder=\"0\"\r\nallow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\"\r\nallowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe first dead-load launch off the flight deck is a historic moment for [pre-commissioning unit] John F. Kennedy, and a testament to the power of great teamwork between our JFK crew, HII team, and NAVAIR engineers,\u201d Capt. Colin Day, commanding officer of the carrier, said in an HII news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m particularly proud of our Air Department and the hard-working Aviation Boatswain Mates who worked tirelessly alongside the engineering and testing teams to get us to this critical moment,\u201d Day said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/03\/09\/aircraft-carrier-ford-embarks-with-full-air-wing-for-first-time\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ford6.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Aircraft carrier Ford embarks with full air wing for first time<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The ship will now operate with the full air wing during the Composite Unit Training Exercise ahead of a deployment later this year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unlike the Nimitz-class steam catapult system, EMALS utilizes stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion to complete its mission. This allows a \u201chigh degree of computer control, monitoring and automation,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navair.navy.mil\/product\/Electromagnetic-Aircraft-Launch-System-EMALS\">according to Naval Air Systems Command<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system was one of several that came under scrutiny due to delays and cost overruns on the Ford. But Navy leaders assured reporters in 2022 that the system was up and running smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, the Ford\u2019s Air Boss Cmdr. John Peterson, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2022\/11\/03\/uss-gerald-r-ford-hones-air-operations-during-initial-deployment\/\" target=\"_blank\">told reporters in October 2022<\/a> that the EMALS system dramatically changes operations and streamlines manning requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe change between steam and electric, it\u2019s pretty wide ranging from the standpoint of our manning and equipment,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cSo, from a manning perspective, we\u2019re an optimally manned carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2844\" height=\"1604\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg 2844w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg?resize=768,433 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,578 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,866 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8248600-1.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1155 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2844px) 100vw, 2844px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sailors assigned to the pre-commissioning unit John F. Kennedy  work alongside HII and Naval Air Systems Command counterparts during the first \u201cdead-load\u201d testing of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS). (MC2 Alexander Timewell\/U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat that means is we\u2019ve got less sailors but the equipment allows us to operate, launch and recover aircraft with far fewer sailors,\u201d Peterson said. \u201cAnd, depending on the watch station, we have one watch station where 24 sailors on a Nimitz-class carrier are now replaced by a single sailor, working in an air-conditioned space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The JFK is under construction at HII\u2019s Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, and commissioning is slated for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Topside testing began last month, following \u201cno-load\u201d testing to try out the shuttles independently, according to HII.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Car-like carriages weighing up to 80,000 pounds are being launched off the carrier to test its jet catapult system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":81720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":88,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[29,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3452],"class_list":["post-74908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XA52U3UWQFCJTBB3APGRQA6B5E","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2024\/03\/18\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Future USS John F. Kennedy kicks off topside catapult testing - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Car-like carriages weighing up to 80,000 pounds are being launched off the carrier to test its jet catapult system.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Future USS John F. Kennedy kicks off topside catapult testing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Car-like carriages weighing up to 80,000 pounds are being launched off the carrier to test its jet catapult system.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2024\/03\/18\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-18T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:18:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Diana Stancy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Diana Stancy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/18\\\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/news\\\/your-military\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/18\\\/future-uss-john-f-kennedy-kicks-off-topside-catapult-testing\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/militarytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Future USS John F. 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