Original source Bloomberg.
The test office learned of the issue in November. Unlike a catapult powered by a steam piston drive, the General Atomics system depends on a motor using electrical currents to generate magnetic fields.
A Sept. 5 report by the Naval Air Systems Command found that “the overstress condition will eliminate the employment of external fuel tanks” that are “an essential element” of combat loads for many Super Hornets and most Growler jammer jets.
The wing tanks and the pylons they hang from are designed to withstand twisting and yanking when an aircraft is launched, but the stresses add up over time. Given the test results, the warplanes wouldn’t be able to launch with fuel tanks, Badger said.
The three-vessel Ford class is the first major new design for a carrier since the 1960’s-era Nimitz class and is projected to cost $40 billion. The launch system is estimated at an additional $3.2 billion.
Awkward.
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