US Navy’s plane-hurling mass driver in tech hiccup
13th May 2010
The so-called Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, is now under development in a shore-based test facility at Lakehurst naval air station in New Jersey. However, according to reports, the test mass-driver installation suffered serious damage earlier this year in a mishap blamed on a “software malfunction”. Apparently the “shuttle” – which moves along the catapult track to accelerate a plane to flying speed – went the wrong way in a test shot and smashed into important equipment.
Oops. On the other hand, had there been a plane attached, it (and its pilot) would have been okay because of the way they attach the launch cradle.