This is a very cool concept! Launch those fighter planes with, um, magnets! Yeah, magnets!
Headline on Foxnews.com: "Navy Uses Electromagnets to Launch Fighter Jet"
Zowie!
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/24/navy-uses-railgun-launch-fighter-jets/?test=faces?test=faces (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/24/navy-uses-railgun-launch-fighter-jets/?test=faces?test=faces)
very, very nice.
If it's electric, an EMT pulse could knock out the system. If it remains mechanical, it can (at worst-case conditions) be made to work manually. I remain skeptical this magnetic thing will become the final standard for that reason. You put all your "launch eggs" in one basket, so to speak.
Quote from: quiller on December 26, 2010, 08:33:39 PM
If it's electric, an EMT pulse could knock out the system. If it remains mechanical, it can (at worst-case conditions) be made to work manually. I remain skeptical this magnetic thing will become the final standard for that reason. You put all your "launch eggs" in one basket, so to speak.
Good point, Q. But I think that the current system probably already relies heavily on computers and remote electric activation. I doubt very much if the guy in charge of launching the planes is sitting in a booth with his hand on a gigantic valve handle.
Any Navy hands out there that can tell us how it's done?
Quote from: tbone0106 on December 26, 2010, 09:37:11 PM
Good point, Q. But I think that the current system probably already relies heavily on computers and remote electric activation. I doubt very much if the guy in charge of launching the planes is sitting in a booth with his hand on a gigantic valve handle.
Any Navy hands out there that can tell us how it's done?
I wasn't a BMH (Boatswain's Mate Hydraulics) working in that field. I did hear one say the system on the carrier I was then on (the Constellation) could be manually operated, but as you say there are electronics involved.
Correction: EMT was used above, in place of EMP (electromagnetic pulse).
Quote from: quiller on December 26, 2010, 08:33:39 PMIf it's electric, an EMT pulse could knock out the system.
I believe EMPs are a threat to electronics with fine features, like computer chips. The unique part of this catapult must be big honking windings more similar to an electric motor than a computer. Everything is computer controlled today, so all military electronics had better be shielded and hardened everywhere.
Quote from: quiller on December 26, 2010, 08:33:39 PMIf it remains mechanical, it can (at worst-case conditions) be made to work manually. I remain skeptical this magnetic thing will become the final standard for that reason. You put all your "launch eggs" in one basket, so to speak.
Actually, this technology would allow each catapult to be totally independent so that taking out one would have no effect on the other. I don't know if carriers generate steam separately for each catapult today. If not, there's a common point of failure that this would solve. Also, the whole system probably takes up less space, so they could carry more spare parts (and have room for more munitions).
Quote from: KenJackson on January 25, 2011, 08:10:09 PM
I believe EMPs are a threat to electronics with fine features, like computer chips. The unique part of this catapult must be big honking windings more similar to an electric motor than a computer. Everything is computer controlled today, so all military electronics had better be shielded and hardened everywhere.
Actually, this technology would allow each catapult to be totally independent so that taking out one would have no effect on the other. I don't know if carriers generate steam separately for each catapult today. If not, there's a common point of failure that this would solve. Also, the whole system probably takes up less space, so they could carry more spare parts (and have room for more munitions).
Good point Ken, and welcome to the forum.
But the military makes certain that all electronics it installs are virtually triple shielded, the thought is in the event of a nuke blast, the EMP is by far more intense than anything this generator could produce, so I think they're covered.
They were shielding back when I was in, nearly 40 years ago.