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The Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) is a type of
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Naval aviation technology Aircraft carriers Electromagnetic components Linear induction motors {{mil-aviation-stub
The Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) is a type of arresting gear
An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOB ...
developed by General Atomics
General Atomics is an American energy and defense corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, specializing in research and technology development. This includes physics research in support of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion energy. Th ...
for the U.S. Navy's newest ''Gerald R. Ford''-class aircraft carriers. It was deployed in 2017 on the lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
of the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)
USS ''Gerald R. Ford'' (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard t ...
.
It replaces the MK 7 hydraulic arresting gear which is in use on the ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The AAG is designed for a broader range of aircraft, including UAVs, while reducing manpower and maintenance. Rotary engines which use simple energy-absorbing water turbines (or twisters) coupled to a large induction motor provide finer control of the arresting forces.
Design and development
On March 31, 2016, GA-EMS, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, conducted the arrestment of an F/A-18E Super Hornet at the Runway Arrested Landing Site (RALS) located atJoint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst
Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL) is a United States military facility located southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. The base is the only tri-service base in the United States Department of Defense and includes units from all six armed ...
, New Jersey. Previously, AAG tests had only involved inert loads simulating the weight of aircraft at a jet engine testing track installed at the base. The first inert load arrestment was March 27, 2011 and the first fly-in arrestment was October 13, 2016.
That site has executed more than 1,200 inert load arrestments. Testing was delayed four and a half years due primarily to a serious problem with the water twisters, discovered early in 2012. Existing water twister systems are fixed in their capacity to absorb energy. For AAG there is a variable energy dissipation by the water twister. There is an actual moving plate inside the water twister that adjusts how much resistance to the water is generated. Initially there was an underestimation of the forces involved inside the water twister because it is a three-dimensional flow field. Internal plates that take the force of the water weren't strong enough, and finding a solution proved difficult. In 2016 the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense
The Department of Defense Inspector General (DoDIG) is an independent, objective agency that provides oversight related to the programs and operations of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoD IG was created in 1982 as an amendment t ...
found that the AAG remained unproven.
On 28 July 2017, Lt. Cmdr. Jamie "Coach" Struck of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) performed the first arrested landing and catapult launch from ''Gerald R. Ford'' in an F/A-18F Super Hornet
The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more ad ...
.
On August 2, 2019 the Navy cleared the AAG for use with "all props and jets".
See also
*Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a type of aircraft launching system developed by General Atomics for the United States Navy. The system launches carrier-based aircraft by means of a catapult employing a linear inducti ...
* Modern United States Navy carrier air operations
Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier air operations include the operation of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on and around an aircraft carrier for performance of combat or noncombat missions. The flight operations are highly evolved, bas ...
* Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases.
Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft ...
References
External links
Qinetiq-na.com
Ga.com
www.navair.navy.mil
Naval aviation technology Aircraft carriers Electromagnetic components Linear induction motors {{mil-aviation-stub