US Navy's Next-Generation Aircraft Carrier Begins Testing Phase

[xchrom]

http://www.livescience.com/43931-navy-aircraft-carriers.html

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The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.
Credit: Chris Oxley/Newport News Shipbuilding

The U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier — a massive warship outfitted with the latest radar technology and sophisticated systems to accommodate unmanned, carrier-launched drones — is set to undergo more than two years of rigorous testing.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the first of what will eventually be the Navy's fleet of next-generation Ford-class aircraft carriers. The upgraded ships are the first new designs of aircraft carriers since the USS Nimitz was built in the late 1960s.

The USS Ford was christened during a special ceremony in November in Newport News, Va. The massive warship is slated to officially enter service in the Navy in 2016. But first, shipbuilders will spend 26 months meticulously testing the aircraft carrier's various systems.

"We're kind of in the infancy stage of the test program, and the early returns are good," Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers, told the Daily Press. "We have a long way to go."

[MindPilot]

1. The electromagnetic catapult is pretty cool

The technology developed to build the catapult will be used in broader applications like maglev and high-speed rail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_Aircraft_Launch_System