Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:26:08-1:26:21

Enterprise as a possible EMALS testbed

Testing EMALS on USS Enterprise could have isolated one important risk, but concentrating every new carrier technology in a single ship would still be poor programme design.

Aircraft CarriersEMALSNaval ProcurementTechnology DemonstratorsUSS Enterprise (CVN-65)
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Question

Should USS Enterprise (CVN-65) have been used as an EMALS testbed?

Short answer

Possibly for EMALS alone, but not as an excuse to concentrate every new carrier technology in one ship.

Notes

A useful testbed should isolate one risk instead of becoming an over-ambitious lead ship. Using USS Enterprise (CVN-65) to trial EMALS might have tested the launch system on an operating carrier. That would not justify loading every immature technology onto the same hull. Concentrating too many novelties would make failures harder to diagnose. This offers a different route for maturing electromagnetic catapults from the Queen Elizabeth-class conversion discussed elsewhere.