General Atomics Secures Contract for Advanced EMALS and AAG Assessments in France’s Future Aircraft Carrier Project
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has disclosed today that it received a contract from the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to persist in the development and assessment of customized configurations of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) as a potential Foreign Military Sale to the French Navy for their state-of-the-art aircraft carrier, Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PA NG).
“We are thrilled to support the ongoing collaboration between our countries to harness the potential of integrating EMALS and AAG onboard the future flagship of the French Marine Nationale,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “For many years, France’s Charles de Gaulle and U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers have delivered interoperable capabilities for executing joint operations and launching and recovering aircraft from each other’s vessels. EMALS and AAG aboard forthcoming French and U.S. aircraft carriers will enhance interoperability across our navies and offer increased flexibility to deploy a broader array of both current and future aircraft for decades ahead.”
GA-EMS will persist in analyzing optimal EMALS and AAG setups for performance and document vessel interfaces and ramifications on the PA NG. The contract will reach its conclusion in 2023 with a System Requirements Review and an assessment of French suppliers for potential component production in France.
Under prior contract assignments over the last two years, GA-EMS engaged in carrier studies to evaluate the feasibility of deploying EMALS and AAG for the upcoming French carrier design. In December 2021, the U.S. State Department revealed its approval for a potential Foreign Military Sale involving two EMALS and three AAG configurations to France.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the first of its kind, recently accomplished its 10,000th successful launch and arrested landing utilizing EMALS and AAG. The systems continue to operate effectively as CVN 78 gears up for its forthcoming deployment. GA-EMS is presently contracted with the Navy to assist CVN 78 in sustainment needs and is supplying EMALS and AAG for the next two Ford-class carriers currently under construction, John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and Enterprise (CVN 80). GA-EMS is also collaborating with the Navy to outline the EMALS and AAG contract and scheduling prerequisites for the fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier, Doris Miller (CVN 81).
