Fly-In Recovery Follows 1,500 Test Arrests
On 13 October the first successful fly-in recovery of an F/A-18E SUPER HORNET using the General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) ADVANCED ARRESTING GEAR (AAG) was achieved at the Runway Arrested Landing Site at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The test follows over 1,500 roll-in and dead-load tests made at the site since March this year and is a major step towards the system’s readiness for testing on-board an aircraft carrier.

AAG is a turbo-electric system designed for controlled and reliable deceleration of aircraft recovery operations on aircraft carriers. It is installed on-board the USS GERALD FORD (CVN 78) along with the GA-EMS Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), which uses electromagnetic technology to launch aircraft from the deck of naval aircraft carriers. EMALS has already successfully completed system testing on CVN 78.

“The fly-in recovery of the F/A-18 SUPER HORNET illustrates AAG’s capabilities to perform as predicted, under conditions similar to today’s carrier operations,” stated Andy Gibbs, AAG chief engineer at GA-EMS. “We’re collecting data to support the development of an Aircraft Recovery Bulletin, a critical step toward arresting the aircraft on CVN 78. We look forward to continuing success as the AAG system undergoes planned testing activities for additional aircraft types and models.”