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EMALS
  Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS)

The Shuttle

There are many ways to get the surface area necessary for the thrust required, but it is had to avoid providing steel somewhere to complete magnetic circuits. If the steel is on the stationary part, the gross weight is high, but it also provides a wonderfully effective thermal mass, which suits the intermittent nature of this system in operation. If the steel to close the circuit is on the shuttle, it adds to the moving mass, so the overall system weight is low, but the moving mass is high. Then there is an issue about stopping the shuttle, for the max specified speed of ~ 100 m/s, in about 10 meters. We would ideally do this electrically. The main thruster system delivers 120 MJ in 100 meters, and thus a similar system could absorb 12 MJ in 10 meters. For this, the shuttle weight should be limited to around 2.4 tonnes.


Shuttle Simulation Video

   Blade Shuttle, both rails (668 KB)

   Blade Shuttle, one rail (606 KB)

   Inverted U Shuttle (1.05 MB)

   Inverted U Shuttle (transparent) (1.16 MB)


EMALS Pages
  • Program Objectives and Approach
  • The Scale
  • Energy Delivery
  • The Shuttle
  • Power Electronics
  • Simulation

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