USS Gerald Ford [CVN 78]

"Six days after commissioning, the crew of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78 ) launched and recovered their first aircraft from the carrier’s flight deck, according to a statement from the service.

https://news.usni.org/2017/07/28/video-uss-gerald-r-ford-conducts-first-arrested-landing-catapult-launch

The recovery of the F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX- 23 occurred at 3:10 P.M. EST off the coast of Virginia.

Lt. Cmdr. Jamie “Coach” Struck’s Super Hornet hit the number two wire on the Advanced Arresting Gear systems and then launched a little more than an hour later using the ship’s electromagnetic launch system (EMALS).

Lt. Cmdr. Jamie “Coach” Struck.

The test came as a surprise to many naval observers who expected the first arrested landing on Ford to come sometime next week.

“AAG and EMALS have been successfully tested ashore at Lakehurst, New Jersey, but this is the first shipboard recovery and launch of a fleet fixed wing aircraft,” said Capt. Rick McCormack, Ford’s commanding officer, said in a statement.

“My team has worked closely with industry, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and the flight test community.”

The successful test comes days after the Navy said it had worked through a software issue with the EMALS system and after years of delays in both the General Atomics-built systems. Design problems with the AAG pushed the testing program back two years before the contractor and the Navy could find an acceptable fix.

“I could not be more proud of the men and women who, for the better part of the last two decades, have worked to bring these new technologies to the fleet,” said Capt. Stephen Tedford, program manager, said in a statement.

“Their perseverance and dedication to service have made this day possible.”

The recovery of the F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX- 23 occurred at 3:10 P.M. EST off the coast of Virginia.

Lt. Cmdr. Jamie “Coach” Struck’s Super Hornet hit the number two wire on the Advanced Arresting Gear systems and then launched a little more than an hour later using the ship’s electromagnetic launch system (EMALS).

Very cool, thanx.