A new video released by shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries showcases catapult testing on the USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford-class supercarrier of the US Navy. The video captures heavy car-like vehicles being launched into the James River in Virginia as part of the evaluation process for the carrier's electromagnetic aircraft launch system.

The testing involves launching vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds to simulate the weight of actual aircraft, such as fighter jets and early warning planes. The vehicles travel over 300 feet down the track at speeds exceeding 150 miles per hour before hitting the water below, mimicking an aircraft's launch.

The recent catapult testing on the USS Kennedy marks a significant step in its progress. The carrier, which was launched in 2019 after more than a decade of design and construction, comes with a price tag of over $11 billion. It is the second US Navy aircraft carrier to feature the new electromagnetic aircraft launch system, aimed at launching fixed-wing aircraft more efficiently than its predecessors aboard Nimitz-class carriers.

The shipbuilders conducted the testing with messages of encouragement and congratulations from their families covering the wheeled vehicles, symbolizing their dedication to ensuring the catapults are ready to launch all carrier-based fixed wing aircraft. The Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division stated that the tests are crucial to preparing the carrier for its primary intended purpose.

In addition to the USS John F. Kennedy, two other Ford-class aircraft carriers, the Enterprise and the Doris Miller, are currently under construction at Newport News. The Navy has acknowledged past missteps with the Ford-class carriers' new technologies, emphasizing that lessons have been learned to avoid similar delays in the future.