‘0 to 160 mph’: How fighter jets take off from the USS Abraham Lincoln
The USS Abraham Lincoln uses nuclear-powered steam catapults to launch heavy fighter jets at 160 mph in just two seconds. This system allows rapid takeoffs from a short 300-foot flight deck.
0 to 160 mph
Steam catapults on the USS Abraham Lincoln launch heavy fighter jets from a standstill to 160 miles per hour. This rapid acceleration happens in just two seconds, putting nearly four Gs of force on the pilots.
300-foot runway launch
A normal land runway needs thousands of feet for a fighter jet to reach takeoff speed safely. The carrier's steam-powered catapult system gets the exact same result within a short 300-foot stretch of the flight deck.
2 nuclear reactors power
The vast energy needed to push a 60,000-pound aircraft into the air comes directly from the ship's propulsion system. Two onboard nuclear reactors boil water into highly pressurised steam, which is pushed into the catapult cylinders.
1 shuttle moves jets
Just under the flight deck, the steam drives large pistons forward at extreme speeds. These pistons connect to a surface shuttle, which attaches straight to the front landing gear of aircraft like the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
90 aircraft onboard capacity
As a Nimitz-class supercarrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln carries a fleet of up to 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The catapult setup lets the crew launch two aircraft and land one every 37 seconds during daylight.
3,200 sailors manage operations
Running these flight decks smoothly demands absolute precision from the ship's company of 3,200 sailors. Flight deck handlers use specific hand signals to guide the pilots onto the catapult track before starting the high-speed launch.
104,300 tonnes of deterrence
Weighing over 100,000 tonnes, the USS Abraham Lincoln acts as a major piece of global maritime security. Recent deployments place the carrier in high-tension areas like the Middle East, projecting active air power across the oceans.
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