Originally Posted by
tdracer
With a properly designed drone, you don't have the limitations on accel rate that you have with piloted aircraft - no concerns with the pilot blacking out or otherwise not being able to control the aircraft immediately after launch.
That's a good point! Perhaps it might really be possible to squeeze a rather short EMALS catapult in front of the ramp, ending where the curvature of the deck begins.For the energy required this will not make much of a difference, only peak power would have to be increased. With EMALS that might be easier than with a steam system.