MAGIC CARPET: Revolutionizing Aircraft Carrier Landings
The United States Navy has completed testing of its MAGIC CARPET technology, a revolutionary development that simplifies the process of landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. Pilots may only need to make single-digit flight path corrections on their final approach, as opposed to hundreds, and land significantly closer to their target on the flight deck. This is according to those involved in the testing of this groundbreaking technology.
The premise of MAGIC CARPET (Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies) is quite simple — instead of worrying about adjusting roll, yaw, and pitch, adding and reducing power, and predicting how the plane’s course will intersect with the moving ship’s, the pilot can more directly and simply control the flight path. The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers of the Navy have digital flight controls, allowing MAGIC CARPET to remap those controls to achieve just that.
Developed in collaboration between the Naval Air Systems Command and the Office of Naval Research, MAGIC CARPET was first tested aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) last year and completed its final test aboard USS George Washington (CVN-73) this week. An interim software version release is expected this fall.
To witness firsthand how pilot workload is reduced and how that could ultimately affect the flight deck crew, pilot training requirements, and even aircraft maintenance and operations budgets, the Navy invited a small group of reporters to watch the final day of testing aboard the carrier.
How MAGIC CARPET Works
MAGIC CARPET accomplishes three things through a software-only change to the airplane, without any alterations needed to the carrier receiving the fighters.
Capt. David Kindley, F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Manager in the Program Executive Office for Tactical Aircraft, explained that pilots approaching the carrier focus on three things: watching their lineup to catch the third of four wires in the aircraft arresting gear, maintaining their angle of attack to ensure the tailhook on the back of the plane catches a wire, and controlling their speed. Every little adjustment requires counter-adjustments in other areas, resulting in “dozens of corrections, tiny corrections, that I’m making” for the final 18 seconds, called “flying on the ball.”
Super Hornets and Growlers were built with digital flight controls, and some automation was built into the system from the start. MAGIC CARPET has taken this idea and applied it to landing, as the plane will fly on a 3-degree glideslope downwards regardless of wind and other conditions outside.
When MAGIC CARPET is engaged and put into “delta path mode,” the plane reacts and continues on its planned glideslope even through the burble, or disturbed air behind the aircraft carrier’s island. MAGIC CARPET then allows for more intuitive and less cumbersome adjustments to that flight path by decoupling roll from yaw from pitch and creating a single input that affects the ultimate goal — the airplane’s flight path. The pilot can make a little correction to the flight path using the stick and then simply let go of the stick to stay on that new path.
Lastly, MAGIC CARPET calculates the movement of the carrier as it sails through the water and precisely understands where the landing area will be by the time the fighter reaches it. This feature eliminates the need for pilots to constantly guess the velocity vector, which often puts them too low and may cause the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) on the flight deck to wave them off.
With MAGIC CARPET, “the plane is working for you instead of against you” while landing, according to Kindley.
**Test Pilots’ Perspective**
Navy pilots see landing on the aircraft carrier as an administrative task, often likened to “filling out paperwork,” as it is a necessary step to refuel and rearm the plane before continuing the mission. Despite being a relatively mundane task, carrier landings are among the most dangerous things a pilot will do.
Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Dominick, a test pilot in the carrier suitability flight test department in the VX-23 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron, explained that when not at war, the most immediate threat to pilots is the danger of landing aboard the ship. The risk is ever-present, regardless of whether the country is at war or not. After the stress of a combat mission, pilots still have to return to this dangerous task.
MAGIC CARPET has the potential to change carrier aviation by allowing pilots to focus more time and training on their primary missions, as the “closer alligator to the canoe” — the most immediate threat — has been subdued.
Implications and Future Prospects
MAGIC CARPET’s successful testing signals a major breakthrough in aircraft carrier operations, reducing pilot workload and increasing safety during landings. Its implementation is expected to have a domino effect on various aspects of naval aviation, including flight deck crew efficiency, pilot training requirements, and overall aircraft maintenance and operations budgets.
By simplifying the landing process, pilots can dedicate more time and energy to their primary missions, enhancing the overall effectiveness of naval aviation. Additionally, the reduced risk of accidents during landings could lead to decreased repair and maintenance costs for both the aircraft and the carriers.
As MAGIC CARPET is rolled out and integrated into standard naval aviation operations, it will be crucial to monitor its long-term effects on safety, efficiency, and budgetary concerns. However, the initial results from testing paint a promising picture for the future of aircraft carrier landings, and the technology has the potential to revolutionize the way naval aviation is conducted.
In conclusion, MAGIC CARPET is a game-changing technology that simplifies the complex and dangerous task of landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. By reducing pilot workload and increasing safety, this innovation holds the potential to transform naval aviation and optimize the overall effectiveness of carrier-based operations. As the technology continues to be developed and implemented, it will be fascinating to observe the lasting impact MAGIC CARPET will have on the future of naval aviation.
