US lawmakers cite potential harmful impacts of aircraft carrier launches and stressful flight operations naval aviators

Pilots who have used catapults aboard aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, shown here, say they the technology provides a smoother launcher than those on Nimitz-class ships. (Michael Fabey)

Years of launching from aircraft carriers and flying high-G manoeuvres in F-18 aircraft has created concerns of long-term neurological impacts on US Navy (USN) aviators operating those aircraft, according to a recent investigative report released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs.

“Naval aviators and flight officers (which include rear seat crew on an F/A-18) operate under extreme and repeated physical stress from aerial manoeuvres and the sudden acceleration of aircraft carrier catapult launches,” the subcommittee said in its report Unseen Impacts: An Investigation into the Navy's Response to Potential Traumatic Brain Injury and Mental Health Risks in Naval Aviation , released on 8 September.

“Naval aviators, particularly those flying high-performance aircraft, operate under extreme physical conditions, including repeated catapult launches and sustained high-G maneuvers,” the subcommittee reported.

“Pilots interviewed described how they believed years of these repeated exposures may lead to cumulative neurological effects, with symptoms such as memory loss, anxiety, and cognitive decline emerging over time,” the subcommittee said.

At the time of a carrier launch, F-18s reach speeds up to 275 km/hr in about two seconds, according to USN pilots and aviation officials.

“Carrier-based pilots are repeatedly launched via catapult, exposed to rapid acceleration, and subjected to high G-forces throughout their careers,” the subcommittee reported.