In the ongoing PR battle waged by Lockheed Martin and military officials eager to keep F-35 funding alive, the Navy Public Affairs office released this video of the jet's successful launch from an electromagnetic catapult.

Military.com reports the next generation Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) was successfully tested in December 2010, when it hurled an F-18 into the skies over New Jersey and marked the first time in over 50 years that a plane was launched via anything else but a steam powered catapult.

EMALS will potentially launch a full ine-up of aircraft, including drones, while using less space and requiring minimum maintenance. The F-35 locks into place at about :35 seconds.