Trump orders Navy to replace electromagnetic catapults with steam technology on future carrier
President directs removal of advanced launch system from USS Doris Miller despite billions already spent and work half-complete, as China and France adopt the same technology the U.S. plans to abandon.
Trump orders Navy to replace electromagnetic catapults with steam technology on future carrier
President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Navy to remove the electromagnetic aircraft launch system from its fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier and return to older steam catapult technology, a move that could cost billions of dollars and significantly delay an already troubled shipbuilding program.
The directive, issued Thursday, targets the USS Doris Miller, which was already facing a two-year construction delay with delivery now scheduled for February 2034 instead of the original February 2032 date due to constraints at Newport News Shipbuilding. The Navy had awarded General Atomics a $1.204 billion contract in June 2023 to build the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear for the vessel, with work already approximately 50 percent complete.
The presidential memo requires the Pentagon and Navy to present plans for removing EMALS and replacing the ship's electromagnetic weapons elevators within two months. The change would affect only the Doris Miller, leaving the USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise with their electromagnetic systems intact.
Technology gap with competitors
The directive comes as international competitors embrace the technology Trump wants to abandon. China commissioned its Type 003 Fujian aircraft carrier in November 2025, the first Chinese vessel equipped with electromagnetic catapults similar to EMALS. France has also committed to the technology, with the U.S. approving a $1.32 billion foreign military sale of EMALS and Advanced Arresting Gear in December 2021 for its planned PA-Ng aircraft carrier.
General Atomics warned in a statement to The Associated Press that the decision warrants careful reconsideration, noting that changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks. The company pointed out that Trump's memo itself acknowledges issues with the Navy's constant design changes, which have resulted in cost growth, delays, and cancellations.
Operational track record
By March 2026, the USS Gerald R. Ford's EMALS system had completed nearly 37,000 aircraft launches, demonstrating improved reliability after early technical issues. The Navy touted in February that the system allowed the Ford to launch and recover aircraft at a higher rate than its Nimitz-class predecessors.
The electromagnetic system offers several operational advantages over steam technology. EMALS can launch aircraft at faster speeds while requiring fewer sailors to operate—just two personnel compared to about a dozen for steam catapults. Ford-class carriers operate with approximately 500 fewer sailors than Nimitz-class ships, partly due to reduced maintenance requirements for electromagnetic equipment.
Manning crisis complicates reversal
The shift back to a more labor-intensive system comes as the Navy struggles with a personnel shortage of about 20,000 unfilled positions across the fleet. At the start of the year, recruiting successes had not translated into filling jobs on warships, making the return to a system requiring more operators particularly problematic.
Trump has criticized the electromagnetic launch system since at least 2017, when he told Time magazine the technology lacks the power of steam systems. The topic has frequently resurfaced at rallies and public events throughout his political career.
Redesigning the Doris Miller represents a significant engineering challenge. The USS George H.W. Bush, commissioned in 2009, was the last U.S. aircraft carrier built with steam catapults, meaning the technology has not been used in new construction for 17 years. Ford-class carriers cost approximately $13 billion per unit, making them the most expensive warships ever built.
The Doris Miller will be the first aircraft carrier named after an African American and an enlisted sailor, honoring Petty Officer Doris Miller who received the Navy Cross for bravery during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.
The directive arrives as Congress prepares to weigh budget and funding bills for the Pentagon. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated last month that the Iran war's cost has grown to $37.5 billion, with the administration requesting a $95 billion supplemental package alongside Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget. The House narrowly adopted both measures, but the Senate must still act when it returns in September.
