US President Donald Trump has directed the Navy to explore replacing the advanced electromagnetic aircraft launch systems on some future aircraft carriers with traditional steam-powered catapults.
The directive, contained in a national security memorandum signed on Thursday, gives the Pentagon 60 days to develop a plan for installing a steam catapult on the USS Doris Miller, the fourth ship in the Ford-class carrier programme.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, along with the upcoming USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise, would not be affected by the immediate change.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), arguing that it is overly complicated, expensive and less effective than the steam technology used on older carriers.
He first expressed his opposition to the electromagnetic system during his first presidency, saying in a 2017 interview that he preferred the traditional steam-powered technology.
However, the proposed change could be costly because the Doris Miller was already designed around EMALS. General Atomics, the company responsible for the system, said work on the carrier’s launch and recovery equipment was already about halfway complete and warned that changing the design could create significant cost, scheduling and integration problems.
The Navy’s newest Ford-class carriers were designed to use EMALS, which relies on electrical energy and magnetic forces to accelerate aircraft along the carrier’s deck and launch them into the air.
The older steam system uses highly pressurised steam to propel aircraft from the deck.
The Navy has previously argued that EMALS offers several advantages, including reduced maintenance requirements, lower stress on aircraft, greater launch efficiency and fewer personnel needed to operate the system.
On the USS Gerald R. Ford, the electromagnetic system reportedly reduced the number of sailors required to operate the catapults from around a dozen to just two.
The proposed return to steam technology therefore comes as the Navy continues to deal with personnel shortages across its fleet.
Critics of Trump’s directive have also questioned the cost and practicality of redesigning a carrier already under construction.
Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and test pilot with extensive aircraft-carrier experience, criticised the president’s decision, arguing that ship-specific engineering decisions should be left to naval and engineering specialists.
The proposal comes as Congress considers major defence spending packages, including funding for the Pentagon and ongoing military operations.
While Trump argues that steam catapults are more reliable and less costly, the Navy’s earlier assessments found that EMALS could provide operational and maintenance advantages over the older technology.
