Trump orders US Navy to revert aircraft carriers to steam catapults

Steam catapults, which use pressurized steam to hurl aircraft off the flight deck, were standard on US aircraft carriers for decades before the Ford class entered service. The newer Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, was designed to launch a wider range of aircraft more smoothly and with less wear on airframes, but its development ran years behind schedule and ran billions of dollars over budget. Trump has publicly questioned whether the technology is worth the trouble.

Background: From steam to electromagnetics and back

Naval officers who have worked with both systems have expressed concern about the reversal, telling reporters that returning to steam would require new crew training, refurbishment or replacement of below-deck machinery, and in some cases structural modifications to the Ford class itself. Defense analysts said those costs could run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on how far back the Navy is asked to go.

The order also raises questions about the fate of EMALS-equipped vessels already in service, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, which has been the centerpiece of US carrier power in several recent deployments. Converting such a ship back to steam would be a major engineering undertaking, and some analysts said it might be more practical to limit the change to carriers still under construction.

Congress, which has oversight of military procurement, will have to weigh in on funding for any retrofit. Lawmakers on the armed services committees have historically pressed the Navy to contain carrier costs, but they have also resisted reductions in fleet size, putting the Pentagon in a difficult position as it tries to reconcile the new directive with existing budgets.

Cost and congressional oversight

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to play a central role in implementing the order. Hegseth has previously said he wants to focus the department on simpler, more reliable weapons and platforms, language that some read as a green light for the move away from EMALS. Navy leaders, who were not publicly named in the initial reporting, are likely to face questions on Capitol Hill about how the transition will be managed and paid for.

The decision comes against the backdrop of a broader debate over military readiness and the cost of high-tech programs. Supporters of the switch argue that steam catapults are proven, easier to maintain at sea, and less expensive over the long run. Critics counter that the older system cannot launch the lightest unmanned aircraft the Navy plans to operate and that reverting would set the service back technologically.

It was not immediately clear whether the directive applies to carriers already in the fleet, those under construction, or both. The Navy is also weighing whether to pursue a hybrid approach, keeping EMALS on some ships and steam on others, an option that officials said could ease the transition but would complicate logistics and training.

A pattern of presidential intervention

The move is the latest in a series of presidential interventions in Pentagon procurement, an area where commanders traditionally have wide latitude. Trump has previously pressed the military on everything from ship design to air defense systems, often overruling technical recommendations from uniformed leaders. Whether Congress ultimately funds the change will depend on negotiations over the next defense budget.