Trump Orders Navy Back to Steam Catapults
```Updated: August 14, 2026
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to move away from the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, and return to traditional steam catapults on future Ford-class aircraft carriers. The directive represents a major reversal of the Navy's long-running effort to replace steam-powered launch technology with an electromagnetic system.
```The order affects the future design of Ford-class carriers and is particularly significant for the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), which is already under construction. The Pentagon and Navy have been directed to develop a transition plan, raising questions about cost, schedule, engineering work and the future of the carrier program.
```What Did Trump Order?
```Trump's directive calls for the Navy to develop plans to remove EMALS from future Ford-class carriers and replace it with the older steam catapult technology used on previous generations of U.S. aircraft carriers.
The directive also targets the Ford-class carrier's electromagnetic weapons elevators, directing the Navy to consider replacing those systems as well. Reports say the Pentagon and Navy have been given approximately 60 days to provide plans for the transition.
The decision formalizes a position Trump has expressed for years. He has repeatedly criticized electromagnetic launch systems and argued that conventional steam systems are simpler and more dependable.
```Why Does Trump Prefer Steam Catapults?
```Trump has criticized EMALS since his first presidency, arguing that its advanced electrical and computer-controlled design makes it unnecessarily complicated and expensive.
During remarks to U.S. service members in Japan in 2025, Trump said he preferred steam-powered catapults and claimed they could be repaired more simply than the electromagnetic system. He also said he wanted aircraft carriers to use steam catapults and hydraulic elevators.
His latest directive turns those long-standing criticisms into an official policy request for the Navy to redesign future carrier systems.
```What Is a Steam Catapult?
```A steam catapult is a mechanical launch system that uses high-pressure steam to rapidly accelerate an aircraft along a track on an aircraft carrier's flight deck.
Aircraft carriers have used steam catapults for decades. The technology provided the force necessary to launch heavily loaded aircraft from a relatively short carrier deck into the air.
The system is powerful and well understood, but it also requires extensive mechanical and steam infrastructure, consumes significant manpower and involves hot, high-pressure equipment.
The U.S. Navy's existing steam-catapult experience comes primarily from earlier carrier classes, including the Nimitz class. The Ford class was specifically designed to move away from that technology.
```What Is EMALS?
```EMALS stands for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System. Instead of using steam pressure, it uses stored kinetic energy and solid-state electrical power conversion to create a controlled electromagnetic force that accelerates an aircraft along the carrier deck.
The Navy developed EMALS for the Ford class as a replacement for traditional steam catapults. According to the Naval Air Systems Command, EMALS is designed to provide smoother acceleration, more precise launch-speed control and the ability to launch a wider range of aircraft, from heavy strike fighters to lighter unmanned aircraft.
The system is also designed to reduce maintenance and manpower requirements compared with conventional steam technology.
```Why Is the Navy's System Being Reversed?
```The debate is partly about the trade-off between technological sophistication and operational simplicity.
Supporters of Trump's position argue that steam catapults are mature technology with decades of operational experience. Trump has emphasized reliability and the ease with which sailors can understand and maintain the traditional system.
Critics, however, point out that the Ford-class was designed around an all-electric architecture. EMALS is not simply a piece of equipment that can be removed and replaced like a conventional component. The change could require substantial redesign work across the ship.
```Why Is the USS Doris Miller Important?
```The USS Doris Miller is the fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier and is already under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.
That makes the order particularly consequential. The Navy has already invested heavily in the vessel's design and construction, while the electromagnetic launch equipment for the ship was already well into production.
General Atomics, the company responsible for EMALS, has warned that changing the system at this stage could create significant cost, schedule and integration problems.
```How Much Could the Redesign Cost?
```The exact final cost of the transition has not yet been established. However, multiple reports indicate that reverting to steam technology could cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars or potentially billions, depending on how extensively the carrier design must be changed.
The potential expense comes from more than purchasing catapults. Engineers would have to address the ship's electrical architecture, mechanical systems, space requirements, integration work, testing and construction schedule.
Because the Ford class was designed as a new generation of carrier rather than a simple upgrade to the Nimitz design, replacing EMALS could affect several interconnected systems.
```Steam Versus EMALS: What's the Difference?
```| Feature | Steam Catapult | EMALS |
|---|---|---|
| Power source | High-pressure steam | Electrical energy and electromagnetic force |
| Technology age | Decades of operational use | Modern Ford-class technology |
| Maintenance approach | Large mechanical and steam infrastructure | Electrical, digital and electronic systems |
| Aircraft range | Designed primarily around conventional carrier aircraft | Designed for a broader range of present and future aircraft |
| Manpower | More personnel-intensive | Designed to reduce manpower requirements |
| Carrier integration | Requires steam infrastructure | Built around the Ford class's electric architecture |
The Navy itself says EMALS provides more accurate end-speed control, smoother acceleration and lower long-term manpower and maintenance requirements compared with traditional steam systems.
```Does EMALS Actually Work?
```EMALS has already been installed and used aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, the first ship in the Ford class. According to recent reporting, the system has accumulated more than 36,000 launches, demonstrating that it has moved well beyond the experimental stage.
The Navy originally designed EMALS to improve aircraft launch capability while reducing maintenance demands and enabling the carrier to handle a wider variety of aircraft.
The system has nevertheless faced development problems, delays and reliability concerns during the Ford program's long and expensive development period. Those historical problems have become central to Trump's criticism of the technology.
```Why the Navy Chose EMALS in the First Place
```The Ford class was designed around a broader technological shift. The carrier uses an all-electric utility architecture that eliminates many of the steam service lines found on older carriers.
According to Navy aviation documentation, replacing steam catapults with EMALS was intended to reduce manpower and maintenance while increasing launch capacity. The system's electric architecture was also designed to support future aircraft, including lighter unmanned systems.
In other words, EMALS was not introduced simply because the Navy wanted a newer catapult. It was part of a much larger redesign of the aircraft carrier itself.
```Could Steam Catapults Delay New Carriers?
```That is one of the biggest concerns surrounding the new policy.
The USS Doris Miller has already been designed and constructed around modern electromagnetic systems. Replacing those systems could require substantial engineering changes and additional testing before the ship can be completed.
Defense analysts have warned that the change could affect both the construction schedule and the cost of future Ford-class ships. The Navy was already conducting a broader review of the Ford-class design before the latest directive.
```What About Future Ford-Class Carriers?
```The policy extends beyond the Doris Miller. The administration is directing the Navy to develop a plan for future Ford-class carriers to use steam catapults rather than EMALS.
The Navy had already been reviewing the baseline design for later ships, including CVN-82 and CVN-83, before Trump's latest order. That review was intended to determine how future carriers should be designed and procured.
The new directive could therefore reshape the design of the next generation of U.S. aircraft carriers at a time when the Navy is also trying to increase shipbuilding capacity.
```Why Aircraft Carrier Catapults Matter
```Aircraft carriers operate under a unique physical constraint: a fighter jet must reach takeoff speed while traveling across a relatively short flight deck.
A carrier catapult provides the additional acceleration needed for an aircraft to launch safely. The system must deliver enormous force with precise timing while operating repeatedly in a harsh maritime environment.
The quality of the launch system therefore affects the carrier's ability to generate air sorties, launch different types of aircraft and sustain operations at high tempo.
```What This Means for the U.S. Navy
```The immediate challenge is balancing Trump's preference for proven technology with the engineering realities of a carrier designed around a different architecture.
A return to steam could reduce reliance on some newer technologies and make the launch system more familiar to sailors who have experience with older carriers. However, it also introduces the need to restore infrastructure that the Ford-class was specifically designed to eliminate.
The decision comes as the Navy faces broader pressure to build carriers and other warships faster while controlling costs and expanding industrial capacity. That makes schedule and integration risks particularly important.
```What Happens Next?
```The Navy and Pentagon now have to determine how the administration's policy can be implemented without creating unacceptable cost and schedule problems.
The next major step is the development of the requested transition plan. That process should provide more information about which ships will be affected, how much redesign will be necessary, what existing EMALS equipment can be salvaged and how the change could affect delivery schedules.
Congress will also play an important role because major changes to carrier construction involve significant appropriations and long-term defense procurement decisions.
```Bottom Line
```President Donald Trump has ordered the Navy to move back toward steam catapults for future Ford-class aircraft carriers, reversing the Navy's long-running shift to EMALS.
The change is especially significant for the USS Doris Miller, which is already under construction and was designed around electromagnetic launch technology. The Navy now has to determine how to integrate traditional steam catapults into a carrier built around an all-electric architecture.
Trump's supporters argue that steam catapults are familiar, proven and easier to maintain. The Navy's own technical documentation, however, says EMALS offers smoother acceleration, greater launch flexibility, reduced manpower and lower maintenance requirements.
The debate is therefore about more than old technology versus new technology. It is a major decision about reliability, cost, engineering risk, carrier design and the future direction of U.S. naval aviation.
Editor's note: This article reflects information available as of August 14, 2026. The Navy's redesign plans, projected costs, construction timelines and affected ships may change as the Pentagon completes its review.
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