US Navy to Revamp Jet Catapults Aboard Aircraft Carriers Under New Trump Directive

US President Donald Trump has issued a directive mandating the US Navy to abandon its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS) and return to steam-powered equipment for future carriers.

EMALS catapults fighter jets from the flight deck using a linear induction motor, enhancing precision and recharge time compared to traditional high-steam pistons.

The national security memorandum requires the Pentagon to submit an implementation plan within two months, targeting the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier currently under construction, as well as its sister ships.

Older vessels, including the lead of the series, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), will retain their current hardware.

Trump has long criticized the EMALS technology, calling it "too complex" and arguing that "when a little water touches the magnets, it doesn't work anymore,” while continuously praising the legacy capability, asserting it will yield "carriers that are enabled by battle-tested steam and hydraulic systems."

Analysts and defense contractors warn the overhaul could cost billions and cause years of delays, as modifying ships built for all-electric infrastructure poses massive mechanical hurdles while steam catapult manufacturing ended decades ago.

General Atomics, the defense contractor whose EMALS work on the USS Doris Miller is nearly halfway done, said that "changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks."

US opposition also panned the intervention, saying that EMALS slashes operating costs by roughly $100 million annually and significantly reduces required deck crew.

“I’ve launched off the front of aircraft carriers hundreds of times, have a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, and am a test pilot, and even I wouldn’t suggest to the Navy how to engineer specific systems,” Arizona Senator Mark Kelly explained.