Trump Intervenes to Switch Aircraft Carrier Catapults from Electromagnetic to Steam

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Navy to replace the latest electromagnetic aircraft launch systems on aircraft carriers with older steam-powered systems, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 13th (local time).

As a result, billions of dollars in additional design modification costs are expected to be incurred, according to the WSJ.

According to the directive conveyed in a national security memorandum signed by President Trump that day, the Navy must use steam catapults instead of electromagnetic ones starting with the fourth ship of the latest Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, the USS Doris Miller.

Partial work on the Miller is already underway, with official construction scheduled to begin within the year and deployment slated for around 2034.

Back in 2017, during a field inspection, President Trump heard complaints from a sailor that the advanced electromagnetic catapults lacked the power of older steam catapults and did not work properly, leading him to direct the Navy to review the reintroduction of steam catapults.

Steam catapults were used only up to the USS George H.W. Bush, the last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier—the predecessor to the Ford class—which was deployed in 2009.

Navy and shipbuilding industry officials had expressed reluctance toward President Trump's directive until recently, citing the massive costs required to install steam catapults on Ford-class carriers, which were designed on the premise of using electromagnetic catapults.

However, President Trump did not back down, making overtly negative remarks about electromagnetic catapults at a meeting in Pennsylvania last month.

Brian Clark, a naval operations expert and researcher at the think tank Hudson Institute, said the move would require a highly complex redesign of the entire aircraft carrier and cost billions of dollars.

"Electricity is more reliable," he noted, adding that using electricity instead of steam eliminates mechanical parts associated with steam and reduces maintenance costs.

Operating the Ford requires 500 fewer personnel than a Nimitz-class carrier, and its annual operating costs are about $100 million (142 billion won) lower.

General Atomics, the company that manufactures the Ford-class carrier's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), told the WSJ that reverting to a steam catapult system is "something that requires careful review."

The company won the contract for the catapults and arresting gear for the Miller in 2023.

The "arresting gear" is a braking system designed to forcibly decelerate carrier-borne aircraft so they can land safely.

General Atomics stated in a release that work is nearly 50% complete, warning that "changing plans at this stage will introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks."

HII, the shipbuilding company constructing the Ford-class carriers, stated that it "will work closely with the Navy to implement potential changes to the ships currently under construction."

The White House added in a statement sent to the WSJ that the older hydraulic catapult system has been combat-proven and is more robust, noting that it "will also have the effect of revitalizing parts of the maritime industry where scaling is more feasible."

A total of 10 Ford-class aircraft carriers, from the first to the 10th hull, are scheduled to be built, and electromagnetic catapults already installed or designed will be used for the first through third hulls.

Construction of the lead Ford-class ship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, officially began in 2009 and deployment took place in 2017.

Its construction cost exceeded $13 billion (18.4 trillion won).

Official construction of the second ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, began in 2015 with deployment expected around 2027, while construction of the third ship, the USS Enterprise, began in 2022 with deployment projected for around 2031.

The USS Gerald R. Ford faced numerous challenges during its development and construction, with heavy issues arising particularly from the new catapults and new arresting gear.

However, in February of this year, the U.S. Navy promoted that the EMALS and AAG on the Ford are currently operating as designed and have proven superior performance over older systems.

China uses electromagnetic catapults on its latest aircraft carriers, and France plans to use the Ford's electromagnetic catapult system for its new aircraft carrier.

This directive is the latest instance of President Trump directly intervening in the design and development of major military programs.

Previously, he was involved in negotiations for the presidential aircraft and F-35 fighter jet programs, and ordered design changes for the Constellation-class frigates as well as the construction of a "Trump-class" battleship.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.