2 weeks ago
Trump orders US Navy to replace EMALS with steam catapults
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, told the Navy to change how fighter jets take off from a new kind of aircraft carrier.
The newest carriers use electric power to shoot planes into the sky.
Trump wants the next new carrier to go back to an older way that uses steam power instead.
He has been saying for years that the electric system is too complicated and not as strong.
The company that makes the electric system says it works better and needs fewer sailors.
That matters because the Navy does not have enough sailors right now — about 20,000 jobs are empty.
The ship that would get the steam system, the Doris Miller, is already halfway built, so changing it could cost a lot of money.
The first three carriers will keep the electric system, but the Doris Miller will be the first to switch back to steam.
The Navy now has two months to make a plan for this big change.
President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum ordering the US Navy to replace EMALS with steam catapults on the USS Doris Miller.
The Pentagon and the Navy have two months to prepare plans to remove the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and its electromagnetic weapons elevators from the carrier.
The first three Ford-class carriers — the Gerald R Ford, the John F Kennedy and the Enterprise — will keep EMALS, making the Doris Miller the first to be redesigned.
General Atomics, which makes EMALS, says nearly 50 percent of the Doris Miller's launch-system production is already complete, warning of cost, schedule and integration risks.
The redesign could cost hundreds of millions of dollars according to Reuters, or billions according to the Associated Press, while the Navy faces roughly 20,000 unfilled positions.
- Who
- President Donald Trump, who ordered the US Navy and the Pentagon to act; General Atomics makes EMALS, Huntington Ingalls Industries builds the Ford-class carriers, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversees related military funding.
- What
- Replacement of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and electromagnetic weapons elevators with older steam catapults on the USS Doris Miller.
- Where
- United States — US Navy aircraft carrier shipbuilding and shipyard policy.
- When
- The national security memorandum was signed on a Thursday; the Pentagon and Navy must produce plans within two months, the Doris Miller keel is expected by the end of 2026 and delivery in early 2034.
- Why
- Trump has criticized EMALS since at least 2017 as 'not good,' too complex and less powerful than steam catapults.
Supporters of EMALS (Navy, General Atomics)
President Trump and the administration
Catapult technology choice
Supporters of EMALS (Navy, General Atomics)
EMALS was chosen in 2009 to cut lifecycle costs, maintenance and aircraft stress; the Navy says it let the Gerald R Ford launch and recover aircraft faster than Nimitz-class carriers and cut catapult crew from about 12 sailors to 2.
President Trump and the administration
Trump has called EMALS 'not good,' too complex and less powerful than steam since at least 2017, famously saying, 'You're going to goddamned steam.'
Cost and schedule impact
Supporters of EMALS (Navy, General Atomics)
General Atomics says roughly half the Doris Miller's EMALS production is complete and switching now would introduce significant cost, schedule and integration risks; estimates run from hundreds of millions (Reuters) to billions (AP).
President Trump and the administration
The administration views steam as the proven, reliable option and has instructed the change to proceed, leaving the final cost to be determined by the two-month planning process.
Consistency with shipbuilding reform
Supporters of EMALS (Navy, General Atomics)
The memorandum blames frequent design changes for cost growth, delays and cancellations — yet it orders its own major mid-production design change on the Doris Miller.
President Trump and the administration
The administration frames the move as part of a broader shipbuilding overhaul that also allows foreign builders with US investments to build up to two ships and creates a fifth Navy shipyard.
Key facts
- Directive
- Replace EMALS with steam catapults and electromagnetic weapons elevators on the USS Doris Miller
- First affected carrier
- USS Doris Miller, fourth Ford-class carrier
- Carriers keeping EMALS
- USS Gerald R Ford, USS John F Kennedy, USS Enterprise
- Planning deadline
- Pentagon and Navy to prepare plans within two months
- Estimated cost
- Hundreds of millions of dollars (Reuters); billions (AP)
- Production status
- Nearly 50% of the Doris Miller's EMALS production already complete (General Atomics)
- EMALS track record
- 36,863 launches on the USS Gerald R Ford as of March 2026; catapult crew cut from about 12 sailors to 2; Navy has ~20,000 unfilled positions
- Defense funding context
- Pete Hegseth estimated the Iran war cost at $37.5 billion; Congress weighs a $95 billion military package; Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion 2027 defense budget
Quotes
Air Force officer
Military officer cited in a 2017 interview
“"Billions of dollars more they spent on electric catapults and they’re not good. They’re not nearly as good, too complex."”
financialexpress.com
“"You’re going to goddamned steam."”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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