Trump's been railing against the electromagnetic catapults on the Navy's newest carriers for years. Now, he's pushing a return to steam.
Trump's memo comes months after the Navy said the Ford's new launch and landing systems helped it launch aircraft faster than Nimitz-class carriers.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mike Shen Trump is pushing a switch back to steam-powered catapults for a future Ford-class carrier.
Trump has long criticized the Ford class' electromagnetic aircraft-launch system.
The change could add billions in costs and force a major redesign, a defense expert said.
After years of criticizing the new electromagnetic catapults on the US Navy's newest aircraft carriers, President Donald Trump is now officially pushing for a return to steam-powered systems for a future carrier.
The first Navy aircraft carrier to use electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft was USS Gerald R.
Ford , setting a new technology standard for future carriers.
During his first term in office, Trump railed against the new catapults, as well as the new weapons elevators, saying they "don't work" and telling troops future carriers would use steam .
On Thursday, Trump released a memo on Navy shipbuilding and the industrial base.
As part of a longer list of initiatives and investments, including plans to establish a fifth public shipyard and grow the workforce, the president tasked the Department of Defense to begin planning for the replacement of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System , or EMALS, and advanced weapons elevators on a future carrier with steam and hydraulic systems.
Trump gave the Secretary of Defense and the Navy Secretary 60 days to develop a plan with timelines and resource requirements.
The future carrier, USS Doris Miller (CVN-81), will be the US Navy's fourth Ford-class carrier; the ship is being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding and is scheduled for delivery in 2034, two years later than originally planned.
The Doris Miller is preceded by the USS John F.
Kennedy, which is expected to commission early next year, and the USS Enterprise, expected to enter service sometime in 2031.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.businessinsider.com — the content belongs to Business Insider.
