Trump orders major Navy shift, bringing back steam catapults

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Navy to abandon its electromagnetic aircraft launch system on the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and return to traditional steam catapults, while also opening the door to overseas construction of U.S. Navy ships, the White House said Thursday, August 13.

Trump signed a national security memorandum directing the changes. The decision means the Doris Miller, the fourth ship in the planned Ford class, will not use the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) installed on the first three carriers. The redesign is expected to cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, as per Reuters estimates.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII.N), the primary contractor for the Ford-class carriers, saw its shares rise slightly in after-hours trading in New York.

As of March 2026, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship in the class, had completed 36,863 EMALS launches, according to Pentagon documents.

The Doris Miller is scheduled to have its keel laid by the end of 2026, with delivery to the Navy expected in early 2034.

Trump has repeatedly criticised EMALS, arguing that it is more expensive and less effective than steam catapults.

"Billions of dollars more they spent on electric catapults and they're not good. They're not nearly as good, too complex," Trump said at a defense summit in Pennsylvania last month.

The Navy selected EMALS in 2009, saying the system would reduce overall lifecycle costs, require less maintenance than steam catapults and place less physical stress on aircraft launched from carriers. France's navy also selected the technology. Although EMALS experienced problems during its early development and deployment, it has since completed thousands of launches.

General Atomics, which manufactures EMALS, said Trump's decision to abandon the system on the Doris Miller warranted "careful reconsideration."

"With nearly 50% of production complete, changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks," General Atomics said.

Trump's memorandum also opens the U.S. Navy to having ships built overseas for the first time in decades.

Under the order, foreign shipbuilders that have made "substantial and durable investments" in U.S. shipyards "will be temporarily permitted to build up to two ships in their parent shipyards that will be delivered to bridge gaps on a quick turnaround," supplementing vessels constructed in U.S. shipyards.

The move comes as the administration seeks to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity and address long-standing delays and production constraints in the naval shipbuilding industry.

Australian shipbuilder Austal said Tuesday that South Korea's Hanwha Group had offered to acquire its U.S. operations for up to $1.2 billion as the conglomerate seeks to expand its presence in the American defence market.

Trump's memorandum also directs the Secretary of Defence to establish a fifth U.S. Navy shipyard, with the aim of increasing capacity to repair submarines and aircraft carriers.

By Tamilla Hasanova