Trump orders US Navy back to steam catapults on new aircraft carrier Naval experts baffled as Trump demands return to technology being replacedDonald Trump has ordered the US Navy to abandon modern electromagnetic catapults on a new aircraft carrier and return to steam-powered launch systems, a move naval experts warn could add billions of dollars to the project's cost and push its deployment back years. The directive requires Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to produce a plan within 60 days for installing steam catapults on the carrier being built to become the USS Doris Miller. The extraordinary decision has stunned naval specialists because the ship is already under construction and the Navy has spent years developing and deploying the newer electromagnetic system. Billions of dollars and years of delayThe newest US carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, uses the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS. America's ten older Nimitz-class carriers still use steam catapults, but the Navy moved to electromagnetic technology for the Ford class as part of its effort to modernise carrier operations. Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute said converting the Doris Miller while it is already being built would require a major redesign. The cost, he warned, would “probably be into the billions”, while the carrier could be delayed from its expected 2034 deployment until the end of the next decade. In other words, the Navy could be spending billions to make a brand-new carrier use technology it has already been replacing. Trump says electromagnetic system is too complicatedTrump has been openly critical of EMALS for years and returned to the issue at a defence summit last month. He argued that electromagnetic catapults were too complicated and difficult to repair, claiming that the Navy had previously been forced to call ships back because the systems had failed. Trump also questioned the practicality of electromagnetic technology in rough seas, arguing that problems with the system could leave aircraft unable to launch. The White House says the new directive is intended to address what it describes as critical long-term problems in America's naval shipbuilding and repair programmes. Experts say steam is the outdated technologyNaval specialists, however, are questioning the wisdom of the decision. Clark said the electromagnetic system is actually simpler, comparing its operation to a high-speed rail system. Steam catapults contain considerably more mechanical components, including valves, pressure regulators and pistons. He also said the newer system has reduced operating costs, with the Navy saving roughly $100 million a year in personnel and maintenance costs on Ford-class carriers. That makes the decision to redesign a new carrier around steam technology particularly controversial. ‘Very outdated’ naval thinkingVeteran naval journalist Chris Cavas, who has personally witnessed both electromagnetic and steam launches, was even more blunt. He described the directive as “very old thinking, very outdated.” Cavas said the difference between the two systems can be felt during an aircraft launch, with the electromagnetic system providing a smoother acceleration and placing less stress on the aircraft. That smoother launch is not merely a technological luxury. Reducing stress on aircraft can potentially have implications for maintenance and the lifespan of extremely expensive carrier aircraft. A remarkable technological U-turnThe decision represents a remarkable U-turn for America's aircraft-carrier programme. The US Navy spent years developing EMALS precisely because steam technology was considered an increasingly outdated solution for a modern carrier fleet. Now a carrier already under construction could be redesigned to use the older system — potentially costing taxpayers billions and delaying its entry into service by years. Trump clearly believes the Navy has gone too far down the road of complicated technology. His naval experts appear to believe the opposite: that Washington is about to spend billions making America's newest aircraft carrier older before it even reaches the sea. SOURCE
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