Trump directs Navy to put steam catapults on future carrier

President Donald Trump is directing the Pentagon to develop a plan to install decades-old steam catapults and hydraulic weapons elevators aboard a future aircraft carrier, reversing two defining technological changes introduced with the Gerald R. Ford-class.

The changes would be made aboard the future USS Doris Miller, a Ford-class carrier already under construction, according to a Thursday presidential memorandum.

Catapults are acceleration devices used on carrier flight decks to help fixed-wing jets reach the speed needed for takeoff.

“The United States Navy has experienced a series of shipbuilding setbacks stemming from overly complex designs and iterative design change procedures,” Trump’s directive said.

He blamed those issues on cost growth, delays and cancellations. The order calls for the Pentagon to instead use “proven, reliable, and affordable technologies and ship designs.”

It also calls for contracts that enable purchases from foreign suppliers and the establishment of a new facility to streamline submarine repairs.

Hydraulic catapults came into widespread carrier use during World War II, while the first steam catapult installed aboard a U.S. naval vessel was tested aboard the USS Hancock in 1954, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.

Trump has long expressed a preference for steam catapults over their electromagnetic replacements. In a 2017 interview with Time, he criticized the newer technology and its cost.

“You going to goddamned steam,” Trump said. “The digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.”

General Atomics, the company contracted to produce the electromagnetic launch system for the Doris Miller, said production was nearly halfway complete.

“Changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks,” the company said in an ABC News report Friday.

The Doris Miller is the only carrier targeted for the return to steam, while the directive leaves the electromagnetic systems aboard the active USS Gerald R. Ford and future USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise unchanged.

The Ford class is expected to eventually replace the Navy’s aging Nimitz-class carriers. 

The order directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to deliver a plan to Trump within 60 days outlining the timeline and resources needed to make the changes aboard the Doris Miller.