President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to remove the advanced Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) from its newest Ford-class aircraft carriers and revert to older steam catapults, according to a directive issued Thursday.
The directive also calls for the replacement of the Ford-class carriers' electromagnetic weapons elevators. This mandate would likely incur billions of dollars in costs and require the Navy's most advanced ships to use a system that demands more personnel and is more challenging to maintain.
The memo instructs the Pentagon and the Navy to present plans for the removal of EMALS within two months. Trump has frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with the magnetically powered catapult system, dating back to his first term in 2017 when he stated it was "not good" and lacked the power of steam systems.
General Atomics, the manufacturer of EMALS, indicated in an email to The Associated Press that the decision regarding the USS Doris Miller, slated to be the first ship to incorporate these changes, warrants "careful reconsideration." The company noted that work on the catapults and arresting gear for the Doris Miller is already halfway complete, and altering course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.
Trump's directive also acknowledged that frequent design changes in shipbuilding have led to cost growth, delays, and cancellations.
Despite Trump's push to revert to older technology, the newest Chinese aircraft carriers are equipped with electromagnetic catapults, and France plans to use the system on its new carrier. EMALS offers advantages such as faster aircraft launch speeds, lower maintenance requirements, and reduced space utilization, enabling the USS Ford to operate with two sailors per catapult compared to about a dozen for steam systems.
The Navy has reportedly faced challenges in meeting its recruiting goals, with approximately 20,000 unfilled positions across the fleet at the start of the year. Reverting to a system that requires more personnel comes as the Navy struggles to fill its ships.
In February, the Navy highlighted EMALS's capabilities in a press release, stating it allowed the USS Ford to launch and recover aircraft at a higher rate than its predecessor, the Nimitz-class ships.
The directive comes as Congress is set to consider funding bills, including those for the Pentagon and ongoing military operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated the cost of the Iran war at $37.5 billion, as Republicans prepared a $95 billion package for military funding, alongside other White House priorities. The House has narrowly adopted these measures, but the Senate is expected to act in September.