Trump Orders Navy to Scrap Modern Catapults, Adding Billions to Carrier Costs

President Trump signed a national security memorandum Thursday ordering the U.S. Navy to abandon the modern electromagnetic launch system on the USS Doris Miller and revert to steam catapults instead. The redesign will likely cost billions of dollars and delay the carrier’s deployment from 2034 to the late 2030s, according to naval experts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has 60 days to submit a plan for the change.

Why Trump is pushing for steam catapults

Trump has criticized the electromagnetic system for nearly a decade, claiming it is too expensive and unreliable. In a 2017 Time magazine interview, he said the digital system was “very complicated” and cost “hundreds of millions of dollars more.” He has repeated this complaint at rallies and defense summits since then. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest carrier, uses the electromagnetic system and has completed 36,863 launches as of March 2026.

The cost and timeline of the redesign

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told CNN the redesign cost “will probably be into the billions.” The USS Doris Miller, already under construction, was expected to enter service around 2034 but could now be delayed “until the end of the next decade.” The memo requires the Pentagon to present a plan within 60 days. Huntington Ingalls is the primary contractor building Ford-class carriers.

What naval experts say about the reversal

The electromagnetic system is simpler and requires fewer parts than steam catapults, which rely on valves, pressure regulators, and pistons. The Navy has saved $100 million annually on maintenance and personnel costs with the Ford-class carrier, Clark said. Naval experts call the sudden shift highly unusual. China and France both use or plan to use electromagnetic catapults on their newest carriers.

Which carriers will be affected

The USS Doris Miller, the fourth Ford-class carrier, will be the first to receive steam catapults under Trump’s order. The USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise will remain unchanged. General Atomics, which makes the electromagnetic system, said changing course with production 50% complete would introduce significant cost and schedule risk. The keel for the Doris Miller is slated to be laid by the end of 2026.

Final Thoughts

Trump’s directive reverses a decade-long Navy investment in modern launch technology. The redesign will cost billions and delay a critical carrier by years, even as the Pentagon struggles to fund equipment and fill ships with sailors.

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