Trump Orders Navy to Abandon Advanced Carrier Launch System
President Trump issued a directive Thursday ordering the Navy to remove EMALS from Ford-class carriers and return to steam catapults. The USS Doris Miller is the first ship ordered to make the change.
- Two months: deadline for Pentagon and Navy to deliver a removal plan to Trump.
- EMALS reduced catapult operators from roughly a dozen sailors to two.
- General Atomics says work on the Doris Miller's catapults is already halfway complete.
- 20,000 Navy posts were unfilled fleet-wide at the start of the year.
Why it matters: The directive forces a major design reversal on a ship already under construction, adding cost and schedule risk at a moment the Navy is short on sailors and money.
- China's newest carriers use electromagnetic catapults; France plans to as well.
- Steam systems require more sailors, more maintenance space, and launch aircraft at lower speeds than EMALS.
How 29 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage does not divide on facts; all outlets rely on the same AP report with no competing factual claims.
Center coverage, 9 sources: The center presents the directive factually, leading with the directive's scope and quoting General Atomics and Navy data without characterizing the decision as sound or unsound.
Associated Press18hTrump orders the Navy to return to an older system of launching jets off aircraft carriersCNCTV News7hTrump orders the navy to return to older, steam catapult system of launching jets off aircraft carriersYNYahoo News5hMark Kelly on aircraft carrier catapult order: ‘Donald Trump knows nothing about this stuff’
Bloomberg20hTrump Orders US Aircraft Carriers to Go Back to Steam CatapultsNewNews4Jax18hTrump orders the Navy to return to an older system of launching jets off aircraft carriers
Newsweek5hSteam catapults versus electromagnets: How ways of launching jets compare
Reuters21hTrump orders Navy to abandon carrier launch system, return to steam catapults
The Hill17hTrump directs Navy to return to steam catapults on aircraft carriersWYWKBN Youngstown18hTrump orders the Navy to return to older system of launching jets off aircraft carriersLeft coverage, 10 sources: The left emphasizes the operational and strategic costs — more sailors needed, U.S. falling behind China — framing the order as a costly preference over military logic.
The Independent9hA look back at all the times Trump has obsessed over steam catapultsTBGThe Boston Globe14hDonald Trump presidency: Follow live updates.
Political Wire7hMark Kelly Blasts Trump Over Aircraft Carrier Shift
Business Insider3hTrump pushes costly return to steam on future US Navy aircraft carrier
Mediaite6hTrump Demands Navy Use Steam ‘Catapult’ Jet Launchers in Rejection of Modern Tech: Report
MSNBC5hTrump brushes off Navy concerns, seeks use of steam catapults on aircraft carriers
Raw Story19hTrump's billion-dollar order to rip out new Navy tech hands enemies a gift: WSJ
The Guardian16hTrump orders Pentagon to redesign US aircraft carrier to use steam catapults to launch jetsTNRThe New Republic18hTrump Orders Navy to Spend Billions of Dollars Undoing Years of WorkTruTruthout1hTrump Spending Billions to Revert Aircraft Carriers to Steam CatapultsRight coverage, 10 sources: The right runs the same AP report without additional editorial framing, letting Trump's long-stated preference for steam and the Navy's cost concerns speak for themselves.
The Washington Times4hTrump orders Navy to ditch electromagnetic catapults in future carriers, return to steam power
Newsmax4hCritics Rip Trump's Navy Steam Catapult Order
The Epoch Times2dTrump Orders Navy to Replace Newer Fighter Launch System With Older Steam Catapults
Daily Mail4hTrump orders US Navy to remove electromagnetic fighter jet launchers from aircraft carrier and replace them with steam catapults because they're 'less complex'
Just the News4hTrump orders Navy to replace magnetic catapults on aircraft carriers with steam-powered catapults
NTD16hTrump Orders Navy to Replace Newer Fighter Launch System With Older Steam Catapults
RedState11hTrump Is Bringing Steam Catapults Back to Ford-Class Carriers
The Federalist2hTrump Signs Order Expanding America's Shipbuilding Capacity
Wall Street Journal7hPresident Orders Navy to Restore OLD Tech on Carriers, Costing Billions...
Washington Examiner17hMark Kelly rips Trump over reported aircraft carrier overhaul, says stick to ‘bulls***’What’s next: The Senate must pass a $95 billion military funding package when it returns in September.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford, USS John F. Kennedy, and USS Enterprise are not affected by the order.
- How much will the EMALS removal and redesign ultimately cost, and who in Congress will authorize that spending?
- Will the Navy's existing sailor shortage worsen if steam catapults require up to a dozen operators per launcher?
- Could General Atomics or Congress push back hard enough to reverse or delay the directive?