According to the military news site The War Zone (TWZ) on October 29, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he intends to sign an executive order mandating the U.S. Navy to use steam catapults and hydraulic elevators on new aircraft carriers.
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) on the USS Gerald R. Ford—the U.S. Navy's newest supercarrier.
U.S. President Donald Trump aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. Photo: The White House
Speaking on October 28, 2025, aboard the USS George Washington docked at Yokosuka Port in Japan, President Trump said: "I'm seriously considering signing such an order. Steam technology has worked perfectly for the past 50 years, and we'll never have problems again."
"The Navy is spending billions of dollars on these troublesome EMALS systems, and every time they break, we have to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to get the smartest people to fix them. Meanwhile, we can just use a hammer and a blowtorch to repair steam catapults—they work well, even better than the new equipment," President Trump added.
President Trump speaking aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Japan on October 28. Photo: AP
As mentioned, this is not the first time President Trump has criticized the electromagnetic catapult design and the next-generation weapons elevators equipped on the Ford-class supercarriers. During his first term in 2017, he once declared he would order the Navy to eliminate these systems, though it was never implemented.
The electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators on the Ford have encountered numerous issues with reliability and maintenance. The White House leader argues that these technologies are too costly to maintain and lack reliability in real combat environments.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet being prepared for takeoff from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
In reality, the U.S. President's criticisms are not entirely unfounded when it comes to the electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators on the Ford (hull designation CVN-78). The military news site TWZ has consistently reported in detail over the years on the technical problems with these two systems, as well as other design aspects of the ship that have faced setbacks. The U.S. Navy has been and continues to work on fixes, but challenges persist, at least through last year.
It remains unclear how the U.S. Navy would proceed if such an executive order is issued. However, military experts unanimously assert that such a change would significantly impact the delivery timelines for new aircraft carriers.
"Replacing the EMALS, AWE, and even the AAG arresting gear systems on Ford-class ships would be incredibly complex, costly, and time-consuming. These systems are deeply integrated into the ship's structure, making modifications difficult without affecting the entire design. Even for ships not yet completed, reverting to older technology would disrupt schedules and substantially inflate costs," a military expert told TWZ.
The U.S. Navy aims to acquire at least 10 Ford-class aircraft carriers to fully replace the Nimitz-class fleet in the future. However, beyond the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is already in service, the delivery of the second carrier, USS John F. Kennedy, has been delayed by nearly three years. President Trump's desire to alter the design of Ford-class carriers could create a ripple effect on costs and timelines, impacting the Navy's overall plans.
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