U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Navy to replace the electromagnetic aircraft launch system used on its newest aircraft carriers with traditional steam catapults, while also allowing certain naval vessels to be built overseas to help address shipbuilding delays.
Trump signed a national security memorandum directing the Navy to make the change on the fourth Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier, the Doris Miller. The move is expected to cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars as the ship’s design is altered.
The first three Ford class carriers use the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS. Pentagon documents show that the lead ship, USS Gerald R. Ford, had completed 36,863 EMALS launches as of March 2026.
Trump has repeatedly criticised the electromagnetic system, arguing that it is too expensive and complicated and does not perform as well as steam catapults.
The Navy selected EMALS in 2009 after concluding that it could reduce long term operating costs, require less maintenance and place less stress on aircraft. Although the system experienced problems during its early development, it has since completed thousands of launches.
General Atomics, the company that manufactures EMALS, urged the administration to reconsider the decision. The company warned that changing the system after nearly half of production on the Doris Miller has been completed could create significant cost, scheduling and integration risks.
The memorandum also allows foreign shipbuilders that have made substantial and lasting investments in U.S. shipyards to temporarily build up to two ships at their overseas facilities. The vessels would supplement ships constructed domestically and are intended to help the Navy address gaps in its fleet.
The move represents a significant shift in U.S. naval shipbuilding policy, which has traditionally relied heavily on domestic construction.
Trump’s memorandum further directs the secretary of defense to establish a fifth Navy shipyard to expand the country’s capacity to repair submarines and aircraft carriers.
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