Trump to sign order mandating steam catapults on future U.S. aircraft carriers

President Trump said aboard USS George Washington in Yokosuka he will sign an executive order requiring future U.S. aircraft carriers to use steam catapults instead of the electromagnetic launch systems on Ford-class ships. The shift disregards EMALS adoption and would create significant design, schedule and industrial challenges.

Discovered 2025-10-28T10:36:56.045899-07:00 | 2025-10-28T10:36:56.045899-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Reversing EMALS would force a major technical and industrial change to carrier design and supplier plans; the Navy has previously reaffirmed its commitment to the Ford-class program.
  • The announcement was made aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, tying a presidential policy decision directly to forward-deployed naval posture and alliance messaging.
  • Electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators have been persistent technical issues on Ford-class ships, creating the operational context for this policy debate and potential procurement disruption; see recent Ford-class operational reporting for background on those challenges (live-fire and at-sea testing). (https://hype.aero/?story=a133cfc7-9752-4c7b-b6ab-996ba2a03e1b)

Reported By

overtdefense.com Breaking Defense news.ssbcrack.com The War Zone
Sources Tracked
4
First Seen
2025-10-28T10:36:56.045899-07:00
Latest Update
2025-10-29T11:25:45.692672-07:00
Coverage
Defense

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