Trump Orders Navy To Revert To Steam Catapults On Carriers
The Story
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on its newest class of aircraft carriers with older steam catapults.
The directive, issued via a presidential memorandum on Thursday, will affect the fourth ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, the Doris Miller, and subsequent vessels. Trump has previously expressed a preference for steam catapults, which were last used on U.S. carriers entering the fleet in 2009. Experts state the electromagnetic system is more reliable and less expensive to maintain.
The change is expected to cost billions of dollars. Trump's reasoning for the reversion appears to stem from a distrust of the newer technology, which he described in a 2017 interview as digital and very complicated. He stated at the time, "I said no you're not. You going to goddamned steam." The Navy is directed to remove the EMALS system and install steam-powered catapults.
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