Trump Orders U.S. Navy to Remove Electromagnetic Catapults From Future Aircraft Carriers, Reverting to Steam Launch Systems

President Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to strip electromagnetic catapults from the service’s plans for future aircraft carriers and return to steam-powered systems used to launch fighter jets, the Washington Times reported on Aug. 14, 2026. The directive, described as an instruction to Navy program planning, would affect how new carriers are built and what launch technology is incorporated into their flight decks.

Electromagnetic catapults, which use electrical power to launch aircraft from carrier decks, represent a shift from steam catapults, a long-standing method the Navy has used for decades. The Washington Times report said the order calls for halting the electromagnetic approach in future carrier construction and moving back to steam, raising questions about schedule impacts and costs for programs currently structured around electromagnetic systems.

The report framed the move as a decision by the Trump administration that will be implemented through Navy procurement and construction planning rather than as an isolated engineering change. By directing planners to remove electromagnetic catapults from future carrier construction plans, the administration would be changing the technical baseline for upcoming hulls, including how launch power systems are designed to support carrier air wings.

Officials cited in the report described the steam system as the approach that has launched jets from carriers for generations. The Washington Times also reported that the administration’s rationale centers on returning to that established method, although the report did not provide additional technical or budgeting specifics in its published summary.

A transition from one launch technology to another can ripple across ship design, power generation, maintenance training, and carrier aviation operations. Even when the goal is to align shipbuilding with an older standard, program managers typically must revise technical requirements, contractor plans, and schedules, especially where detailed design work and materials procurement may have already begun.

The Washington Times report did not specify which exact carrier programs are covered by the order, beyond referring to “future aircraft carriers.” In practice, the Navy would need to translate the directive into updated acquisition documentation, engineering specifications, and construction baselines, then coordinate with shipbuilders and suppliers to manage changes to flight deck equipment and supporting systems.

Navy implementation, according to the timing described in the Aug. 14 report, would likely proceed through program updates rather than immediate replacement of already-built or already-under-construction systems. Any broader schedule or cost effects would depend on how far along specific designs are and whether electromagnetic catapult-related work had been locked in for particular hulls.

The order also underscores the political and institutional debate over modernization paths for the fleet, where changes to major subsystems can become high-stakes procurement decisions. For Navy planning, the immediate next step is translating the presidential direction into concrete program actions, including revised specifications and contracting adjustments tied to future carrier construction timelines.