The move, which comes despite opposition from navy officers, is likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars
1-MIN READ1-MINBloombergPublished: 7:40am, 14 Aug 2026President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to return to using steam catapults to launch planes off of aircraft carriers, acting on a long-time complaint despite opposition from many naval officers.
In a presidential memorandum, Trump ordered US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to come up with a plan within 60 days on what would be needed to use hydraulic catapults in the next Gerald Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The planned USS Doris Miller will be the fourth ship in the six-vessel Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers.
The Navy has struggled with problems surrounding its modern electromagnetic system to launch jets off the first of the new aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
That issue caught Trump’s attention several years ago, and he has criticised it frequently since, including last month, when he recounted how a servicemember complained about the newer system.
“He said, steam is better, sir,” Trump said. “We can fix it with a hammer and a blowtorch.”
