The U.S. Navy is officially moving forward with President Donald Trump’s order to put old steam catapults on new aircraft carriers, but the decision could complicate the service’s multi-decade effort to upgrade its carrier fleet.
On Aug. 13, Trump ordered the Navy to scrap the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System planned for the under-construction aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller. He also called for the Navy to cancel the ship’s electromagnetic weapons elevators in favor of legacy hydraulic lifts.
The electromagnetic systems have already been installed on the first two ships in the Ford-class aircraft carriers, and construction is ongoing on the third and fourth ships in the class….