Pentagon Test Flops Trigger Steam Comeback

President Trump ordered the Navy to ditch electromagnetic catapults on future Ford-class carriers and return to steam, igniting a high-stakes redesign fight tied to the next generation of fighters.

Story Highlights

Trump directed steam catapults for upcoming Ford-class carriers, starting with USS Doris Miller.
Pentagon testers say the current electromagnetic launch system has fallen far short on reliability.
Reverting to steam could mean major redesign costs and delays on ships built around electric power.
Choices now will shape how future sixth-generation fighters operate from American decks.

What President Trump Ordered And Why It Matters

President Trump ordered the United States Navy to stop using the electromagnetic aircraft launch system on future Gerald R. Ford-class carriers and return to steam catapults, beginning with the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). The directive answers years of complaints about reliability and maintenance burdens on the new system. The move shifts the carrier program’s course at a critical time, as planners design the flight decks and launch profiles for the next-generation F/A-XX fighter program.

Defense testers reported the electromagnetic launch system on the first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford delivered far below goals during formal trials. In 2022 testing, it averaged 614 mean cycles between operational mission failures, against a requirement of 4,166. The 2021 report showed even lower performance at 272 mean cycles between failures during earlier ship events. These public findings gave fuel to officials who argued the system was not ready for prime time on combat deployments.

The Reliability Record Driving A Reversal

The office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation stated in 2023 that electromagnetic launch reliability had not improved much despite hardware and software upgrades, and that crews still needed off-ship technical help. The 2024 report said the office did not get enough new data to update statistics and again warned reliability had not appreciably changed. These watchdog assessments raised concerns about sortie generation, flight deck rhythm, and maintenance man-hours during sustained operations at sea.

The Ford-class design also introduced electromagnetic arresting gear and advanced elevators, tying the ship to a modern electrical architecture. Supporters of the new launch system argue it promises lower life-cycle burdens and smoother acceleration that reduces stress on aircraft. But the hard test numbers, not the theory, became the sticking point. Trump’s order puts combat readiness first by prioritizing a launch method the fleet knows, trains, and can fix at sea when it counts.

Steam Is Familiar, But It Is Not A Simple Swap

Analysts warn that swapping back to steam catapults is not a plug-and-play change on a ship built around electric power. Reports describe the reversal as a major engineering shift, not a component exchange, because steam plants, piping, condensers, and maintenance spaces must be designed into the hull and the deck layout from the start. That scale of redesign can add cost and time. The Hill reported that experts expect higher costs and potential delays if the Navy follows through across the Ford line.

Program history suggests a classic defense tradeoff: accept the growing pains of new tech or lock in a proven legacy system that is heavier and more demanding on crew and support gear. Here, the administration chose certainty for launch operations. That choice aims to protect flight deck tempo, sortie rates, and combat readiness while engineers rebaseline the ships to support steam systems over decades of service.

What It Means For F/A-XX And America’s Edge

The Navy’s sixth-generation F/A-XX concept will ask for flexible launch profiles, heavy payloads, and tighter integration with uncrewed aircraft. Launch system limits shape aircraft weight, endurance, and upgrades across a fighter’s life. Test data showing the electromagnetic system underperforming created risk for those goals. By ordering steam on upcoming carriers, the White House is betting on known margins now, while industry works to align carrier design with aircraft needs through the 2030s.

😐 Trump wants to redesign U.S. aircraft carriers because… he doesn’t like the way they look

According to U.S. media reports, the president criticized the placement of the island superstructure on Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers and wants future ships to look more like… pic.twitter.com/05lc9b6T98

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 18, 2026

Conservatives will see this as a course correction that puts warfighters over contractors. The facts show a clear pattern: repeated reliability shortfalls, growing maintenance demands, and outside technical support needs on a core flight deck system. Steam brings weight and plumbing, but it also brings proven launch rhythm the fleet can trust in a fight. With China racing to field carriers, America cannot afford launch failures on day one of a crisis. Trump’s order aims to keep the edge sharp.