US President Donald Trump has ordered a multi-billion-pound switch from new high-tech aircraft carrier launching systems back to traditional steam-driven catapults and take-off ramps. The directive also tells Navy and Pentagon chiefs to replace USS Ford’s electromagnetic weapons systems with a different method of lifting weaponry.
Why the change?
Trump has long complained about the digital system that governs how America’s modern fast jets take off from aircraft carriers. The switch-back is likely to cost many billions at a time when the war in Iran is depleting America’s weapons and missiles.
The older launching method will also require more sailors to be involved in the less-automated take-off process during combat missions. The current Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System is believed by many experts to launch planes at faster speeds, be easier to maintain at sea, and take up far less space on the vessel.
Impact on the Navy
The changes come when the US Navy is short of sailors. At the start of the year, the Navy had about 20,000 unfilled posts across the fleet. In February, the Navy touted the modern take-off system in a press release, saying it allowed the USS Ford to launch and recover aircraft at a higher rate than its predecessor, the Nimitz-class ships.
The directive orders the fourth Ford-class carrier, the USS Doris Miller, to be the first ship to include the new changes. The USS Gerald R. Ford, currently in the Middle East, will remain untouched.
Background and comparisons
Trump’s discomfort with the new technology dates back to at least 2017 in his first term. Then he said the new system is “not good” and “doesn’t have the power” of the older steam systems in an interview with Time magazine. He said: “You’re going to goddamned steam.” He has repeated his preference for old carrier technology on many occasions.
As Trump tries to turn back the latest technology, China’s new aircraft carriers employ electromagnetic catapults, and France plans to use the system on its new carrier. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said recently that the cost of the Iran war grew to £28 billion so far, though it may have cost much more.
British jets take off from the £3.5bn Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales using a ski-ramp at the bow of the ship, instead of steam or electromagnetic catapults. This is called the Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing variant, specifically for the F-35B Lightning II fighter. The decision was controversial since the vertical landing mechanism and manoeuvring use up lots of fuel, significantly reducing the plane’s range on operations.
