President Donald Trump ordered the Navy on Aug. 13 to return to using steam catapults to launch fighter jets from aircraft carriers instead of using the newer electromagnetic catapult system.
The president’s national security memorandum targets the electromagnetic catapult system used on Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The order came as part of a memorandum aimed at rebuilding the Navy and America’s shipbuilding industrial base.
Prior to the Aug. 13 memorandum, Trump had called for the Navy to stop including the electromagnetic launch system on new ships being built. He said the newer technology was more expensive and less effective than traditional steam catapults, which have been used on aircraft carriers for over 50 years….
Trump Orders Navy to Replace Newer Fighter Launch System With Older Steam Catapults
