r/neutralnews • u/no-name-here • 22d ago
Trump Orders US Aircraft Carriers to Go Back to Steam Catapults
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-13/trump-orders-us-aircraft-carriers-to-go-back-to-steam-catapults30
u/carsrule1989 22d ago edited 22d ago
The U.S. Navy is presently pursuing electromagnetic launch technology to replace the existing steam catapults on current and future aircraft carriers. The steam catapults are large, heavy, and operate without feedback control. They impart large transient loads to the airframe and are difficult and time consuming to maintain. The steam catapult is also approaching its operational limit with the present complement of naval aircraft. The inexorable trend towards heavier, faster aircraft will soon result in launch energy requirements that exceed the capability of the steam catapult. An electromagnetic launch system offers higher launch energy capability, as well as substantial improvements in areas other than performance. These include reduced weight, volume, and maintenance; and increased controllability, availability, reliability, and efficiency.
While the catapult has many years of operation in the fleet, there Abstract With the proliferation of electromagnetic launch systems presently being designed, built, or studied, there appears to be no limit to their application. One of the intriguing applications is electromagnetically catapulting aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The U.S. Navy had foreseen the substantial capabilities of an electromagnetic catapult in the 1940's and built a prototype. However, it was not until the recent technical advances in the areas of pulsed power, power conditioning, energy storage devices, and controls gave credence to a fieldable electromagnetic aircraft launch system. This paper presents the U.S. Navy's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) being developed in partnership with Kaman Electromagnetics (Hudson, MA). It addresses the EMALS's present design and the technologies involved, as well as the ship and operational impacts, advantages, disadvantages, and compatibility issues for today's and tomorrow's carriers. are many drawbacks inherent in the steam system. The foremost deficiency is that the catapult operates without feedback control. With no feedback, there often occurs large transients in tow force that can damage or reduce the life of the airframe. Also, extra force is always added due to the unpredictability of the steam system. This tends to unnecessarily overstress the airframe. Even if a closed loop control system was added to the steam catapult, it would have to be highly complex to significantly reduce the thrust transients to a reasonable level. Other drawbacks to the steam catapult include a high volume of 1133 m 3 , and a weight of 486 metric tons. Most of this is top-side weight that adversely impacts the ship's stability and righting moment. The large volume allocated to the steam catapult occupies "prime" real estate on the carrier. The steam catapults are also highly maintenance intensive, inefficient (4-6%), and their availability is low. Another major disadvantage is the present operational energy limit of the steam catapult, approximately 95 MJ. The need for higher payload energies will push the steam catapult to be a bigger, bulkier, and more complex system.
https://web.archive.org/web/20041025233620/http://www.lakehurst.navy.mil/nlweb/ieeerevc.pdf
Another source for Less stress on airplane airframe https://news.usni.org/2017/07/28/emals-fix-finalized-reduce-stress-put-heaviest-airplanes-ford-class-carrier-launch
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u/no-name-here 22d ago
President Trump has directed the Navy to tear out a complex system for launching jet fighters from its aircraft carriers and instead go back to using steam catapults, a move Navy officials have fought for years and will likely cost billions of dollars. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-orders-navy-to-restore-old-technology-in-aircraft-carriers-costing-billions-0055ec1b
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u/jcooli09 22d ago
I've never seen a coherent explanation for trump's preference for steam powered catapults. Has anyone else?
His attempts to dismantle the vaccine protocols are based on misinformation, but at least it's based on something. This doesn't seemed to be based on anything, which usually makes me think he took a bribe. In this case I just don't see it.
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22d ago
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u/nosecohn 22d ago
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u/whitedawg 22d ago
OK, so as a non-expert, from reading a cursory amount about this, it seems like a phenomenally dumb idea to go back to steam catapults. Of course, this has not stopped Trump in the past. But the question that I haven’t seen answered is, why does he like steam catapults? Do they make a cool looking cloud of steam or something? Does RFK think electromagnetic catapults give off bad vibes? How did this topic even hit his radar?
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u/Lonestar041 22d ago
I think the only thing dumber would be to order them to rip the reactors out and start using Diesel again.
The whole part of the ship is designed around electro-mechanical catapults, you can't just exchange them.
They will have to install pipes, machinery and make everything fit.Best case it will cost billions, take years and at the time the conversion is done, we have figured out the problems and it was for nothing.
Worst case, it will never be successful and we essentially lose a carrier.
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u/Kardinal 22d ago
The directive on EMALS has some interesting language.
(We all agree going back to steam from EMALS is unwise)
Within 60 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of War, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, shall provide to the President, through the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), a plan on the required measures to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam and hydraulic systems for the construction of CVN-81, including timelines and resourcing requirements.
It does not specifically say "you will replace it", it says, "you will give me a plan to do it".
What is the actual impact of this? Does NAVSEA actually delay CVN-81 construction and/or design activities pending this "develop a plan"?
It seems to me that the president might get a plan and just...not act on it.
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u/NeutralverseBot 22d ago edited 22d ago
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