Trump Orders Steam Catapults for New Carrier, Opens Door to Foreign Shipyards

President Donald Trump has signed a national security memorandum that directs the U.S. Navy to abandon the electromagnetic launch system on a future aircraft carrier and permits foreign shipyards to build Navy vessels for the first time in decades.

The memo requires the fourth ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, the future USS Doris Miller, to use steam catapults instead of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) installed on the first three carriers. The design change is expected to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the project's cost.

The keel for the Doris Miller is scheduled to be laid by the end of 2026, with delivery expected in early 2034. Huntington Ingalls, the primary contractor for Ford-class carriers, saw its shares rise slightly in after-hours trading.

Trump has repeatedly criticized EMALS, calling it expensive and overly complex. At a defense summit last month, he said the system was "not nearly as good" as steam catapults. The Navy selected EMALS in 2009, citing lower lifecycle costs, reduced maintenance, and less stress on aircraft. The system, also used by France, has completed tens of thousands of launches, including over 36,000 on the lead ship USS Gerald R. Ford as of March 2026.

General Atomics, the EMALS manufacturer, said the decision warrants "careful reconsideration," noting that nearly half of the production for the Doris Miller is already complete and that changing course now would create significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.

The memo also allows foreign shipbuilders with "substantial and durable investments" in U.S. shipyards to build up to two ships each at their parent facilities to fill gaps on a quick turnaround. This marks a major shift in U.S. naval procurement policy.

In a related development, Australian shipbuilder Austal said on Tuesday that South Korea's Hanwha Group has offered up to $1.2 billion to acquire its U.S. operations, signaling growing foreign interest in the American defense market.

Additionally, the memo directs the secretary of defense to establish a fifth Navy shipyard to expand submarine and aircraft carrier repair capacity.