Trump Orders US Aircraft Carriers to Go Back to Steam Catapults

By Tony Capaccio

Aug 13, 2026 (Bloomberg) –President Donald Trump ordered the Navy to return to using steam catapults to launch planes off of aircraft carriers, acting on a longtime complaint despite opposition from many naval officers.

In a presidential memorandum, Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to come up with a plan within 60 days on what would be needed to use hydraulic catapults in the next Gerald Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The planned USS Doris Miller will be the fourth ship in the six-vessel Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers.

The Navy has struggled