EMALS vs Steam: Donald Trump orders US Navy to ditch electromagnetic catapults on new aircraft carriers

The US Navy has spent more than two decades developing its new aircraft carrier, incorporating 23 new or significantly updated technologies into major systems across the ship.These include the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, which replaces the steam-driven catapult of the venerable Nimitz-class carriers with an electric induction motor.The navy says the system costs less to operate and inflicts less structural fatigue on aircraft. Together with other changes to the Ford-class, the new carriers are meant to increase sortie generation by an appreciable amount. However, US President Donald Trump has long opposed the electromagnetic catapult and over the past 10 years has repeatedly mused about ordering the navy to return to a steam-piston system.After years of talking about it, the Trump White House in August officially directed the US Navy to begin exploring options for replacing EMALS and other electrically driven systems with conventional steam and hydraulic alternatives on future Ford-class ships.FlightGlobal's defence editor Greg Waldron joins Ryan Finnerty to discuss the move and how it will impact carrier operations.