Electromagnetic catapults will be dismantled on demand — Trump orders: Future Ford-class carriers to switch back to steam catapults
Will the U.S. Navy really replace the electromagnetic catapults on the Ford-class carriers?
On the 13th, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has signed an executive order requiring subsequent models of the Ford-class carriers to replace their electromagnetic catapults with steam catapults.
In short, aside from the already commissioned USS "Ford," the undelivered USS "Kennedy," and the ongoing construction of the USS "Enterprise," starting with the fourth ship, the USS "Doris Miller," all future Ford-class carriers will switch to steam catapults.
Trump's long-standing preference for steam catapults is well known. He has repeatedly claimed that steam catapults are more powerful and aesthetically pleasing, and vowed during his presidency that he would require the U.S. Navy to revert the Ford-class carriers' electromagnetic catapults back to steam ones — though many at the time thought he was merely speaking rhetorically. Now, however, he has actually signed this executive order.
Yet even if the order has been issued, its actual implementation remains questionable. Delays in American shipbuilding have become commonplace. The delivery of the fourth Ford-class carrier, the USS "Doris Miller," has already been postponed to 2034 — meaning by the time this vessel is finally delivered, the U.S. presidency will have changed hands, and Trump’s order could easily be overturned by his successor.
Ultimately, what Trump truly yearns for is not the steam catapult itself, but the era when America reigned supreme, and the Nimitz-class carriers stood as symbols of U.S. military might, dominating globally.
However, the recent outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war shows that the era when America could “attack whomever it wants” has long since passed. Replacing the Ford-class carriers’ electromagnetic catapults with steam ones won’t revive the glory of American shipbuilding, nor can it reverse the country’s declining global hegemony.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873478131012683/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.