No more magnetic catapults?

The Ford (below) and the Truman (above)

Think this may be an off the cuff comment, rather than a serious statement?

President Donald Trump says he plans to sign an executive order that would compel the U.S. Navy to use steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevators on new aircraft carriers. Trump has railed against the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults and Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE) on the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest supercarrier, for years now.

The Ford was designed around these systems, and replacing them would be a nightmare somewhat akin to making an A-10 fly with a centrally mounted M-60. It could be done, but at a cost ogf time and money that would probably be prohibitive. Of course, the problem is that these two systems have essentially been close to non-functional for years. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

In addition to the in-service USS Gerald R. Ford, there are three more Ford class carriers now in various stages of construction. The Navy’s stated plan has been to eventually acquire at least 10 Ford class flattops to replace the Nimitz class.

“I’m gonna put in an order, seriously,” the President also said. “They’re spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric. And the problem, when it breaks, you have to send up to MIT, get the most brilliant people in the world, fly them out. The steam, they said they can fix it with a hammer and blowtorch. And it works just as well, if not better.”

“They had steam, which worked so beautifully, and it has for 50 years, right? So we’re gonna go back. Seriously, fellas, I want to make that change. I’m gonna do an executive order,” he added. “I’m not going to let them continue to do this thing. They’re trying to make it work, they’re trying so hard, and they have something that’s perfect. So we’re going to go back on that and the magnets.”

Probably impolite to note that the Chinese are not only making electromagnetic catapults work, but have launched stealth fighters with them. (Whether there is any difference in launching a stealth fighter – any of you flattop guys maybe know?  I know we had to redesign deck surfaces for the F-35s, but that was due to the VTOL version literally melting the deck.)

So now we go back and spend millions naming posts after Confederates redesigning our carriers and further slowing their development and launch.

There is real truth behind the President’s criticisms about the catapults and weapons elevators on Ford, which is also known by its hull number CVN-78. TWZ has covered the issues with both of these systems, as well as other long-troubled aspects of the ship’s design, in detail for years now. The Navy has been working to mitigate these problems, but has continued to face challenges at least as recently as last year.

Delivery of additional Ford class carriers has already been significantly delayed. The prospective delivery date for the second ship in the class, the future USS John F. Kennedy, has already slipped to March 2027, nearly three years later than originally expected. The Navy told USNI News earlier this year that it is looking for ways to shift that timetable back to the left.  TWZ

In theory the new catapults can cycle faster and be ‘tuned’ for different aircraft in ways the steam catapults cannot. The elevator system should allow faster resupply to the decks – should – but have not lived up to the promise. Seems, however, that repairs on these new systems is a whole new (and very unpleasant, possibly unsustainable) ballgame. The President has been aware of these issues since his first term.

There are some concrete stats in the original article and better info than I am going to summarize here. Go read it.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Navy, Science and Technology