The hurdles are ship redesign, system integration, schedule and cost—not simply swapping one catapult for another. An August 2026 directive called for a plan to replace EMALS and the advanced weapons elevators beginning with CVN-81, but the available reporting does not establish a final Navy cost or schedule estimate. The HII CEO remarks implied by the original headline could not be verified, so these hurdles should not be attributed to the CEO.
What is changing—and what has actually been directed?
EMALS, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, and steam catapults perform the same basic job: accelerating aircraft off a carrier deck. But they work differently and are tied into different ship arrangements. NAVAIR describes EMALS as using stored kinetic energy, solid-state electrical power conversion, computer control, monitoring and automation. Steam catapults use a different technology.
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In August 2026, a memorandum directed officials to provide a plan, including timelines and resources, for replacing EMALS and the Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam and hydraulic systems beginning with CVN-81. That is a planning direction, not evidence that a completed redesign has been approved, funded or implemented. The sources available do not establish the Navy’s final cost or schedule estimate for the proposed change.
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The catapult is part of the ship’s design
Because the two launch systems use different technologies, changing systems would require more than procuring different equipment. It would entail design work and integration with the carrier. That is an inference from the systems’ distinct operating technologies and the Navy’s past assessment of redesign requirements—not a current Navy engineering estimate for CVN-81.
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The directive also includes the Advanced Weapons Elevators, which move weapons within the ship. The proposed change therefore concerns more than the flight-deck launch equipment: it includes related ship systems and their integration.
The work would meet a production schedule already in motion
General Atomics, EMALS’s builder, warned that CVN-81 was nearly halfway through production when the proposed change was raised. In August 2026 coverage by USNI News, the company said: “With nearly 50% of production complete, changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.” That is the contractor’s warning, not a final Navy estimate.
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Revising a design during production can mean coordinating new equipment and arrangements with work already underway. The available sources establish the general integration concern but do not quantify which specific ship structures, installation tasks or contracts would have to change for CVN-81.
What does the historical 12–18-month figure mean?
In a 2009 House hearing, the Navy said that reverting CVN-78 to steam at that point in its design and construction would delay completion by 12–18 months and bring redesign and delay costs. The hearing also noted that a final certified cost and pricing effort for the steam alternative had not been completed then.
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That estimate concerns CVN-78 under conditions in 2009. It is historical context, not a forecast for CVN-81 in 2026. The ships, production stage and decision circumstances differ, and the reviewed sources provide no comparable current CVN-81 estimate.
What would the Navy give up or gain in the system choice?
NAVAIR identifies several intended EMALS advantages. These are the Navy’s stated design benefits, not proof that the system has no reliability or readiness problems.
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| Consideration | EMALS, as described by NAVAIR | Steam catapult |
|---|---|---|
| Launch control and aircraft capability | Computer control and more precise end-speed control; NAVAIR says it supports a broader range of aircraft. | Performs the same launch mission using steam technology; a directly comparable aircraft-range figure is not stated in the reviewed sources. |
| Acceleration | NAVAIR says it provides smoother acceleration. | A comparable acceleration figure is not stated in the reviewed sources. |
| Space, weight and support | NAVAIR lists reduced system weight, volume, manning and maintenance requirements among its stated benefits. | A directly comparable current figure for CVN-81 is not stated in the reviewed sources. |
| Ship conversion | Already part of the Ford-class design and production plan. | A change would require redesign and integration; the 2009 CVN-78 estimate cannot be used as a CVN-81 forecast. |
Associated Press reported in 2026 that operating EMALS aboard USS Gerald R. Ford involves two sailors, compared with about a dozen for the legacy system. That is an operating-crew comparison, not a full accounting of lifetime staffing, maintenance or total program cost.
Is steam readily available as a replacement?
A 2017 USNI News report said the Mk 13 steam catapult used on Nimitz-class carriers was no longer in production at that time and that returning to steam would likely require designing a new system. This is dated industrial-base context; it does not establish the production status of steam catapults in 2026.
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What can be said about the HII CEO headline?
The specific HII CEO statement that appears to have prompted the headline could not be verified in the available reporting. HII had described EMALS in a 2015 announcement as being integrated aboard USS Gerald R. Ford and as replacing the steam catapults used on Nimitz-class carriers, but that announcement does not verify the CEO’s later remarks about switching systems.
Accordingly, the technical and program hurdles described here should be attributed to the sources that actually support them: NAVAIR for EMALS’s stated design characteristics, the Navy’s 2009 hearing assessment for the historical CVN-78 delay, and General Atomics for its 2026 warning about changing CVN-81 during production.
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