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Switching a Ford-class aircraft carrier from the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to steam catapults would be a ship redesign and integration project, not a simple equipment swap. The clearest historical Navy estimate said a late change on Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) would have delayed completion by 12 to 18 months and added redesign and delay costs. That figure is not a forecast for CVN-81.
An August 2026 directive ordered officials to prepare a plan to replace EMALS and the Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam and hydraulic systems beginning with CVN-81. It did not publish a final cost, schedule, or completed redesign. The specific HII CEO remarks referenced in the topic could not be verified, so the hurdles below should not be attributed personally to the CEO.
Why the change reaches into the whole ship
Both systems launch aircraft from a carrier deck, but they do so with different technologies. NAVAIR describes EMALS as using stored kinetic energy, solid-state electrical power conversion, computer control, monitoring and automation. A steam catapult relies on the carrier’s steam plant and associated mechanical and hydraulic equipment.
That difference means a conversion would affect machinery spaces, electrical distribution, controls, cooling, foundations, piping, software, deck interfaces and test procedures. This is an engineering inference from the systems’ different operating technologies and from the Navy’s historical assessment that a late switch required redesign; it is not a published 2026 Navy costed design for CVN-81.
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EMALS and steam: what is being traded
| Issue | EMALS | Steam catapult |
|---|---|---|
| Energy and control | Stored kinetic energy with solid-state electrical conversion, computer control, monitoring and automation. | Steam-powered launch technology used on earlier U.S. carriers; current replacement design details are not stated. |
| Launch characteristics | NAVAIR says it offers smoother acceleration and more accurate end-speed control. | A direct current performance comparison is not established in the available public material. |
| Aircraft compatibility | NAVAIR identifies broader aircraft capability as a design benefit. | Specific CVN-81 aircraft-range figures for a steam alternative are not stated. |
| Shipboard burden | NAVAIR lists lower weight, volume, manning and maintenance requirements as intended benefits. | Steam equipment would require the legacy steam-related arrangements and a new integration assessment. |
| Operating crew | The Associated Press reported two sailors operating EMALS aboard Gerald R. Ford. | The same report put the legacy system at about a dozen operators; this is a staffing comparison, not a lifecycle-cost study. |
NAVAIR presents the EMALS advantages as system objectives and design benefits. They do not mean the system has no reliability, readiness or maintenance problems.
The main hurdles for HII and the Navy
1. Reopening a carrier design already under construction
A catapult is tied to the carrier’s structure and utilities. Reverting to steam would require drawings, structural changes, machinery and piping revisions, electrical and control changes, updated software and new interfaces with aircraft-handling systems. Work already completed could need removal or rework, while new equipment would have to be procured and installed without disrupting other trades.
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The 2026 directive also pairs the catapult change with replacement of the Advanced Weapons Elevators by steam and hydraulic systems. Treating both as one program would increase the number of ship systems, compartments and tests that must be coordinated.
2. Protecting the construction schedule
In a 2009 House hearing, the Navy said that returning CVN-78 to steam at that stage of design and construction would delay completion by 12 to 18 months and create redesign and delay costs. The hearing also noted that a final certified cost-and-pricing effort for the steam option had not been completed.
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That historical estimate demonstrates the scale of the disruption, but it should not be copied onto CVN-81. CVN-81’s actual impact would depend on the design baseline, work already installed, supplier lead times, test requirements and the final configuration approved by the Navy.
3. Finding or recreating a steam industrial base
A 2017 USNI News report said the Mk 13 steam catapult used on Nimitz-class carriers was no longer in production and that a return could require designing a new system. That is historical context, not confirmation of the industry’s status in 2026. If legacy components, tooling or specialist expertise are unavailable, the Navy and shipbuilder would face new design qualification, supplier development and manufacturing work before installation.
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4. Integrating controls, power and safety systems
EMALS depends on electrical energy storage, power conversion and computerized control. Steam equipment would change the carrier’s demands on steam generation, piping, valves, hydraulics, controls and safety systems. Engineers would have to demonstrate that the launch system works with aircraft, arresting gear, deck operations, navigation, damage-control and power-management systems under the carrier’s operating conditions.
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Changing the launch mechanism changes the test program. The Navy would need shore and shipboard testing, software and control verification, structural checks, crew procedures and aircraft-launch certification. Any change to acceleration or end-speed control would have to be evaluated for each supported aircraft type. Those activities consume dockyard time and specialist personnel even after hardware installation is complete.
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6. Managing production risk on CVN-81
General Atomics, the EMALS builder, warned that “With nearly 50% of production complete, changing course now would introduce significant cost, schedule, and integration risks.” That is the contractor’s position, not a final Navy estimate. It indicates why the timing of the decision matters: late changes can strand purchased equipment, invalidate completed work and force concurrent redesign and construction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the August 2026 directive actually decided
The memorandum directed officials to produce a plan, including timelines and resources, for replacing EMALS and the Advanced Weapons Elevators with steam and hydraulic systems beginning with CVN-81. A planning directive is not the same as an approved engineering baseline, funded contract, final cost estimate or implemented conversion.
Until that plan is released, the public record does not establish how much CVN-81 would cost, how long the change would take, which steam design would be selected or how much existing work could be retained.
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What this means for the HII question
HII would face the practical shipyard burden of coordinating redesign, procurement, rework, installation, testing and schedule recovery. The Navy would also have to decide whether the operational reasons for steam justify those risks and whether a modern steam system can be designed and supported at acceptable cost.
Because the specific HII CEO statement in the topic was not verified, it is more accurate to describe these as documented program and engineering hurdles than as a quotation or personal assessment from the CEO. The strongest evidence is the Navy’s 2009 CVN-78 delay assessment, the August 2026 planning directive and General Atomics’ warning about CVN-81’s production status.
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