"Not Satisfied With the Look"...Will $22 Billion Aircraft Carrier Be Redesigned to Suit Trump’s Tastes?

Review Underway to Relocate Ford-Class “Island” to Center
Trump Orders Return of Electromagnetic Catapult to Steam-Powered System

The U.S. Navy is reportedly considering a significant redesign of its next-generation aircraft carriers to align with President Donald Trump’s preference for a ‘retro’ style.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 15th (local time) that the U.S. Navy is reviewing a plan to move the ‘island’—the command and control facility of its next-generation Ford-class aircraft carriers—closer to the center of the vessel.

The island houses the bridge and command and control functions of an aircraft carrier. On current Ford-class aircraft carriers, the island is positioned toward the aft of the ship, but President Trump is said to have expressed his dislike for this design.

The issue is that moving the island is not a matter of mere cosmetic change. Such a shift would require a complete redesign of the vessel’s weight distribution, buoyancy, and aircraft operating areas, leading to significant additional costs and project delays. A former U.S. Navy official told WP, “Moving the island amounts to a major redesign.”

USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier departing from the Souda Naval Base near Chania on the island of Crete, Greece. Photo by Yonhap News

The U.S. Navy and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that the cost to build a single Ford-class aircraft carrier in the future will be about 22 billion dollars. The Navy is planning to build up to 10 Ford-class carriers over the coming decades. According to WP, previous reviews concluded that changing the position of the island alone could cost several billion dollars.

President Trump has already ordered changes to the design of key equipment on the aircraft carriers. According to the national security memorandum he signed on the 13th, the U.S. Navy must prepare to revert the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) planned for installation on the fourth Ford-class carrier, the USS Doris Miller, back to a steam-powered catapult. Local reports say this change alone could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

EMALS is a system that launches fighter jets from the carrier deck using electromagnetic force. The U.S. Navy adopted this technology because it requires less maintenance than the conventional steam catapult and reduces stress on aircraft. On the lead ship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, EMALS has been used for a total of 36,863 launches as of March 2026.

However, President Trump has consistently criticized this system for being overly complex and expensive. Currently, production of the EMALS for the USS Doris Miller is about 50 percent complete. The manufacturer, General Atomics, has requested a review, citing significant risks of increased costs, schedule delays, and difficulties with integration if the design is changed now.

The current review is causing controversy because the President’s personal preferences, as well as technical efficiency, are influencing the design process. President Trump has consistently shown interest in both the appearance and design of naval vessels, as part of his ‘Golden Fleet’ vision.

There is growing concern that the Ford-class, which was intended to overcome the limitations of previous carriers by incorporating advanced technology, may end up reverting to older designs and technologies to suit the President’s tastes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.