Trump wants 'goddamned steam’ catapults on new aircraft carriers

[GennGreymane]

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/33...craft-carriers

President Trump said he has told the Navy to return to decades-old steam-powered catapult technology to launch aircraft from the new Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers, rather than use a new digital launch system.

Trump’s comments came during an interview with Time magazine, released in excerpts Thursday, where he bashed the new Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and said the Navy would instead be “going to goddamned steam.”

“I said, ‘You don’t use steam anymore for catapult?’ ‘No sir.’ I said, ‘Ah, how is it working?’ ‘Sir, not good. Not good. Doesn’t have the power. You know the steam is just brutal. You see that sucker going and steam’s going all over the place, there’s planes thrown in the air,’” Trump said in the interview.

“It sounded bad to me. Digital. They have digital. What is digital? And it’s very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out. And I said—and now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said, ‘What system are you going to be—‘ ‘Sir, we’re staying with digital.’ I said, ‘No you’re not. You going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.’


EMALS, made by defense contractor General Atomics, is set to be used on Ford-class carriers, made by Huntington Ingalls Industries.
EMALS will replace the more than 60-year old steam-powered catapult systems used to launch airplanes. The steam systems take up more space on ships, are harder to maintain and can’t launch as many planes as electrical ones.

Huntington Ingalls and General Atomics referred questions on Trump’s comments to the Navy.

The Navy has struggled with cost and schedule overruns on the new Ford-class carriers — growing from $27 billion to $36 billion in the last 10 years — prompting Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2015 to call it “one of the most spectacular acquisition debacles in recent memory.”

But McCain said it was the “misalignment of accountability and responsibility in our defense acquisition system,” that caused the overrun, rather than technology issues.

He is so out of touch
A trebuchet would be able to throw a 90kg stone 300m away

[Video Games]

I mighta gotta go with the whole dementia thing. 70 was just too old.

[Independent voter]

Is he right? Is steam better?

Trump was saying he invented the phrase "priming the pump" the other day. I think he says whatever pops into his head.

[Breccia]

Is he right? Is steam better?

I suppose he found out in that military he never served in, engineering degree he never got, from the military that didn't ask for it, and the military school he let go bankrupt even when they begged him for money.

[Nihilist74]

Is the digital launcher kind of like the idea of the rail gun? Using an electro magnetic field to help launch the plane?

Why the fuck would we want to name anything after Gerald ford? What did he do that was so great? Pardon Nixon?

[Deleted]

does the president actually have a say in this stuff?

[ohshift]

does the president actually have a say in this stuff?

he will make sure to fire as much people as needed until he gets a say on it

[Breccia]

does the president actually have a say in this stuff?

He could veto the budget, I guess. Doesn't seem like the best move for goddam steam. But don't forget who we're dealing with.

[Jakexe]

Well if anything this gives me hope he wouldn't even know how to use the nuclear launch codes, it's all digital.

[Ghostpanther]

Is he right? Is steam better?

Trump was saying he invented the phrase "priming the pump" the other day. I think he says whatever pops into his head.

May not be better, but may be cheaper. Not sure.

[Stormspark]

Why is NASA working on warp drive? All Trump has to do is order something to be faster than light and it'll happen!

[Dovashy]

Another brilliant idea by our glorious leader! Steam launchers, you say? Well by golly, while we're on the topic of both cost of this newfangled "digital" technology, I must say I agree. Steam is the future! Let us move forward by going backward, not only making America great again.....but steampunk. The world will learn to fear our futuristic steam frigates! While we're at it, let us bring back the zeppelins to really strike at the hearts of our enemies!

[Ghostpanther]

does the president actually have a say in this stuff?

I would say he has a lot to say about costs involved. If he thinks something is too expensive and Congress still includes it in a budget bill, he can veto it. Forcing them to ether change it or override his veto with a 2/3 majority vote. So yeah, he has a lot to say about it.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Well if anything this gives me hope he wouldn't even know how to use the nuclear launch codes, it's all digital.

I am not gonna lie, I laughed.

[Casagrande]

EM catapults are faster, safer, more reliable, more efficient, put less strain on the aircraft, allow launching heavier aircraft, etc. Better in every way. Don't worry, the Navy will not be redesigning their $13 billion carrier (which is currently in sea trials) because some idiot thinks "digital... is very complicated" and he enjoys seeing "steam going all over the place".

[Belize]

Someone pad Skroe's desk so he doesn't hurt himself too much from the multiple facedesks that are about to happen.

[Kellhound]

Is he right? Is steam better?

Trump was saying he invented the phrase "priming the pump" the other day. I think he says whatever pops into his head.

Steam is more reliable at the moment, but generally the new e-cats are superior to steam cats in every way. Plus, they would have to tear half the ship apart to retrofit steam cats into her.

[Dr Assbandit]

If he really is hellbent on increasing our military expenditure I hope to God our military leaders won't let him anywhere near to dictating what to and what not to upgrade (or downgrade).

[Teebone]

I mighta gotta go with the whole dementia thing. 70 was just too old.

The only president who's age is higher than his IQ? Oh wait, there was W... but my god he at least had to sense to hide his bullshit instead of parading out.

[GennGreymane]

Someone pad Skroe's desk so he doesn't hurt himself too much from the multiple facedesks that are about to happen.

@Skroe

do you need pads?