Trump Wants US Aircraft Carriers Redesigned to Look Like WWII Warships — Experts Warn of ‘Extraordinary’ Cost
- Edited by: Sagar Kar
- Updated Aug 16, 2026, 03:06 IST
The US Navy is studying whether to move the command tower on its Ford class aircraft carriers to satisfy President Trump’s preference for a design resembling older World War II era ships.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).
The US Navy is looking into a significant redesign of its newest aircraft carriers, and the driving force behind it isn’t military strategy but rather President Trump’s personal taste in how the ships should look. That’s according to seven current and former US officials who spoke with the Washington Post.
At the heart of the review is the ship’s “island,” the multistory tower that functions as the carrier’s command center. On the current Ford class carriers, that tower sits closer to the rear of the ship. The Navy is now studying whether it’s feasible to move it farther forward, closer to the middle, so the ships resemble older vessels from decades past.
The push stems directly from Trump’s dissatisfaction with how the new Ford class ships look, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter. What isn’t clear yet is how far along this evaluation is or when any decision might actually be made. Officials familiar with the discussions cautioned that pulling off a change like this would demand enormous amounts of both time and money.
Not the First Design Change Trump Has Pushed
This wouldn’t be the only major alteration driven by the president. On Thursday, Trump signed a national security memorandum instructing the Navy to draw up plans for bringing back older steam powered catapults on future carriers, systems used to help launch jets off the flight deck, rather than the more modern technology currently in use.
Taken together, officials say these moves reflect a broader preference from Trump, who reportedly wants the newer carriers to look more like the ships that served during World War II.
This Idea Was Already Rejected Once Before
This isn’t the first time the Navy has looked into relocating the island. A former senior US official cited in the report said the same question came up during Trump’s first term in office, and the results weren’t encouraging. A study at the time found that moving the island could cost billions of dollars in redesign work alone and would significantly delay the shipbuilding program.
As the former official put it, the cost and time required to make that change turned out to be extraordinary.
Where the Ford Class Program Stands Today
Three Ford class carriers are currently in various stages of development. The USS John F. Kennedy is undergoing sea trials and moving closer to officially joining the fleet, while the USS Enterprise and USS Doris Miller are both still under construction. The first ship in the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is already active and recently wrapped up an extended combat deployment in the Middle East.
Navy plans call for building as many as 10 Ford class carriers over the next four decades. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Navy’s latest shipbuilding plan, each future carrier is projected to cost around 22 billion dollars.
Building the lead ship in the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford, took 17 years from start to finish, a timeline stretched out in part because of delays tied to the new technology built into its design.
The Ford class is intended to eventually replace the Navy’s Nimitz class carriers, which trace their design back to the late 1960s.
Why the Island Was Moved to the Back in the First Place
According to three current and former officials who spoke to the publication, the decision to place the island toward the rear of the newer carriers wasn’t arbitrary. It was made for reasons tied to both efficiency and safety. Positioning it that way frees up more space near the ship’s catapults to park aircraft, which helps crews launch jets more quickly. It also makes landings safer by cutting down on turbulence that planes can encounter when returning to the deck.
Latest News
Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Sw… View More
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/delhi
