Why The US Navy’s 200,000th Carrier Trap Quietly Exposes The Ford Class’ Biggest Problem

The steam catapults on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier have now reached their 200,000th launch and recovery milestone after 34 years of service. Meanwhile, as of March 2026, the EMALS catapults on the USS Gerald R. Ford have completed 36,863 launches, not counting the recoveries. The Ford has now been in service for just over nine years. Of these, about a third (12,200 launches) were conducted on Ford’s last record-breaking 326-day 2025–26 deployment.