New Delhi, Aug. 14 -- WASHINGTON - General Atomics, the company that built the electromagnetic catapult system installed on the Navy's newest aircraft carriers, warned Thursday that reversing course on a system nearly half complete would introduce "significant cost, schedule, and integration risks." That warning arrived the day after President Trump signed a memorandum ordering the Navy to do exactly that.

The document, a National Security Presidential Memorandum signed August 13, directs the Pentagon to plan the replacement of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, known as EMALS, on future Ford-class carriers with traditional steam catapults, technology the Navy has not purchased in more than 20 years. Secretary of Defense Pete He...