France embarks on new era with state-of-the-art PANG carrier

The French Ministry of Defense is set to begin financing the construction of this new-generation aircraft carrier. The draft budget law for 2025 reveals that Paris will allocate funds for building the new PANG supercarrier (porte-avions de nouvelle génération, French for "new generation aircraft carrier").

Preliminary work began in 2020 when President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the start of the design phase. He indicated that the new ship would feature nuclear propulsion, similar to that of the currently operated Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

Following the conceptual phase, which included presentations and model designs, work on the PANG aircraft carrier is expected to accelerate, requiring significant investments. Building and maintaining the new ship will necessitate acquiring up to 37 acres within the port of Toulon to develop infrastructure and a dry dock.

According to current plans, the PANG aircraft carrier will succeed the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which will be withdrawn in 2038. Despite being nuclear-powered, the existing ship is relatively small, at 856 feet long, with a displacement of just over 44,000 tons. Its air group includes about 40 aircraft and helicopters, approximately 30 being multirole Rafale-M jets.

Despite its modest size, the French carrier, as a CATOBAR aircraft carrier, offers significantly greater capabilities than the British Queen Elizabeth-class carriers (919 feet long, 71,650 tons displacement) or the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov (1,003 feet long, 65,000 tons displacement).

This superiority is due to CATOBAR aircraft carriers launching planes using catapults and employing arresting wires to slow down landing aircraft over a short distance. This setup allows the aircraft to be heavier and fully loaded with weapons and fuel when taking off.

This advantage over aircraft using a ski-jump (as on the Admiral Kuznetsov) or V/STOL (vertical/short takeoff and landing) capability—like the F-35B aircraft on British Queen Elizabeth-class carriers or Japanese "multi-purpose destroyers" such as the Izumo-class—is significant.

The ability to launch heavier aircraft also allows for takeoffs of maritime early warning aircraft like the E-2 Hawkeye, providing additional advantages to their air groups. Only three countries operate, develop, and build CATOBAR aircraft carriers: the United States, China, and France.

The PANG will be 919 feet long, displacing 82,500 and 88,200 tons, making it the largest warship in Europe. It will be slightly smaller than the American Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers (approximately 110,000 tons displacement) and comparable to China's Type 003 Fujian aircraft carrier.

The French aircraft carrier will be powered by two K22 pressurized water reactors, each generating 220 MW (the same type used in the futuristic strategic submarine SNLE 3G). Its crew, including air personnel, will number around 2,000 people.

The ship is expected to reach speeds of 27 knots (about 31 mph), and its air group will include at least 32 multirole aircraft (Rafale-M, or futuristic models from the FCAS program), maritime early warning aircraft, drones (some of which will support manned aircraft during missions as "loyal wingmen"), and the French deck variant of the NH90 helicopter (NH90 Caïman).

Using new electromagnetic catapults, the new aircraft carrier will differ from the current generation. This solution is also being implemented on new American Gerald R. Ford-class carriers and the Chinese Fujian.

Compared to steam catapults, electromagnetic versions (EMALS - Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System) are more compact and allow for more precise regulation of launching force. They are simpler to maintain and less sensitive to environmental conditions, although perfecting them took the Americans many years.

The PANG aircraft carrier will also feature new-generation arresting gear (AAG - Advanced Arresting Gear), where water turbines absorb the energy of the landing aircraft. These systems offer precise resistance regulation tailored to the weight of the landing aircraft.

The ship will have defensive armaments, including Aster 15 anti-aircraft missile launchers and 40 mm RapidFire naval artillery systems. Thales' new SeaFire 500 radars will enhance situational awareness.

Per current plans, the ship's hull assembly will begin in 2031. The launch is set for 2035, and by 2038, the aircraft carrier is expected to enter service. This timeline coincides with the planned withdrawal of the Charles de Gaulle, which will likely be sold to a foreign buyer. Potential buyers of the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier include Brazil.