Popular Mechanics
Naval NewsFrance's Next-Gen Aircraft Carrier Begins To Take Shape
The new ship will be considerably bigger than the current Charles de Gaulle.
By Kyle Mizokami
Jul 7, 2020
France is preparing to begin development of a new aircraft carrier, tentatively known as PANG.
The new ship will be bigger than the existing Charles de Gaulle but carry fewer crew.
PANG will carry the France�s next generation combat jet and unmanned strike drones.
French President Emmanuel Macron is prepared to authorize development of his country�s next-gen aircraft carrier. The carrier, known as PANG, will replace Charles de Gaulle as well as serve as a platform for France�s future air combat aircraft.
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey prepares to land on the carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Andaman Sea, 2019.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dalton S. Swanbeck
In the late 1980s, France began construction on the first of what was planned to be two aircraft carriers, replacements for the then-serving carriers Foch and Clemenceau. This began a 14-year odyssey of development that was at times slowed due to lack of funds, faulty propellers, an inadequately long flight deck, and insufficient radiation shielding for the nuclear reactor. Although delivered to the fleet in 2000, the ship didn�t reach its full potential until a refit in 2007. In the meantime a second nuclear-powered carrier, known as PA2, was canceled due to lack of funds.
Charles de Gaulle is France�s only aircraft carrier. de Gaulle is nuclear powered, 856 feet long, and displaces 43,000 tons. The carrier is less than half the size of the U.S. Navy�s Nimitz and Ford-class carriers but can still carry up to 30 aircraft. The carrier�s primary striking power is provided by the Rafale-M multi-role fighter jet. A feature that places the de Gaulle ahead of Chinese and even British aircraft carriers is the ability to operate E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control planes. The E-2C vastly increases the usefulness of de Gaulle�s fighters, detecting enemies and then vectoring Rafales to intercept them beyond surface radar range.
France wants the new carrier ready to take over by 2038, when CDG will be 40 years old. PANG will be a 70,000 ton ship, nearly twice as large as the older carrier by weight. According to Naval News it will also likely utilize nuclear propulsion. France has territories and interests around the world and a nuclear-powered ship could steam to a crisis without stopping to refuel. A nuclear reactor could also allow France to install laser weapons and other high-energy weapons onboard, either as part of the initial weapons package or down the road in a future upgrade.(...SNIPPED)
PANG: What We Know About France�s Future Aircraft Carrier
In the coming days, French President Macron is expected to give the "go ahead" to the French Navy's new generation aircraft carrier (PANG) program. Here is what we know so far.
Xavier Vavasseur 06 Jul 2020
Story by Xavier Vavasseur and Thibault Lamidel with contribution by Martin Manaranche
By Bastille day (July 14), the French President is expected to green light the PANG (Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation or new generation aircraft carrier) program. A positive decision on the program (its formal launch) makes little doubt now, given the many statements made by French officials in recent weeks inferring that the program will effectively go ahead. Euronaval 2018, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, kicked off the study phase for the French Navy�s future aircraft carrier, which would succeed to the Charles de Gaulle in the 2030ies / early 2040ies time frame. The announcement by Macron would effectively start the program with detailed design followed by the construction.
Several carrier configurations (conventional or nuclear-powered among other things) have been submitted to Emmanuel Macron for review. The French President will have the final word, based on recommendations by experts in the field. Of course the choice will not be limited to technical capabilities. Total cost of ownership and impact on the French shipbuilding industry (and jobs) are expected to be major decision factors as well, especially in these times of uncertainty due to the pandemic. President Macron will also have to decide whether the PANG program is limited to a single replacement of the sole Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or if the program calls for the construction of two flat-tops from the get go.
Before sharing some details on what the �PANG� will likely look like (keeping in mind several caveats, starting with the fact that nothing is certain until Macron makes his official announcement), let�s look at some of the statements made in the past few weeks by key officials: