PA NG - France libre-class French Aircraft carrier program NEWS

Titus K said:
Given how intensively the Mistral-class ships have been used, especially since 2022 (they are everywhere), I’d argue that having just 3 units instead of the originally planned 4 is likely already a constraint for the MN.

Reducing to only 2 amphibs would be completely unrealistic … unless you adopted a mixed structure with 2 different designs, 2 larger drone-focused carriers complemented by 2 simpler LPDs.

I think i’d still favor 4 slightly improved Mistral-type ships … slightly larger, UAV-capable (mostly VTOL, with no small EMALS), surface drones, and upgraded CIWS.
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Yes, France currently has no LPD and LPDs aren't obsolete due to LHDs. They can carry more troops and vehicles than LHDs at a lower cost, at the expense of aviation capabilities. But they're 2 complementary ship types, I don't think any navy should only be operating one of these ship types. Both the US Navy and PLAN operate more LPDs than LHDs.
So I was thinking 2 drone carriers and 2 LPDs, possibly a joint construction with Italy or the UK for the LPDs as both countries have upcoming programs.

Many of the deployments of the Mistral LHDs could have probably been achieved by LPDs as well.

It's a bit off-topic but I brought this up as a possible replacement for an unlikely PANG-2.
 
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Just as good as any other name.
Every possibility was bound to attract critics.
Various options were assessed until the last minute.
Others than this one would have been OK too.
Unlikely to be understood by all, but then?
Surely, comments from foreigners are meaningless.
Politicians names are not better.
In fact, it is rather neutral, being historical.
Surely, commemorating France Libre is OK in itself.
Sarcasms from certain quaters would have met any name, anyway.
Each country has its own traditions.
Alsace or other provinces' name are better for a class of ships.
Lyon and other major cities' as well.
Also, major rivers' names (Seine, Loire) have been used rather for non-combattant units.
Requin and other fish names were traditionnally used for submarines.
Admiral de Grasse (of Chesapeake battle fame) would have been fine.
In the end, an issue of taste.
Eventually, this name will get accepted.
 
I've cleaned up this thread three times now, I don't want to have to clean it up a fourth time.
This is a project thread about projects - not a joke name contest or political points-scoring contest thread.
Love it or loath it, its the name assigned and we ain't on the naming committee so we just have to accept it as news and move on.
 

France takes 'appropriate measures' after sailor's jogging app exposes aircraft carrier's location
France says it’s taking “appropriate measures” after a naval officer’s use of the Strava sports app inadvertently enabled journalists to geolocate the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean
March 20, 2026
By John Leicester | AP

PARIS — France says it’s taking “appropriate measures” after a naval officer’s use of the Strava exercise app inadvertently enabled journalists to geolocate the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle that is in the Mediterranean to help protect French and allied assets and interests during the Iran war .
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The carrier’s deployment this month was not a secret and its commander has even briefed journalists by video link from aboard the nuclear-powered 42,000-ton vessel.

Still, the French newspaper Le Monde caused a stir by using Strava to locate a naval officer who it said used the performance app during a morning jog on March 13, enabling reporters to then find the Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean using a satellite image taken that same day.
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…
French President Emmanuel Macron this week announced the name of France’s next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier , which will be bigger than the Charles de Gaulle. The 10 billion-euro ($11.5 billion) France Libre (“Free France”), which is expected to enter service in 2038, will have a capacity for 30 Rafale fighter jets and 2,000 sailors.

The new vessel will have a displacement of about 80,000 tons and a length of 310 meters (1,017 feet), compared to 42,000 tons and 261 meters (856 feet) for the Charles de Gaulle.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...e525c2-2469-11f1-954a-6300919c9854_story.html
 
Scott Kenny said:
It's still half of what the Nimitz classes carry.
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Yes, I've also wondered why the gap is that big. I assume you could probably pack more than 40 aircraft ?
Flight deck is 17.200m2 on the PANG .. how much on a Ford ?
 
Titus K said:
Yes, I've also wondered why the gap is that big. I assume you could probably pack more than 40 aircraft ?
Flight deck is 17.200m2 on the PANG .. how much on a Ford ?
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I'm seeing ~20,160m2 for the Ford. Which is a good chunk bigger. But ~85% of the Ford's air wing of 70 is still ~60 airframes, not 40.
 
Scott Kenny said:
I'm seeing ~20,160m2 for the Ford. Which is a good chunk bigger. But ~85% of the Ford's air wing of 70 is still ~60 airframes, not 40.
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From what i can see its being powered by 2 k22 reactors which means 2*220MW of power. the nimitz class has like 2*500MW reactors. Im sure that makes a huge difference even with the increase in size
 
lmaoxd said:
From what i can see its being powered by 2 k22 reactors which means 2*220MW of power. the nimitz class has like 2*500MW reactors. Im sure that makes a huge difference even with the increase in size
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Difference is that the PANG is ~80ktons instead of 110ktons.

What matters for plane capacity is Hangar and flight deck area.
 

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TorpedoJ said:
Is it usual for nuclear reactor parts to be dripping molten steel? While it looks incredible there is presumably a lot of finishing work that gets done afterwards.
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Not when it's operating, no.

This, piece however, is in the process of being forged, which kinda requires it to be very very hot.
 
MihoshiK said:
Not when it's operating, no.

This, piece however, is in the process of being forged, which kinda requires it to be very very hot.
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I understand that, I just assumed it would be tidier somehow.
 
Well at this stage it can be folded origami style, being only a paper project.

Regarding the max nbr of plane, reading the above comments it might be that France Libre is limited by the power available. More plane = more parts stock = more weapon stock = more fuel = more mass = more draft = more sea drag.

If you have the deck surface but not the power, you'd need to travel light.
 
TomcatViP said:
Well at this stage it can be folded origami style, being only a paper project.
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It's all on paper now, but the models do show at least the direction of their thinking, and we do have a precedent in the Rafale, so it is very much possible they are simply not going to spend on developing folding wings for either of the aircraft, and, possibly, economize on carrier's engines on the way.
 
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Hmm, I might have missed something. Will this aircraft carrier use EMALS?
 
At least there is cooperation revolving around the Ford-class design for the French carrier.
 
The majority of PANG is French with the exemption of the EMALS unless they can build their own like China did with the Fujian.
 
Maybe the French could try bringing in a production line, but the Americans probably won't hand it over.
 
Or they may design, build and test their own EMALS SUPER=BUG. It all depends on how much the French are willing to spend on their aircraft carrier.
 
If the French have continuous funding and aren't affected by politics, it's only a matter of time before they develop an electromagnetic catapult. But now that the French have already finalized the ship's blueprints and started building her, switching the catapult midway could cause a lot of trouble. On one hand, the blueprints would need to be revised, and on the other, developing the catapult takes time, so looking at the schedule, it doesn't seem very realistic.
 
SUPER=BUG said:
Maybe the French could try bringing in a production line, but the Americans probably won't hand it over.
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Probably not all that feasible or sensible for a total production run of just three EMALS and one AAG for France Libre. Now if she were to have a sister built as well for another set of EMALS and AAGs, and if there's enough demand elsewhere...
 
A sister ship would be quite good as France have only ever had the Charles de Gaule as their only aircraft carrier, quite why they did that I will never know as they had the Foch and Clemenceau as their previous carriers.
 

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