French aircraft carrier France Libre

Context The current French aircraft carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, entered service on 18 May 2001. As the only aircraft carrier of the French Navy, the ship's maintenance periods leave France without an available aircraft carrier. As a result the PA2 project (French: Porte-Avions 2, "Aircraft Carrier 2") started in 2003 to study the feasibility of another carrier based on the design of the British . The PA2 project was suspended in 2009 and ultimately cancelled in 2013. In October 2018, French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly announced the start of a second carrier programme, this time as replacement for Charles de Gaulle. The military planning legislation for 2019–2025 () defined a 18-month, €40M study phase, to allow the President to decide on the main characteristics of the programme by 2020. In May 2020, during a visit to Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Parly stated that the new carrier would be built in Saint-Nazaire—as expected, since it is the only dry dock in France capable of harbouring ships of that size. Architecture, propulsion options and number of ships were originally to be decided by President Emmanuel Macron in July 2020, to allow him to make the announcement at Bastille Day. However, on 6 July 2020, a governmental reshuffle put the Castex government in charge, forcing to delay the Defence Council to later in the year. In 2022, Naval Group released new renderings of the carrier that included a revised island structure. On 18 March 2026, President Macron announced that the carrier would be named France Libre after the Free France government-in-exile led by Charles de Gaulle during World War II. Project timeline The hull assembly is planned to begin in 2032 at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique. It is planned to be transferred to the Toulon Naval Base for the outfitting that includes also the nuclear fuelling (mid-2035). It is expected to be commissioned in 2038. == Design ==

Propulsion The ship will be nuclear-powered. It will feature two pressurised water reactors (PWR). Flight deck The ship will feature three Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and three Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). The equipment will be supplied by General Atomics under a Foreign Military Sales agreement. The deck of the carrier will be an angled flight deck with an estimated surface of . Two side elevators with a capacity. Equipment Aircraft The estimated fleet of aircraft on the ship will be: • Jet fighters: • up to 30 × Rafale M F5 • the Rafale will eventually be replaced by the Next Generation Fighter of the FCAS project • AEW&C aircraft: • up to 3 ×Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye • Helicopters: up to 6 of the following: • NH90 Caïman (NH90 NFH) • Plane guard helicopter / liaison helicopter: Airbus H160M Guépard • Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV): • Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) planned in the FCAS project Weapons There is an ammunition store designed to sustain seven days of operations at a high tempo (for the aircraft). == Construction ==

In May 2020, the defence minister, Florence Parly, stated that the PANG would be built in Saint-Nazaire at Chantiers de l'Atlantique. On 25 September 2025, Naval Group's Cherbourg site begins manufacturing the first components for the PANG nuclear reactors. On 21 December, in a speech to French forces in the United Arab Emirates, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the launch of construction of the PANG, which had been decided upon during a ministerial investment committee meeting. Preliminary design work on new 220 MW K22 nuclear reactors to power the ship was completed in 2023. A production contract for the ship itself is anticipated in 2026 after final approval by the President, Emmanuel Macron, was announced on 21 December 2025. Hull construction is expected to begin in about 2031. Sea trials are projected to begin in around 2035. It is projected to enter service in about 2038. == See also ==