French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed this Tuesday, December 8, thehe official launch of the New Generation Nuclear Aircraft Carrier program intended to replace the Charles de Gaulle in 2038, which entered service in 2001. This announcement provides some additional information and confirmations on the choices made for this program, but it also opens up opportunities on the international scene. In this article, we will study these countries which could see in the new French program, an opportunity to strengthen their own naval air capabilities.
The announced characteristics
The announcement made by the President of the Republic confirms a lot of educated guesses and more or less controlled leaks around this program. The PANG will, as its name indicates, be equipped with nuclear propulsion, in this case provided by two K22 reactors of xx KW each, capable of propelling the giant of the seas at 27 knots, an essential speed for maneuvers. 'aviation. More than 300 meters long, it will have a tonnage of 75.000 tonnes, or 75% more than its predecessor, the Charles de Gaulle. Its crew, on the other hand, will still be 2000 men, air detachment included, and it will be able, according to the president, to take on board around thirty FCAS combat planes, which seems little considering the tonnage of the ship (the Charles de Gaulle traditionally takes on board 24 Rafale for 42.500 tonnes).
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