French President Emmanuel Macron today announced that France’s PANG next generation aircraft carrier programme will proceed to the realization phase. This major milestone confirms that the French Navy’s current CVN Charles de Gaulle will be replaced from 2038.

In an address to French troops stationed in Abu Dhabi, the French President today said:

“Madam Minister of the Armed Forces, please accept my sincere thanks for the high-quality work carried out with the General Staffs, the DGA [Ed. note: Defense procurement agency], the CEA [Ed. note: Atomic Energy Commission], and industry partners. This project will directly benefit our economy and the 800 suppliers involved, 80% of whom are SMEs. I will personally guarantee this commitment to our businesses by visiting the shipyard next February to meet with them.” Emmanuel Macron added.

The French Minister of the Armed Forces who was also present in Abu Dhabi said: “As announced by the President of the Republic, the Ministry of the Armed Forces is launching the construction of the new-generation aircraft carrier (PANG). Future cornerstone of our armed forces, it will ensure power projection from the high seas, with commissioning scheduled for 2038.”

A go / no go announcement to proceed to the production phase was expected at the end of 2025. Thibault Lavernhe, the Marine Nationale’s programme officer, whom Naval News interviewed during Combined Naval Event in May 2025 said at the time “2025 is a major milestone for the programme […] The Ministry of Defence will decide by the end of the year to launch the realisation of the programme.“

“Today, the ship is designed on paper. We know what we want from the French Navy, it is now just a matter of a political decision to step forward.” Capt. Lavernhe added at the time.

Intended to replace the French Navy’s current CVN Charles de Gaulle from 2038, the PANG programme was approved to enter a two-phase design and development activity back in December 2020. The Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) and industrial prime contractor MO Porte-Avions (a joint venture of Naval Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique) have subsequently undertaken preliminary design and system design activities to mature the PANG design ahead of approval for build; TechnicAtome is separately responsible, under contract to the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique, for the design and delivery of the nuclear plant (using two K-22 pressurised water reactors).

Design and development activity completed over the past four years has resulted in a 78,000-tonne displacement ship with an overall length of 310 metres and a beam of approximately 90 metres. Sized around an embarked air group comprising 30 combat aircraft, plus other fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, key characteristics of the PANG design includes ship-wide electrification of power systems and equipment, a single integrated island superstructure, a three-track Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), a three-wire Advanced Arrestor Gear (AAG) recovery system, two hangars, and two deck-edge aircraft elevators (each with a 40 tonne lift capacity) offset to starboard.

Ship size, and the configuration of the 17,200m² flight deck, has been driven by the requirements of the embarked air group. According to Captain Thibault Lavernhe, the PANG is tailored for an air wing of 30 fighters or unmanned combat air vehicles [UCAVs], three E-2D Hawkeyes and five to six helicopters. The French Navy has already scoped a broad plan for the evolution of the PANG air wing, recognising that plans for a next generation of crewed and uncrewed combat air capabilities are still developing. The expectation is that the new carrier will enter service with the Rafale M at F5 standard, the E-2D Hawkeye, and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). According to Captain La Lavernhe, it is anticipated that a carrier-compatible UCAV will augment the air group from around 2040.

Current plans envisage assembly of PANG starting at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in St Nazaire in 2032. The ship will then transfer to Toulon in mid-2035 to finish outfitting work and be fuelled prior to commencing sea trials in 2036.

Ahead of today’s green light to move forward with the build programme, the DGA in April 2024 placed orders worth €600 million for the procurement of ‘critical path’ equipments and structures from MO Porte-Avions and TechnicAtome. These long lead items include reactor components, containment vessels and secondary steam plant.