This is the "PANG" Future Carrier of the French Navy - Military Media

PANG (Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation)

Militarymedia.net - France has so far continued its development program for a future carrier that is expected to replace the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle. The program, called PANG (Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation or new generation aircraft carrier), is reportedly set by French President Emmanuel Macron at the end of this year.

Minister of the French Armed Forces Florence Parly confirmed that PANG will be staying as a replacement for the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in 2038. For information, Charles de Gaulle, who carries several Rafale fighter jets, is currently a mainstay of France in long-range air military operations. The Charles de Gaulle is a 42,500 tonne nuclear aircraft carrier built in the period 1987-2000.

Because the defense equipment is strategic, the aircraft carrier design program will suck up huge funds. Florence Parly said that in 2021, the French Ministry of Defense plans to disburse research funds worth 261 million euros to deepen the design aspects of PANG.

The hallmark of PANG is that the future aircraft carrier will be made bigger and heavier than the Charles de Gaulle, because the PANG will carry a larger fleet of fighter jets and helicopters, including the ability to support the operations of future European fighter jets - FCAS (Future Combat Air System). ) - which is being developed with Germany and Spain.

PANG (Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation)

For the record, the Minister of the Armed Forces released the PANG program on 31 October 2018. The program was launched with the aim of ensuring the continuity of the “carrier strike group” capability by 2038 following the decommissioning of the Charles de Gaulle carrier.

Not wanting to be outdone by Britain, which operates the super modern HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, the PANG design reference will be made bigger than the British proud aircraft carrier. PANG's weight will be above the HMS Queen Elizabeth (65,000 tonnes), but will also be below the US carrier average (100,000 tonnes).

PANG will later be equipped with three catapults with a length of 90 meters, longer than the catapults in Charles de Gaulle which are 75 meters long. And more importantly, PANG must be able to facilitate the simultaneous launch and landing of the aircraft, something that cannot be done on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

There is no word yet, whether the PANG will only be made in one unit (like Charles de Gaulle) or two units .. The decision on how many units will be made will be determined in 2025. And here are the specs of PANG, aka France's new generation nuclear aircraft carrier.

• Nuclear powered (CVN) with two K22 reactors (2 x 220 MW thermal)
• Length between 285 and 295 meters
• Full load displacement around 70,000 - 75,000 tonnes
• Maximum speed: 26 to 27 knots (similar to Charles de Gaulle)
• Propulsive power would be around 80 MW delivered to three or four shaft lines
• Two side elevators with 40 tonnes lifting capacity
• Three 90-meter electromagnetic catapults (EMALS) by General Atomics
• Flight deck: 16,000 m²
• Aircraft hangar: 5,000 m²
• Crew: 900 and 1080 sailors (not including the air element of 550 to 620 sailors)
• Thales SeaFire radar
• PAAMS with MBDA ASTER surface to air missiles for self defense

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