France Libre-class (PANG)
France's planned 80,000-ton nuclear carrier with EMALS catapults, replacing the Charles de Gaulle around 2038.
| Subtype | Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 80000 tons |
| Crew | 2000 members |
| Length | 310.0 m (1017.1 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × TechnicAtome K22 nuclear reactors (~220 MWth each) |
| Units | France Libre |
| Maximum speed | 27 knots |
Description
France Libre, long known as the Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération (PANG), is the planned successor to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which it is due to replace around 2038. The name, announced in honor of Free France, will adorn by far the largest warship ever built in Europe: about 80,000 tons full load and 310 meters — nearly twice the displacement of the Charles de Gaulle — putting it second only to American supercarriers.
The ship will be nuclear-powered by two TechnicAtome K22 reactors of roughly 220 MW thermal each, developed from the K15, driving the ship at 27 knots with effectively unlimited range. Three General Atomics EMALS electromagnetic catapults and Advanced Arresting Gear — the same systems as the US Gerald R. Ford class — will launch an air wing of around 30 Rafale M fighters, later joined by the New Generation Fighter of the Franco-German FCAS program, whose size and weight drove the carrier's dimensions, plus E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft and drones.
Preliminary design ran from 2021 and detailed design contracts were signed in 2025; construction at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire is expected to begin around 2031, with sea trials in 2036-2037. A second ship remains under consideration. Until commissioning, the Charles de Gaulle remains France's only carrier, making the programme's schedule a matter of strategic continuity for the French carrier strike group and its nuclear strike role.