Five years ago, France announced plans to build a new, world-class aircraft carrier to replace the Charles de Gaulle, which was launched in 2001. President Emmanuel Macron announced on December 21 that construction of the Porte Avion Nouvelle Generation (PANG) program would now begin next year at a cost of €10.25 billion (~RM 49.1 billion).
Construction will be carried out at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Naval Group. When it is expected to enter service in 2038, the 78,000-ton, 310-meter-long and 90-meter-long ship will be the largest ship ever built in European history.
As a new-generation carrier, it will also use the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), making France the third country to use this system after the United States and China.
It will have a main structure on the deck, equipped with two aircraft elevators, two hangars and three wire systems to catch landing aircraft. A total of 30 Rafale M fighter jets and E-2D Hawkeye drones and radar aircraft will operate on the ship.
EMALS has the advantage over existing steam launcher systems in that it provides a more powerful and faster launch. Waiting time for sufficient steam pressure is not required. But the system still has some problems with initial tests on the USS Gerald R Ford experiencing a failure rate of around 10% higher than steam launchers.