France's future flagship, "Libre," will boast nuclear power and advanced EMALS, forging a powerful US-French naval alliance.
By Kris Osborn, Warrior
The prospect of a U.S.-French “dual-carrier” operation in the future is moving closer to potential reality as French President Emmanuel Macron formally “names” his country’s much-anticipated second aircraft carrier; France’s PANG, to be operational by 2038, will be called the “Libre” in honor of the WWII victory against the Nazis and the anticipated “freedom” France expects its military to ensure in coming years.
“The project of our armed forces, but also of our research, of our national industries. This will to remain free is the will for independence at all costs; for total, unconstrained autonomy of action; for the projection of our forces wherever the defense of France’s interests demands it, anywhere in the world,” Macron said, as quoted in Naval News.
The “Libre” will be a “massive” ship as it will reach an 80,000-ton displacement, nearly twice the 42,000-ton displacement of the existing Charles de Gaulle.
“Power will come from a pair of TechnicAtome K-22 pressurized water reactors, granting the vessel virtually unlimited range and endurance at speeds of up to 27 knots via three shaft lines. Crew complement (including air wing) is set to be about 2,000 sailors,” Naval News writes.
US-French Collaboration
The US-French collaborative effort is quite significant as it can enable bulk buys of equipment and key components to lower costs and streamline acquisition. Specifically, the collaborative effort centers upon key technologies being built into the US Navy’s Ford-class carriers such as the Electro-Magnetic Catapult. Much like the Ford-class, the new PANG (Libre) will not only be nuclear-powered but also incorporate EMALs and Advanced Arresting Gear.
EMALs is an advanced technology which first appeared on the USS Ford; it is now operational and has achieved a measure of success launching fighter aircraft from the flight deck. EMALs enables a smoother take off, creates less “wear and tear” on the aircraft and enables a more efficient and faster-paced sortie rate. Years ago, an expert Navy engineer explained to Warrior that EMALs generates a smoother, steadier take off as opposed to the “shot-gun” type of launch created by a traditional steam catapult. Instead, EMALs use a rolling magnetic field to generate smoothly applied propulsion power.
U.S.-French Acquisition & Sustainment
Acquiring larger numbers of EMALs and AAGs is extremely advantageous to both the French and US Navy’s because a larger volume buy can support production capacity and lower prices. General Atomics, maker of EMALs, will be better positioned to more efficiently and successfully build the systems. Combined acquisition can also support technological synergy and cooperation between France and the US.
The US Navy has on several occasions conducted “dual-carrier” training operations in the Pacific to solidify collaborative attack missions on a much larger scale. If communication is established and secure in support of coordinated air-launches, an ocean-launched air campaign could double or even triple in size. This would likely prove extremely critical in the event that the US and allied forces needed to engage in great-power warfare against Russia or China. A French carrier capable of seamlessly integrating with a Ford-class US Navy carrier could double an air attack campaign from the Baltic Sea or Mediterranean if needed.
Along with EMALs synergies, Libre and Ford-carriers would also be well-served to align transport layer communications technologies such that radar, RF signals and datalink frequencies can be synchronized to enable secure seamless data sharing across both Carrier Air Wings.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University