By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
(Washington DC) The French Navy and US Navy are embarking upon a collaborative effort to accelerate and streamline aircraft carrier modernization and development, in large measure related to French plans to launch its second carrier by 2038.
The “PANG,” France’s second aircraft carrier, is due to hit the ocean in 2038, the same year its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is slated to retire. Mock ups of the PANG reveal a modern-looking, flat-deck carrier with a single island and extended front runway deck. The island on the PANG is set farther back than how it appears on the Charles de Gaulle, yet the overall shape and configuration does look similar.
EMALs Catapult
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 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 uses a rolling magnetic field to generate smoothly applied propulsion power.
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.
US-France Carrier Collaboration
Collaborating on carrier development also makes great developmental sense because aircraft carrier construction is an extremely complex and challenging process. The US Navy experienced this challenge when first building the USS Ford and making efforts to integrate a new suite of advanced technologies. The maturation and integration of EMALs on the USS Ford was not without setbacks and technological challenges, yet the Navy ultimately succeeded with its cutting-edge effort to deploy a paradigm-changing new generation of air-attack launch technology.
Moving forward over time, there is also longer-term strategic and tactical value associated with French and US technological collaboration, as it is likely to support operational interoperability between the two countries’ maritime warfare operations. This would enable joint, dual-carrier operations and streamline joint, multi-national air attack campaigns. In a clear initial sense, this multi-national carrier formation would enable attack operations to “scale” any potential maritime air-attack campaign.
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, the PANG 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
