France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses French troops during a ceremony at the 5th Cuirassier Regiment's base in Zayed Military City, near Abu Dhabi, on December 21, 2025. Macron confirms that the country plans to replace its sole and ageing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a new one. Photo: VCG

French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly confirmed on Sunday that the country plans to replace its sole and ageing nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a new one. A Chinese expert said that France’s new aircraft carrier seems to be a modern one with larger displacement and electromagnetic catapults, and might see the propulsion issue previously seen on the Charles de Gaulle solved.

Macron made the announcement when speaking to troops based at a French military base in Abu Dhabi, according to a Reuters report.

The program, known as "Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération" (PANG), is predicted to cost around 10.25 billion euros ($12 billion), Reuters reported.

Citing the French government, Reuters reported that the new vessel would be operational by 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is expected to retire. Work on nuclear propulsion components began last year, and the final order must be placed under the 2025 budget.

According to a Sunday report by Paris-based defense outlet Naval News, the PANG program was approved to enter a two-phase design and development activity back in December 2020.

Design and development activity completed over the past four years has resulted in a 78,000-ton displacement ship with an overall length of 310 meters and a beam of approximately 90 meters. Sized around an embarked air group comprising 30 combat aircraft, plus other fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, key characteristics of the PANG design includes ship-wide electrification of power systems and equipment, a single integrated island superstructure, a three-track Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, a three-wire Advanced Arrestor Gear recovery system, two hangars, and two deck-edge aircraft elevators offset to starboard, according to the Naval News report.

This photograph taken on April 25, 2024, shows the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Toulon, southern France. Photo: VCG

By comparison, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which came into service in 2001, displaces 42,000 tons and uses two steam catapults, according to media reports.

According to Naval News, the PANG is tailored for an air wing of 30 fighters or unmanned combat air vehicles, three E-2D Hawkeyes and five to six helicopters. The expectation is that the new carrier will enter service with the Rafale M at F5 standard.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that France’s new aircraft carrier is expected to be a larger and more modern one compared with the Charles de Gaulle. He noted that the current French carrier’s nuclear propulsion system’s limited power output restricts the carrier’s size and speed, and this will likely be improved for the new carrier.

The Rafale M fighter jets to be equipped by the new aircraft carrier will be an upgraded version of the ones currently used on the Charles de Gaulle, but it is not a fifth-generation or a sixth-generation fighter jet. By 2038 when the new carrier is scheduled to enter service, the Rafale will not likely be considered modern and advanced, but it might still fit the French Navy’s operational needs, Wang said.

Current plans envisage assembly of PANG starting at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in St Nazaire in 2032. The ship will then transfer to Toulon in mid-2035 to finish outfitting work and be fueled prior to commencing sea trials in 2036, Naval News reported.

According to the Reuters report, while Macron claimed that the project would boost France's industrial base, in particular small and medium-sized businesses, armed forces chief Fabien Mandon said in October that France will buy electromagnetic catapult systems from the US, as domestic production is not "compatible with our schedule and cost control."

A previous report by Naval News also suggests that the electromagnetic catapult system to be used on PANG will be procured from the US.

Overall, the new French aircraft carrier, if it is commissioned in 2038 as scheduled, is expected to make the French Navy the world’s third most powerful aircraft carrier operator ahead of the UK, with the US and China leading, Wang said, noting that aircraft carriers remain a strategic asset exclusive to only a few major powers.