France is preparing to equip its future nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PA-Ng), with a third Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) track, according to the nation’s draft defence budget for 2026. The move, long anticipated by naval planners, would significantly enhance the carrier’s operational flexibility and power projection capability — and align it more closely with U.S. Navy supercarriers that use similar technology.
The 2026 draft budget, released last week, confirms that funding for “the third catapult track and the data-centric upgrade of the Combat Management System (CMS) in its incremental development approach” has been included under the additional allocations announced by President Emmanuel Macron during his Bastille Day address on July 13, 2025.
Macron’s speech had outlined a sharp increase in defence spending over the coming two years, citing “imminent strategic threats” and the need for France to maintain deterrence and sovereignty amid growing instability. “To be free in this world, we need to be feared,” Macron said at the time, pledging an additional €3.5 billion in defence spending for 2026, followed by a further €3 billion in 2027.
The French Navy has consistently advocated for three EMALS catapults aboard PA-Ng, rather than two, to ensure higher sortie generation rates and flexibility in mixed flight operations involving manned fighters, surveillance aircraft, and future uncrewed combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs). Yet, as multiple sources have told Naval News, the final decision on the number of launch tracks has always been “a political one,” reflecting high-level strategic priorities and budgetary constraints.
The inclusion of the third catapult in the 2026 budget suggests that Macron’s government has now resolved this long-standing debate in favour of the Navy’s preferred configuration. The system, developed by U.S. defence contractor General Atomics, is being supplied through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement, alongside the companion Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) recovery system.
Both systems represent a generational leap over the steam catapults and hydraulic arresting wires currently fitted on France’s sole carrier, the Charles de Gaulle. EMALS enables smoother acceleration, greater energy efficiency, and compatibility with a wider range of aircraft — including lighter or uncrewed platforms that traditional steam catapults cannot safely launch.
The draft budget outlines several critical milestones for the PA-Ng program in 2025 and 2026, including:
Continuation of the detailed preliminary design of the ship and associated risk mitigation studies;
Advancement of integration work for EMALS catapults and AAG arresting lines;
Procurement of long-lead items to de-risk future construction schedules; and
Award of the main construction contract for the new-generation carrier.
For associated shore-based infrastructure, the 2025 commitments include diagnostic and preparatory studies, while 2026 will see expanded work on dredging, civil and marine engineering, and dry dock construction at the future homeport in Toulon. These facilities will be essential for the assembly, maintenance, and operational readiness of the 78,000-tonne nuclear-powered vessel.
Approved for design and development in December 2020, the PA-Ng programme is being jointly led by the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) and the industrial consortium MO Porte-Avions, composed of Naval Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique. TechnicAtome, under contract to the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA), is responsible for the design and delivery of the carrier’s twin K-22 nuclear reactors.
Four years of design activity have yielded a ship that represents a dramatic evolution from the Charles de Gaulle. The PA-Ng will displace around 78,000 tonnes — nearly double its predecessor — with an overall length of 310 metres and a flight deck beam of approximately 90 metres.
The vessel will feature a single integrated island superstructure, full electrification of shipboard systems, two aircraft elevators capable of lifting 40 tonnes each, and two large hangar decks to support maintenance and sortie generation.
Crucially, the ship will carry around 30 combat aircraft — expected to include the next-generation Franco-German-Spanish Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (SCAF/FCAS) fighter — alongside rotary-wing platforms and UCAVs.
The assembly of the carrier is scheduled to begin at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire in 2032, with the ship expected to move to Toulon by mid-2035 for outfitting, reactor fueling, and sea trials starting in 2036. The PA-Ng will formally replace the Charles de Gaulle around 2038.
In April 2024, the DGA placed orders totaling €600 million for long-lead procurement and critical equipment to ensure program continuity. These included key components for the nuclear propulsion system — reactor vessels, steam plant modules, and structural elements — which require extended fabrication timelines.
By committing to early procurement, France aims to avoid cost overruns and schedule delays that have plagued other major naval programs in Europe and the United States.
At the Navy Leaders’ CNE 2025 conference in Farnborough on May 21, 2025, Captain Thibault Lavernhe, the French Navy’s PA-Ng program officer, described the coming year as a “major milestone.”
“The Ministry of Defence will decide by the end of the year to launch the realization phase of the program,” Lavernhe said. “Today, the ship is designed on paper. We know what we want from the French Navy — it is now just a matter of a political decision to step forward.”
Lavernhe also confirmed that EMALS and AAG compatibility trials were underway at Lakehurst, New Jersey, using Rafale M fighter aircraft. The tests aim to verify launch and recovery performance parameters and ensure the French fleet’s smooth transition to electromagnetic launch systems.
“This is a big step for us,” he said, “and we expect a significant increase in efficiency — particularly in the maximum take-off weight for fighters. It will be several tonnes more than we can do now on Charles de Gaulle.”
The DGA has declined to release imagery or technical data from the Lakehurst tests, citing ongoing evaluation.
Lavernhe further explained that the design incorporates two forward EMALS tracks specifically to support parallel operations of crewed and uncrewed aircraft, whose launch procedures differ substantially. “We will be able to operate UCAVs alongside manned aircraft, with flexibility and without operational compromise,” he said.
The PA-Ng represents the cornerstone of France’s broader naval modernization plan, reaffirming its commitment to remain Europe’s only nuclear-powered carrier operator and a global blue-water navy.
If approved under the 2026 budget, the third EMALS track will not only expand the ship’s air operations capacity but also symbolize France’s alignment with U.S. naval standards — a critical factor for interoperability in NATO and Indo-Pacific coalition operations.
