France steaming ahead on carrier project

Throughout most of the post-war years, France maintained two aircraft carriers but this changed when the Foch, the last Clemenceau Class carrier, was retired in November 2000. Since then, France has lacked the capacity to ensure long-distance air coverage during the Charles de Gaulle’s maintenance cycles or during other periods when the carrier is not available for active duty (approximately 35% of the time). In 2015, the ship will be taken out of service for an extensive maintenance overhaul.

Despite a slippage in initial construction dates from 2005 to 2007-2008, the French still hope to take delivery of their second new carrier by 2014 so that it can be operational by the time their sole operational aircraft carrier goes off line for repairs.

The project has been awarded to the “MPOA2” (Maitrise d’Oeuvre Porte Avions No 2) consortium composed of DCN and Thales, and is now proceeding in cooperation with the UK. The design was originally to be for a ship of about 58,000t, but detailed design work has pushed it up into the 74,000t range, fully 72% larger than the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle. Unlike the Charles de Gaulle, however, the PA2 will be a conventionally-powered ship with an all-electric power system driven by Rolls Royce gas turbines.

The stated goal of 80% commonality with the British CVF carrier program is now in some question, and the ship’s cost has become a concern. The PA2 design phase was officially launched by French minister for defence in January 2005. The studies undertaken since early 2005 have focused on the opportunities for cooperation between the French PA2 and the British CVF future carrier programme. These studies concluded that the basic 55,000-65,000t CVF design put together by the BAE-Thales Alliance team could meet the French Navy’s requirements with only limited tailoring.

A MOPA2 official has been quoted as saying that “there is a strong will on both sides to reach the next milestone”, the French ‘Dossier de Lancement et de Realisation,’ which is similar to ‘Main Gate project approval’, by end of March 2007, following a binding offer to the French defence procurement agency DGA in December 2006. If, as currently planned, the British program also reaches Main Gate Approval around March 2007, there is some optimism that an industrial cooperation agreement could be signed and made public in April 2007, during the final Anglo-French ministerial meeting before the French presidential election in April.

Meanwhile, the French are working to get US clearance for a steam catapult system to incorporate into their carrier (the British plan to deploy the F-35B which uses a take-off ramp and vertical landing instead). On the British side, the British government wants its shipbuilding industry to begin restructuring in accordance with the Defence Industrial Strategy before it awards the future aircraft carrier (CVF) contract. British yards shipyards are visiting French facilities, and looking to benefit from their improvement – and the French have offered to help at a price. The quid pro quo is that British shipyards adopt French production standards and methods, and that the British agree to design changes that accommodate French requirements (provision for larger ammunition storage holds, special secure storage areas the French can use for nuclear weapons, etc.) There is some thought that adoption of identical standards could lead to the building of common sections for the three carriers, but that hasn’t gone past the discussion stage yet.