France's Only Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier: A Military Juggernaut or a Complete Joke?

Kyle Mizokami

Security, Europe

Of all the countries that have aircraft carriers, only two have constructed ships powered by nuclear energy.

Of all the countries that have aircraft carriers, only two have constructed ships powered by nuclear energy. The United States is one country, but the second one might surprise: France. The French carrier Charles de Gaulle, also known as R91, is France’s first nuclear-powered surface vessel and its only carrier, making it the principal long-range striking arm of the French armed forces.

The French Navy began to examine the task of building new carriers in the 1970s. The two serving carriers, Foch and Clemenceau, were constructed in the early 1960s and would need replacing some time in the late 1980s. Together, the two conventionally powered carriers ensured that at least one ship was available at all times. It was anticipated that two replacement ships would be built, each nuclear-powered.

The new ships were named PAN, or Porte-Aéronefs Nucléaire. Hull construction on the first carrier began in 1987, and the ship was projected to enter service in 1994. In 1989, a two-year delay was announced, but the French Navy confidently predicted a second PAN would be ordered in 1991–92.

The first carrier, Charles de Gaulle, is 858 feet long with a beam of 211 feet. Two C-13 steam catapults, the same as on Nimitz-class carriers, are positioned on the bow and the angled flight deck. The flight deck is 1.4 times larger than the Foch-class carriers, allowing it to operate five more aircraft, for a total of forty planes. By 2013, according to the authoritative Combat Fleets of the World, Charles de Gaulle’s air wing would consist of ten to fourteen Rafale M fighters, twelve to sixteen Super Étendards, two to three E-2C Hawkeyes, two transport helicopters, and two Panther/Dauphin search-and-rescue and liaison helicopters.

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