PA NG - next gen French Aircraft carrier program

[Hood]

Regardless of what we want it will have what the French Navy wants and there is little point beefing about that.

 

[Kurapika444]

No one is beefing lol.
However I'd say it's more about what the French Navy can "afford" rather than "want". I'm sure they'd love to have 4 catapults on a Gerald Ford sized carrier but without negatively impacting the rest of the fleet.

 

[Scott Kenny]

If the third 'cat' is possible, why not?

Cost, both initial and maintenance. Though I'd hope the French Navy avoids "fitted for, but not with, 3 catapults" like the incoming nuke it is.

However I'd say it's more about what the French Navy can "afford" rather than "want". I'm sure they'd love to have 4 catapults on a Gerald Ford sized carrier but without negatively impacting the rest of the fleet.

That's running into manning issues more than buying the extra steel to make a 100kton ship instead of a 75kton ship. A Coral Sea-sized angled flight deck really only has space for 3x catapults, there's not enough beam to allow an inboard waist cat to clear the landing pattern. But there is space for 2 cats in the bow and 1 at the waist, and for all 3 of those cats to clear the landing pattern.

 

[Grey Havoc]

KNDS outlines the next steps of the RAPIDFire program - Naval News

At IDEX 2025, KNDS unveiled further details regarding the next phase of development for airburst ammunition also known as A3B and next steps about the RAPIDFire 40mm gun. Martin Manaranche story with additional reporting by Nathan Gain. As previously reported by Naval News, the development of a...

www.navalnews.com

Back in December 2024, an order by the French procurement agency (DGA) has been placed for the development continuation of the A3B ammunition as well as for the procurement of additional RAPIDFire turrets. Regarding the Navy, eight systems will equip the BRF with two on each vessel. The seven future OPVs (known as PH in French) should also receive one each just as the future five future mine countermeasure vessels (BDGM program). Finally, the question remain open to equip the future aircraft carrier with such guns. Some PA-NG models showcased by Naval Group were showing four RAPIDFire systems fitted but the latter were not the final design.