Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:20:05-2:20:20

France's next carrier follows Queen Elizabeth at smaller scale

The proposed French carrier looks like a smaller evolutionary relative of Queen Elizabeth, with fleet impact depending on whether more than one is built.

Aircraft CarriersCarrier DesignFrench NavyPA-NGQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

What are the early impressions of France's proposed new aircraft carrier?

Short answer

It appears to be a smaller evolution of the Queen Elizabeth concept, and building more than one would matter most.

Notes

France's proposal belongs to the same broad family of modern large-carrier ideas as the Queen Elizabeth class. It appears smaller and evolutionary rather than wholly separate in concept. The more important issue is fleet availability. One carrier cannot provide the sustained presence and maintenance resilience that a two-ship force can offer.