Starting Behind the Game! France's 80,000-ton Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Is in Trouble, With No Stealth Fighters Available Throughout Its Entire Operation

France's brand-new 80,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the "Free France," has officially begun construction. As Europe’s next-generation top-tier nuclear carrier, this vessel, with its large displacement and nuclear propulsion configuration, coupled with electromagnetic catapult systems, embodies France’s grand vision to reestablish European maritime dominance and achieve defense independence. However, despite its outstanding theoretical performance, this warship has already fallen into a fatal weakness since its inception—its overall combat capability seriously fails to match France’s strategic ambitions.

Planned for formal commissioning in 2038, this carrier will have nearly twice the displacement of the current Charles de Gaulle. With controllable costs and an advanced platform design, it was originally intended to be paired with Europe’s FCAS sixth-generation stealth carrier-based aircraft to build a new generation of naval-air combat system, fully overcoming the outdated capabilities of previous carriers. Yet, the joint Franco-German sixth-generation fighter project has already collapsed, leaving the new carrier in a painfully awkward situation: “a ship without an aircraft.”

Currently, France has no available stealth carrier-based aircraft. It cannot import the U.S. Navy’s F-35C catapult-launched variant, nor can it use the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing model—doing so would severely waste the core potential of the carrier’s catapult launch system. Forced into a corner, France must instead upgrade its fourth-and-a-half-generation Rafale F5 fighters as the mainstay, supplemented by drone groups, barely forming a functional combat system—far from meeting the stealth penetration standards required by fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.

Beyond the generational gap in carrier-based aircraft, the carrier’s core equipment remains entirely dependent on foreign suppliers. Critical systems such as the electromagnetic catapults and arresting gear are fully reliant on imports from the United States, leading to lengthy delivery timelines and vulnerability to U.S. political and policy controls. This makes the system highly susceptible to technical blockades and delayed deliveries down the line—completely contradicting France’s original goal of defense autonomy.

According to future naval warfare standards, non-stealth aircraft face extremely low survivability in high-intensity confrontations and struggle to penetrate modern air defense systems. This nuclear-powered carrier, with a projected service life exceeding 40 years, is already facing a combat capability gap at the outset—its platform advantages cannot be effectively utilized.

In essence, France’s defense industry suffers from obvious structural weaknesses. A single nation cannot sustain a complete carrier support industrial chain. What appears to be a grand shipbuilding ambition ultimately falls short of fulfilling France’s aspirations as a major maritime power.

Original Source: toutiao.com/article/1870654853694471/

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