France plans to order a third Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapult track for the French Navy’s future aircraft carrier known as PA-Ng, according to the current 2026 draft budget.
According to the 2026 draft budget document released last week, “funding for the third catapult track and the data-centric upgrade of the Combat Management System (CMS) in its incremental development approach is provided under the additional funding requested by the President of the Republic during his speech on July 13, 2025”.
The budget document references the speech during which President Emmanuel Macron called for a substantial rise in France’s defence spending over the next two years, citing imminent threats, particularly Russia. “To be free in this world, we need to be feared,” the French leader said, noting he was aiming at a €3.5 billion hike in defence spending in 2026, followed by another €3 billion in 2027.
Naval News understands that it has always been the French Navy’s wish to see 3 EMALS tracks on the future aircraft carrier. However, sources with knowledge of the matter have repeatedly told us that the final choice on the number of catapults aboard PA-Ng would be “a political one” taken “at the highest level”.
The General Atomics-built EMALS and AAG equipment intended to equip PA-Ng are the subject of a US Foreign Military Sales case.
The 2026 draft budget document adds the following information regarding PA-Ng:
For the NG Aircraft Carrier operation, the main commitments planned for 2025 and 2026 concern:
• the continuation of the detailed preliminary design of the ship and the associated risk mitigation studies;
• the continuation of the implementation forecasts launched in 2024 for long-lead procurement and the development of the integration of EMALS catapults and AAG arresting lines;
• the order for the main contract for the construction of the new-generation aircraft carrier
[…]
For the PA-Ng infrastructures operation, the main commitments planned for 2025 concern the continued completion of diagnostics and preparatory studies for design and continuity of service, as well as preliminary work necessary for the construction phase of the new-generation aircraft carrier’s docking infrastructure. 2026 will see the continuation of this work, as well as studies for associated construction, dredging, civil engineering, engineering structures, and handling structures to initiate construction of the dry dock and pier for the PA-Ng.
About PA-Ng future aircraft carrier
Intended to replace the French Navy’s current CVN Charles de Gaulle from 2038, the PA-Ng programme was approved to enter a two-phase design and development activity back in December 2020. The Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) and industrial prime contractor MO Porte-Avions (a joint venture of Naval Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique) have subsequently undertaken preliminary design and system design activities to mature the PA-Ng design ahead of approval for build; TechnicAtome is separately responsible, under contract to the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique, for the design and delivery of the nuclear plant (using two K-22 pressurised water reactors).
Design and development activity completed over the past four years has resulted in a 78,000-tonne displacement ship with an overall length of 310 metres and a beam of approximately 90 metres. Sized around an embarked air group comprising 30 combat aircraft, plus other fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, key characteristics of the PA-Ng design includes ship-wide electrification of power systems and equipment, a single integrated island superstructure, a three-track Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), a three-wire Advanced Arrestor Gear (AAG) recovery system, two hangars, and two deck-edge aircraft elevators (each with a 40 tonne lift capacity) offset to starboard.
Current plans envisage assembly of PA-Ng starting at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in St Nazaire in 2032. The ship will then transfer to Toulon in mid-2035 to finish outfitting work and be fuelled prior to commencing sea trials in 2036.
Ahead of a green light to move forward with the build programme, the DGA in April 2024 placed orders worth €600 million for the procurement of ‘critical path’ equipments and structures from MO Porte-Avions and TechnicAtome. These long lead items include reactor components, containment vessels and secondary steam plant.
EMALS catapults for PA-Ng
Speaking at the Navy Leaders CNE 2025 event in Farnborough on 21 May 2025, Captain Thibault Lavernhe, the Marine Nationale’s programme officer, said:
“2025 is a major milestone for the programme,”
“The Ministry of Defence will decide by the end of the year to launch the realisation of the programme.“
“Today, the ship is designed on paper. We know what we want from the French Navy, it is now just a matter of a political decision to step forward.”
“We have [recently] started a campaign at Lakehurst in the US to test the compatibility between the Rafale aircraft and the American aircraft launch and recovery equipment,” said Captain Lavernhe. “This is a big step for us, and we expect a big increase in efficiency [particularly] in the maximum take-off weight for fighters. It will be several tonnes more than we can do now on Charles de Gaulle.”
Naval News reached out to the DGA in June and September for comments and images of these EMALS and AAG compatibility testing with Rafale aircraft at Lakehurst, but the DGA declined to release information at this stage.
According to Captain Lavernhe, the design decision to install two EMALS tracks forward had been taken “in order to be able to operate UCAVs alongside manned aircraft, because it will not be the same launching procedures [for both aircraft types].”
