A recommendation, not an approved program
Chenevard submitted the report on behalf of the National Defense and Armed Forces Committee. The proposal would move France toward sustained two-carrier operations, but it has not been approved. France Libre remains the only funded replacement for the Charles de Gaulle, and long-term operation of both new carriers is outside current political plans.
The proposed second ship would share the France Libre design, previously known as the Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération, or PANG. President Emmanuel Macron named France Libre in March 2026 to honor the Free France resistance movement.
Maintenance gaps and the cost of extending service
The Charles de Gaulle, commissioned in 2001, is scheduled for a major overhaul in 2027-2028. France's sole sovereign carrier platform is expected to be unavailable for about 18 months, with a return to operations targeted for March 2029.
Chenevard estimates the carrier's operational availability at approximately 63 percent. His assessment attributes that limit to the demands placed on a single ship: deployments must fit into a service cycle that also includes intermediate maintenance, nuclear refueling, crew recovery and combat-readiness certification.
Keeping the Charles de Gaulle beyond its projected 2038 retirement would require a fourth major technical refit, including refueling its nuclear cores, according to the report. It estimates that the work would cost about €2 billion while adding only a few years of service. The government is due to formally assess that option after the ship's 2028 refit.
The proposed construction and fleet plan
The report estimates that a second ship using the France Libre design would cost roughly 30 percent less than the first because the research and development costs are already covered. It calls for construction to follow the lead ship directly at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire to maximize economies of scale, warning that intervening civilian cruise-ship orders would eliminate those savings.
Chenevard also argues that adding a carrier would not require a duplicate escort fleet. His report estimates an additional aircraft requirement of about 12 Rafale M fighters and two E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, with pilots and aircraft rotating between the two flight decks.
For escort duties, the report proposes dual crewing on air-defense frigates rather than purchasing a separate set of escorts. It nevertheless says the wider surface fleet must grow to 18 first-rank frigates to sustain operations over the long term.
France Libre's design and transition schedule
France Libre is planned as an approximately 80,000-metric-ton carrier, compared with the Charles de Gaulle's 42,000 metric tons. The new vessel would measure 310 meters long and 90 meters across at its beam. Two TechnicAtome K-22 pressurized-water reactors are to power the ship, with a planned top speed of 27 knots.
Its angled flight deck would cover 17,200 square meters and use the U.S.-designed EMALS catapults and Advanced Arresting Gear. Plans call for roughly 30 combat aircraft, with an expected operating rate of about 60 sorties a day during high-intensity operations.
Hull assembly is scheduled to start in Saint-Nazaire in 2032, with commissioning planned for 2038. The Navy's current transition plan provides for both France Libre and the Charles de Gaulle to operate between 2035 and 2038 for crew transfers and training. The Charles de Gaulle would retire around 2038 as France Libre enters active service.
