The new generation aircraft carrier (PA-NG) is expected by 2040 to replace THE Charles de Gaulle. Announced as the largest ship ever built in Europe, with its 310 meters long, it will greatly exceed its predecessor which measures 260 meters. This size should allow the PA-NG to catapult one plane per minute, compared to one every two minutes today. A feat made possible by a key technology: electromagnetic catapults.
They will replace steam catapults after the Washington agreement, signed in December 2025, to sell the EMALS system for more than a billion dollars. Not mastered by France, this technology could weaken the future ship if relations with the United States deteriorate. Questioned, the Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin put it into perspective: “At this point, it’s not a topic. » What if Trump decided to block the delivery of General Atomic? “It’s a real sword of Damocles: Paris could find itself dependent on an American political decision to operate its aircraft carrier”alerts Jean-Marc Tanguy, journalist at Air & Cosmos then at Marine.
American dependence also affects surveillance planes Hawkeyewhose spare parts and technical developments remain linked to Washington. Although France is the world’s second largest arms exporter, it has significant shortcomings in terms of drones. To remedy this, it obtains the Reaper attack and surveillance drone, deployed in particular during the Barkhane mission. “We do not own the images”recalls a specialist, who also emphasizes that the United States can “prevent flying over certain territories “. In addition, Balard also orders, across the Atlantic, various missiles and Switchblade 300 lurking munitions.
Asgard Supercomputer
Last September, at Mont-Valérien, the army inaugurated Asgard, “the most powerful classified supercomputer in Europe”. Intended for military AI, it must offer an operational advantage in intelligence, underwater detection and satellite image analysis. The machine was set up with Orange and… the American Hewlett Packard Enterprise, supplier of servers and storage systems. Therefore, is French sovereignty over data guaranteed?
The French army orders various missiles across the Atlantic
“Yes, because the supercomputer is not connected to the internet, only to our classified networks, and it is operated by authorized personnel”assures the Tangwall Campagin Vincent Delahaye, director of the Asgard program. What if one of the thousand chips needs to be replaced? “Equipment that contains memory is preserved by the Statecontinues the latter. No hardware that can store information is returned. » Despite certain dependencies, France remains master of its strategic choices, first and foremost that of its deterrence, since almost 100% of the equipment is tricolor.
