The French naval model that Spain could imitate and that would mean forgetting about the F-35B

For several years now, I've been following reports about Spain's possible purchase of F-35 fighter jets, which has yet to materialize.

Spain plans its first aircraft carrier capable of operating US-style CATOBAR fighters
The Spanish Navy's alternatives if the government does not approve the purchase of F-35 fighters

Recent reports about the Spanish Navy's plans to build its first aircraft carrier with CATOBAR fighters, a ship that would take the French aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" R-91 as a reference, encourage us to think that the Spanish Navy could be thinking of adopting the French naval model regarding embarked aviation.

Currently, Spanish naval aviation capacity is focused on three large ships: the amphibious aircraft carrier "Juan Carlos I" L-61, a 231-meter-long ship that has a flight deck that covers almost the entire ship in the style of the US Navy's LHDs, and the amphibious assault ships (BAA) "Galicia" L-51 and "Castilla" L-52, two sister ships of 160 meters in length that only have a flight deck in their rear half. The L-61 operates STOVL Harrier II Plus fighters, as well as helicopters, while the BAAs operate only helicopters.

The Spanish Navy's new plans would involve having a CATOBAR aircraft carrier (like the aforementioned French aircraft carrier and the large US aircraft carriers, which launch aircraft with catapults) and two LHDs like the L-61. What has been published so far is that the new CATOBAR aircraft carrier could operate the naval version of the FCAS, a European sixth-generation fighter that Germany, Spain and France are working on, but it is not known if the two LHDs would have fixed-wing aircraft, beyond those that the Spanish Navy currently operates. Let us remember that the Spanish Harrier IIs are scheduled to be decommissioned around 2030.

With the current Spanish naval model, the only possibility exists to operate STOVL aircraft such as the Harrier II and the F-35B from LHD type ships such as the "Juan Carlos I". Considering that the Spanish Navy would take the "Charles de Gaulle" as a reference for its first CATOBAR aircraft carrier, it is reasonable to assume that Spain could imitate the current French naval model, which does not include STOVL aircraft.

The French Navy's naval aviation capability is centered on four large ships: the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle", 261.5 meters long, which operates helicopters and fixed-wing CATOBAR aircraft (launched with low-level catapults and landing by arresting cables), and three amphibious aircraft carriers similar to the "Juan Carlos I". These three LHD-type ships, with a flight deck that occupies almost their entire length, are those of the so-called Mistral class: the "Mistral" L9013, the "Tonnerre" L9014 and the "Dixmude" L9015.

The Mistral-class ships are smaller than the "Juan Carlos I": they measure 199 meters in length and have a displacement of 21,500 tons, although they only operate helicopters. Initially, these ships had been designed to operate STOVL aircraft such as the Harrier II and the F-35B, including a jump ramp like the one the Spanish aircraft carrier has, but in 2001 the French Senate discarded it. The French Navy classifies them as "intervention helicopter carriers" (PHI). Their capabilities are very similar to those of the "Juan Carlos I", as they have a vehicle hangar and a floodable dock at the rear that allows them to deploy landing craft and amphibious vehicles. They can carry up to 35 light helicopters or 16 heavy helicopters, as well as 450 soldiers and 70 vehicles.

If Spain were to follow the French naval model, that would mean forgetting about the F-35B when the Harrier IIs reach the end of their operational life. This would have serious implications, since the Spanish Navy would not have carrier-based fighters for a decade. This is the time that would pass between the retirement of the Harrier IIs in 2030 and the arrival of the FCAS in 2040, provided that this sixth-generation fighter jet does not arrive late. The attitude of the current Spanish government of avoiding talking about the F-35B as if it were a taboo suggests that this may be what will end up happening.

---

Main photo: U.S. Navy. A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B from VMM-262 aboard the amphibious aircraft carrier USS Tripoli on October 20, 2022.