The sticking point arose in June, when Navantia confirmed a feasibility study for a conventional aircraft carrier using the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle as a reference, Independiente reported. Since then, the same message has been repeated at Ferrol and Madrid: the Navy does not want to lose fixed-wing capability, a function its Harriers have maintained for four decades.
This scenario of forced conversion—exacerbated by the prospect of abandoning the F-35B—led operational commanders, according to Navy sources, to advocate for doctrinal change: Catobar aircraft carrier It allows non-STOVL aircraft to operate and maintain maritime airdrops offshore, especially on NATO missions.
Why is the Navy afraid to leave it without flying?
The 9th Wing crew recalls that the Harrier will reach its logistical end between 2030 and 2035. The natural replacement – the F-35B – was left up in the air after the government indicated in August that purchasing it was “not a priority”. For the Navy, according to internal sources, this phrase was interpreted as a “point of no return.”
What’s really at stake: NATO’s capacity
| Parameter | He deserves |
|---|---|
| Window without fixed wing | Between 8 and 12 years if there is no F-35B or conventional aircraft carrier |
| CATOBAR Estimated cost | €4,000 to €6,500 million according to NATO models (CRS 2024) |
| Construction period | Between 9 and 11 years old (with a technology partner) |
A Congressional Research Service technical note from 2024 — cited by NATO leaders in Brussels — warns that “Navies that lose a fixed wing take a generation to regain it.” This is Cartagena’s most alarming hidden truth: the ability to launch and recover aircraft rapidly deteriorates if it is not trained every year.
Arguments that weigh more in the Navy
- The Harriers have been in operation since 1996 Maintaining it after 2034 carries security risks, according to Pentagon documents.
- Juan Carlos I does not accept non-STOVL aircraftWhich limits any doctrinal progress toward naval FCAS.
- Removing the fixed wings would leave Spain without fighters on board While France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States maintain continuous fixed wings.
Does a Spanish aircraft carrier based on catapults make sense?
Navantia has already presented to the Navy a prototype concept with a long deck, inclined runway, deep hangar and the option to integrate EMALS catapults. “The complexity is similar to the S-80 submarine, but the technological risks are reduced if a partner specializing in catapults and arrest systems is integrated,” shipyard technicians explain.
Sector sources indicate that France will be the natural partner through the Naval Group. In 2023, a French technical official, quoted by RAND Europe, noted that “air and sea interoperability in southern Europe depends on catapulted platforms, not on STOVL vessels.”
Operational impact: independence and deterrence
- A conventional aircraft carrier will allow for operation Current aircraft are non-STOVL For 10 years while Spain prepares the maritime FCAS.
The decision that will define the next decade
The dilemma boils down to this: If Spain abandons the F-35B and does not promote a CATOBAR aircraft carrier, the Navy will lose its aviation for more than a decade. The leaders consulted consider that “this window is strategic, and if it is lost, it will take a whole generation to restore it.” The same idea is already circulating between the Ferrol docks and the defense offices: The future of the Spanish fixed wing will depend on an aircraft carrier that does not yet exist.