Originally Posted by wabpilot

There are good reasons for nuclear propulsion. First it frees up more space for fuel and supplies. Second it is cleaner. Third nuclear power plants, well designed, require fewer crew. Fourth, nuclear plants can run long periods refueling. Fifth, no exhause burble. Given the small carrier the French were going to build, nuclear power made a lot of sense. Submarine powerplants are not a particularly good fit for a large surface ship like de Gaulle. But, that does not make nuclear power a bad idea, just poor execution on the part of the French.

CVF's conventional power plants will take space away from fuel and supplies. That alone will require a larger ship, or reduce its utility. Thus we see that CVF is now estimated to have an ultimate displacement of 75000 tonnes and a lenght of 947 fee. Still the airwing is projected at only 40-50 aircraft. That's a lot of space taken up by the propulsion system.