France will build a new, larger and more advanced aircraft carrier to replace the ageing Charles de Gaulle, President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, confirming a long-planned programme aimed at strengthening the country's naval power.
The project, known as Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PANG), is expected to cost about €10.25 billion and enter service in 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle is due to retire. The new vessel would be the largest warship ever built in Europe and a key pillar of France's nuclear deterrent.
The largest warship ever built in Europe
Macron announced the decision while speaking to French troops at a military base in Abu Dhabi, near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. He said the programme would also support France's defence industry, including small and medium-sized companies.
The carrier will feature nuclear propulsion and electromagnetic catapults, which France plans to acquire from the United States. Work on propulsion components has already begun, with the final order to be approved under the 2025 budget.
The project comes amid renewed European focus on defence autonomy following Russia's war in Ukraine and uncertainty over long-term US security commitments. While some French lawmakers have questioned the cost given strained public finances, the government has framed the carrier as essential to France's global military role and Europe's limited carrier capabilities.