France to build new aircraft carrier, Macron tells troops based in Gulf

By Florence Loeve and Tassilo Hummel

PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Sunday plans to build a new, larger and more modern aircraft carrier to replace the ageing Charles de Gaulle carrier and strengthen France’s maritime power.

The programme, known as “Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération” (PANG), is predicted to cost around 10.25 billion euros ($12 billion).

The French government said the new vessel would be operational by 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is expected to retire. Work on nuclear propulsion components began last year, and the final order must be placed under the 2025 budget.

    The PANG, which would be the largest warship ever built in Europe, is central to France’s nuclear deterrent and Europe’s drive for greater defence autonomy amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s reluctance to support the continent’s security.

MACRON SPEAKING TO TROOPS

Macron was speaking to troops based at a French military base in Abu Dhabi located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global oil flows.

“The decision to launch this vast programme was taken this week,” Macron said, adding that the project would boost France’s industrial base, in particular small and medium-sized businesses.

Army Minister Catherine Vautrin said on X the carrier would enter operation in 2038 to replace the Charles de Gaulle, which entered service in 2001 after 15 years of planning and construction.

Some French lawmakers from the centre and the moderate left have recently suggested that the project to build a new aircraft carrier be postponed due to France’s strained state finances.

EUROPEAN CARRIER CAPABILITIES

France, the EU’s only nuclear power, is among the few European nations owning an aircraft carrier alongside Britain, Italy and Spain.

    European capabilities remain limited compared with the United States’ fleet of 11 carriers and China’s three.

    “The Chinese have just developed electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft,” armed forces chief Fabien Mandon told the Senate in October, adding that France will buy such systems from the United States, as domestic production is not “compatible with our schedule and cost control.”

($1 = 0.8541 euros)

(Reporting by Tassilo HummelEditing by Gareth Jones and Ros Russell)