PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will build a new aircraft carrier capable of accommodating 30 fighter jets and 2,000 sailors, calling it “a demonstration of our country’s strength in the service of freedom of the seas amid the turmoil of our times.”
“In the age of predators, we have to be strong to be feared, especially at sea. That is why, after a thorough and careful review in accordance with two recent military planning laws, I have decided to equip France with a new aircraft carrier. The decision to launch the construction of this extra-large program was taken this week,” Macron told French troops in Abu Dhabi.
The new ship is scheduled to be completed in 2038, replacing the aging Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier that was put into service in 2001. It would displace approximately 78,000 tons and be 310 meters (1,017 ft) long, compared to the Charles de Gaulle’s 42,000 tons displacement and 261 meters (856 ft) length.
The new carrier will still be smaller than the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which displaces more than 100,000 tons and is 1,100 feet (334 meters) long.
Like its predecessor, France’s new aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and equipped with French Rafale M fighter jets.
Macron said the project would benefit hundreds of suppliers, most of them small and medium-sized enterprises.
“I will personally guarantee this commitment to support our company and I will visit the shipyard to meet with them next February,” he said.
The French Ministry of Defense said on its website that the new aircraft carrier will be able to carry out fully armed long-distance deployments over a short period of time, repeatedly and for an extended period of time.
Sebastien Le Cornou, then defense minister and now French prime minister, estimated that a new aircraft carrier would cost about 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion) by 2023.
Macron announced additional military spending of 6.5 billion euros ($7.6 billion) over the next two years. He said France aims to spend 64 billion euros on defense by 2027, the last year of his second term, double the level of 32 billion euros when he became president in 2017.
The French army currently has about 200,000 active soldiers and more than 40,000 reservists. It is the second largest army in the European Union, second only to Poland. France hopes to increase the number of reservists to 80,000 by 2030.
