PARIS — France will build a new aircraft carrier with a capacity for 30 fighter jets and 2,000 sailors, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday in what he described as “the display of our nation’s power in the service of freedom on the seas and amid the turbulence of our times.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIn an age of predators, we must be strong in order to be feared, and especially strong at sea. This is why, in line with the last two military programming laws, and after a thorough and careful review, I have decided to equip France with a new aircraft carrier. The decision to launch the construction of this very large-scale program was taken this week,\u201d Macron told French troops stationed in Abu Dhabi. <\/p>\n
The new vessel is planned to be ready in 2038, replacing the aging Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which came into service in 2001. It will have a weight of about 78,000 tons and a length of 310 meters (1,017 feet), compared to 42,000 tons and 261 meters (856 feet) for the Charles de Gaulle. <\/p>\n
Like its predecessor, the new aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and equipped with French Rafale M fighter jets. <\/p>\n
Macron said the project will benefit hundreds of suppliers, most of them small- and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will personally guarantee this commitment in support of our companies, and I will visit the shipyard next February to meet them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The new carrier will be able to engage in heavily armed, long-range deployments at short notice, repeatedly and for extended periods of time, the French defense ministry said on its website. <\/p>\n
In 2023, the cost of a new aircraft carrier was estimated at about 10 billion euros by S\u00e9bastien Lecornu, defense minister at the time and now French prime minister.<\/p>\n