French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the start of construction of a new aircraft carrier. This is scheduled to enter service in 2038 and the older aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle replace, said Macron. After a “comprehensive and careful examination” he decided to “equip France with a new aircraft carrier.” He announced this during a visit to French soldiers in the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement of the new warship was expected. The new aircraft carrier will be “a symbol of the strength of our nation, of the strength of our industry, of our technology, of strength in the service of freedom on the seas and in the turmoil of the times,” said Macronwho wanted to hold a Christmas party with the soldiers that evening. There are currently 900 French soldiers stationed in the Emirates.
At 310 meters long and weighing almost 80,000 tons, the new aircraft carrier, which is also equipped with nuclear propulsion, will be significantly larger than the “Charles de Gaulle”, which measures 261 meters and weighs 42,000 tons. The crew of the new ship will consist of 2,000 people and there will be space for 30 combat aircraft on board.
Current aircraft carrier only partially available
The Chief of General Staff of the French Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, said, France should not be content with “reproducing a tool developed in the middle of the last century”. He particularly emphasized the ship’s “need for constant seaworthiness” and its ability to transport “drones of all kinds.”
The “Charles de Gaulle” is the only aircraft carrier in the French Navy and, according to the army, is only available 65 percent of the time. A delay in the construction and commissioning of the successor ship could leave the French Navy temporarily without an aircraft carrier.
A study on the occasion of the next major technical overhaul of the “Charles De Gaulle” is expected to provide information in 2029 as to whether the aircraft carrier could remain in service longer than 2038.
This article will continue to be updated.
