France’s President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the country's aircraft career, the Charles de Gaulle, would be replaced in 2038 by a new carrier that would be nuclear powered. It will be the eleventh aircraft carrier commissioned by France.
Macron's announcement was made during a visit to nuclear power developer Framatome, Euractive reported.
“Out strategic future, our status as a great power lies with the nuclear industry,” Macron said. Cost estimates were not made public, but media reports in France said the Aremed Forces Ministry did not comment when asked if the ship would cost as much as $6 billion to build.
By comparison, the British Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth cost about $4.03 billion.