France is set to begin construction of a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.
"In times of aggression, we must be strong to be feared. I have decided to equip France with a new aircraft carrier," Macron was quoted as saying by French media at a Christmas event at a French military base in the United Arab Emirates.
With a displacement of around 80,000 tons, the carrier will be almost twice as heavy as its predecessor, the Charles de Gaulle.
At 310 metres long and 85 metres wide, it is designed to accommodate 30 fighter jets and 2,000 crew members.
Construction is estimated to cost up to €10 million ($11.7 million). The carrier is expected to be operational from 2038, Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said on X.
France is the only country besides the US that owns a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The Charles de Gaulle was commissioned in 2001.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
American tourists left stranded in the Caribbean following flight cancellations after airspace closed for Maduro operation - 2Fundamental Home Exercise center Hardware: Amplify Your Exercises
- 3UK can legally stop shadow fleet tankers, ministers believe
- 4Surveys of 6 Hot Savvy Beds
- 5What's an atmospheric river? AP explains the weather phenomenon
- Find the Mysteries of Powerful Using time productively: Augmenting Efficiency and Proficiency
- Share your pick for the riding area that characterizes your surf undertakings!
- Planet-eating stars hint at Earth's ultimate fate
- Astronomer captures 2 meteors slamming into the moon (video)
- Instructions to Perform Fundamental Upkeep on Your Slam 1500.
- the Kinds of Thailand: Decision in favor of Your Number one Thai Dish!
- Dominating Monetary Administration: A Bit by bit Manual for Making an Individual Financial plan
- Tributes pour in for James Ransone, 'The Wire' actor who died at 46
- 'The best gift ever': Baby is born after the rarest of pregnancies, defying all odds
