France plans to build a new, larger, and more modern aircraft carrier to expand its position as a naval power. President Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Sunday the plans he had already presented in 2020.

The new ship will replace the aging aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle.” Macron announced the decision to proceed with this massive program this week at a French military base in Abu Dhabi, near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

The project, known as “Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération” (PANG), is estimated to cost 10.25 billion euros. The ship would be the largest warship ever built in Europe.

Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin stated on platform X that the new ship will enter service in 2038, the expected retirement year of the Charles de Gaulle.

Some French lawmakers from centrist and moderate left groups recently called for postponing the project, citing the country’s strained public finances. France remains one of Europe’s leading military powers and one of only five official nuclear powers.

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