France has approved construction of the most ambitious warship in European history

Propulsion

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The ship will be nuclear-powered. It will feature two TechnicAtome K22 [fr] pressurised water reactors (PWR).

Flight deck

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The ship will feature three Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and three Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). The equipment will be supplied by General Atomics under a Foreign Military Sales agreement.^[18][15]

The deck of the carrier will be an angled flight deck with an estimated surface of 17,200 square metres (185,000 sq ft).^[17]

Two side elevators with a 40 tonnes (88,000 lb) capacity.

Equipment

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Aircraft

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The estimated fleet of aircraft on the ship will be:^[17]

• Jet fighters:
  • up to 30 × Rafale M F5
  • the Rafale will eventually be replaced by the Next Generation Fighter of the FCAS project
• AEW&C aircraft:
  • up to 3 ×Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
• Helicopters: up to 6 of the following:
  • NH90 Caïman (NH90 NFH)
  • Plane guard helicopter / liaison helicopter: Airbus H160M Guépard
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV):
  • Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) planned in the FCAS project

Weapons

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There is an ammunition store designed to sustain seven days of operations at a high tempo (for the aircraft).^[17]

France has approved construction of the most ambitious warship in European history. Named France Libre after Charles de Gaulle’s wartime government-in-exile, the 78,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will displace nearly twice the current Charles de Gaulle, cost €10.25 billion, and carry American electromagnetic catapults, French K22 reactors, and a sixth-generation air wing that does not yet exist. President Macron formally approved construction in December 2025 and named her in March 2026. She enters service in 2038 — the year the current Charles de Gaulle retires after 37 years.