President Emmanuel Macron said that France's next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be named France Libre.
This warship is expected to replace France's only aircraft carrier today - the Charles de Gaulle and is expected to be commissioned in 2038. When completed, France Libre will be the largest warship ever built in Europe.
Mr. Macron said that the ship was named after the French Resistance movement led by General de Gaulle against Nazi occupation of France during World War 2.
I want our future aircraft carrier to follow in the footsteps of General de Gaulle. His life, his fate" - Mr. Macron said at a shipyard in Indret, near Nantes, where 2 nuclear reactors of the ship will be built.
Our new aircraft carrier will be named France Libre. This name is to honor the memory of those who stood up against brutality," he added.
In December 2025, President Macron announced the start of construction of a new aircraft carrier, an estimated project worth 10 billion euros.
At that time, sharing with French soldiers in the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Macron emphasized, "in the age of predators", France "must be strong to be feared".
Mr. Macron reiterated that view in his speech on March 18. "To be free, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful" - he said.
In recent weeks, President Macron has repeatedly emphasized France's maritime ambitions.
Last week, he said that Paris and its allies are jointly planning to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the world's lifeline for oil and liquefied natural gas.
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked the country late last month, causing global oil prices to increase by more than 40%.
However, the French leader has ruled out any action until the hostile situation in the Strait of Hormuz subsides.
France's most recent aircraft carriers were named after French politicians, including Georges Clemenceau and Ferdinand Foch.
Hull construction of the warship France Libre is scheduled to begin in the western port city of Saint-Nazaire in 2031.
France is one of two countries in the world operating nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The US has 11 aircraft carriers of this type.
The Charles de Gaulle, weighing 42,000 tons and 261m long, was commissioned in 2001 and is the largest warship ever built for the French Navy.
The France Libre will be much larger than the Charles de Gaulle, weighing nearly 80,000 tons and about 310m long. With a crew of 2,000 people, the new French warship will be able to carry 30 manned and unmanned fighter jets.
