TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

France launches plan for new aircraft carrier

France's government launched plans on Tuesday for a new aircraft carrier, saying it will make a decision on how to build the multi-billion-euro warship in 2020. 

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Le Bourget, France
Wed, October 24, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

France launches plan for new aircraft carrier French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle sets sail from the southern French port of Toulon before taking part in military operations in the Gulf. French Defence Minister Florence Parly announced during the Euronaval naval defence equipment fair on October 23, 2018 the launch of France's future aircraft carrier program, which will succeed Charles-de-Gaulle, with a 18 month studies phase. AFP (AFP/-)

 

France's government launched plans on Tuesday for a new aircraft carrier, saying it will make a decision on how to build the multi-billion-euro warship in 2020. 

France currently has one carrier, the Charles-de-Gaulle, but is seeking to develop a replacement that would serve until 2080 and be adapted for next-generation combat jets.

"The Charles-de-Gaulle will need a successor," Defence Minister Florence Parly told reporters at the Euronaval industry expo in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

"The first step which we're launching today is a study period," she said. "It's about deciding together what and how we want our future aircraft carrier to be."

The budget for the study period alone will be 40 million euros ($46 million).

Running until 2020, it allows France to start organising the vast industrial operation needed to construct the vessel.

The Charles-de-Gaulle has been deployed in conflicts from Afghanistan to Libya and is key to keeping France strategically independent at sea.

The hulking 42,000-tonne vessel, which has also launched air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, is due to be retired in 2040.

It has been undergoing a major upgrade since early 2017 in its home port of Toulon, southern France, and will not be back in action until next year when it heads to the Indian Ocean.

Experts estimate that its replacement will cost between five and seven billion euros. 

Key issues to be decided during the study period include whether or not the new carrier will be nuclear-powered like the Charles-de-Gaulle, and how to accommodate new combat aircraft being jointly developed with Germany.

 

 

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.