Macron names new French aircraft carrier 'Free France' in nod to resistance

By Gianluca Lo Nostro

INDRE, France, March 18 (Reuters) - France's new aircraft carrier will be named France Libre (Free France), President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, as Paris advances its 10.2 billion euro ($12 billion) programme to replace its ageing nuclear-powered flagship Charles de Gaulle.

The warship is central to France's nuclear deterrent and Europe's bid for more defence autonomy, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump urged NATO allies to shoulder more of their own defence burden.

Macron announced the name Free France - the name of the French resistance movement in World War Two - during a visit to the vessel's construction site in the town of Indre, in western France, where state-owned shipyard Naval Group has started work.

France is the EU's only nuclear power and is among the few European nations with an aircraft carrier.

"Our seas and oceans are new arenas of contemporary conflict... Recent days have confirmed this, and the future will confirm it further," Macron said after meeting shipyard workers.

After sea trials in 2036, the new vessel will be operational in 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle is expected to retire. Measuring 310 metres in length and featuring two nuclear reactors, the Free France will be the largest warship built in Europe. As well as fighter jets, it would also integrate the latest drone technology.

European capabilities remain limited compared to the United States' fleet of 11 carriers and Beijing's three, though France is the only country besides the U.S. with a nuclear-powered carrier. Nuclear power gives these vessels greater endurance as they do not need to refuel as often as conventional ones.

The Charles de Gaulle, currently deployed to the Mediterranean, entered into service in 2001.

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