PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron named France's next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier France Libre on March 18, 2026. Macron unveiled the carrier's name during a visit to the shipyard in the town of Indret, where the carrier's two nuclear reactors will be built.

Macron framed the naming of the carrier as a symbol of national independence and a push to strengthen France's naval forces. "This name therefore seals a pledge for the future: to remain free, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful," he said during the ceremony.

He said France Libre is a direct reference to General Charles de Gaulle's World War II resistance movement that joined Allied forces to help liberate France and Europe from Nazi Germany. The France Libre is scheduled to enter service in 2038 with an estimated cost of 10 billion euros (11.5 billion U.S. dollars).

The new carrier will have capacity for 30 Rafale fighter jets and 2,000 sailors. He stressed that the France Libre will be capable of carrying nuclear-armed aircraft, enhancing France's nuclear capabilities.

The France Libre will have a displacement of about 80,000 tons and a length of 310 meters (1,017 feet). By comparison, France's current Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier has a displacement of 42,000 tons and a length of 261 meters (856 feet), while the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier has a displacement of more than 100,000 tons and measures 1,100 feet (334 meters) in length.

Macron described the large-scale deployment of the French navy as unprecedented. France has deployed to the eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East eight frigates, two helicopter carriers and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. He said the deployment made France the European nation with the most prominent presence in the region.

Earlier in March 2026, Macron announced that France will increase its nuclear arsenal and, for the first time, allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries. The new nuclear strategy is aimed at strengthening Europe's independence, as France has been the only nuclear power in the European Union since Britain exited the bloc in 2020.