France to Build New Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier

France to Build New Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier
French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier sails on June 13, 2011 off the Libyan coast, during the Harmattan operation. Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images
|Updated:

PARIS—France will build a new, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace its Charles de Gaulle carrier by 2038, French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday.

Macron framed the decision to use nuclear reactors to propel the future warship as part of France’s climate strategy, stressing its lower emissions compared to diesel fuel.