France is at the forefront of efforts to strengthen Europe’s naval capabilities. Its growing naval arsenal is on display this week at Euronaval, the world’s largest naval defence show, held annually near Paris.
From attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea to Russia’s escalating strikes on maritime vessels in the Black Sea, critical maritime corridors have once again emerged as major geopolitical flashpoints.
Against a backdrop of growing uncertainty over the transatlantic defence partnership, Europe is striving to strengthen its naval capabilities and strategic autonomy.
With the second-largest exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the world, France is at the forefront of these efforts. This week, international delegations are flocking to Euronaval, the world’s largest marine and naval defence trade show (3-6 November) near Paris.
France renews its military fleet
Speaking at the opening of this year’s Euronaval edition, France’s Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin stressed that the country was renewing its “attack submarines, frigates and support vessels.”
“We are preparing for our future aircraft carrier, the France Libre, and the SNLE 3G (third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine), which will replace the current generation of submarines responsible for maintaining the continuous at-sea deterrence of our nuclear deterrent”, she added.
France is the only European country to operate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and boasts one of the continent’s most balanced submarine fleets. It is also the world’s second-largest arms exporter, trailing behind the United States.
In March, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a landmark speech from a ballistic-missile submarine base in north-western France, which captured global audiences. He pledged to increase the country’s nuclear warhead stockpile for the first time since 1992 and that he would not flinch if the country’s “vital interests” were threatened.
Since September 2025, France has intensified its efforts to tackle Russia’s shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to evade Western sanctions on its energy sector. Authorities have intercepted and boarded at least six tankers suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet, amid concerns over irregular or fraudulent flag registrations.
Domestic and European companies favoured
On Tuesday, the French government signed a new agreement to build a domestic ecosystem of drone manufacturers that can rapidly respond to the navy’s operational needs. This comes as unmanned and autonomous naval systems have taken centre stage at this year’s edition of Euronaval.
“One of the major revolutions of our time is the naval drone. It incorporates artificial intelligence and allows us to achieve more at a lower cost and over a greater distance.”, François Watteau, Director of the Naval Combat Programme Management Unit at the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) told Euronews.
France prioritises domestic and European companies in its defence procurement, with 92% of the Ministry of the Armed Forces’ suppliers based domestically in 2024.
According to Watteau, France has “always had a strong navy”, but it has been significantly bolstered over the past year.
“This is due to the military programming laws [which lay out spending for 2024-2030], as well as its maritime armament drive, which has led to greater budgets and a strengthened national interest in naval equipment.”
French Navy Vice-Admiral Éric Chaperon, now naval advisor to Thales, told Euronews that this year marked a strategic turning point, “in previous years, we would showcase new products and technologies that we were working on, but which were still some way off. Given the current geopolitical context, however, it is clear that navies have become much more focused on the near future and what can be delivered immediately.”
The French state is a stakeholder in Thales, a major French defence and technology group, which has extensive contracts with the country’s armed forces and European defence and space programmes.
Despite this, other defence companies have criticised what they describe as a monopoly of French “success stories.”
“There are favoured companies, the industry leaders, the big players such as Naval Group and Thales in France. These major companies employ thousands of people and tend to capture most of the market”, Martin Serrault, Director General of Sillinger, a manufacturer of inflatable boats which are entirely manufactured in France, told Euronews.
The future of France’s defence plans hinges on the country’s upcoming elections. At present, the government has proposed upping France’s 2027 defence budget to €63.4 billion, an increase of approximately €6.5 billion (11.4%) compared with 2026.
A number of presidential candidates are expected to attend this year’s Euronaval edition, with left-wing candidate Raphaël Glucksmann participating on Wednesday, while conservative figures Edouard Philippe and Bruno Retailleau, as well as the far-right’s Marine Le Pen are scheduled to appear on Thursday.”
“Protecting our fellow citizens and protecting France are absolutely vital priorities”, Guillaume Merveilleux du Vignaux, Director of the Euronaval summit told Euronews.
“National defence is inherently a political matter. It is not solely the responsibility of the military, but requires the commitment of the entire nation and all its citizens, starting with the country’s foremost representative, the President”, said du Vignaux.
Source: www.euronews.com
