A drone was intercepted this Wednesday , which is currently docked in the port of Malmö, in southwestern Sweden, as reported by the General Staff of the French Army. “The drone was intercepted by Sweden when it was 10 kilometers from the aircraft carrier. At the moment, it is not possible to confirm with certainty the origin of the drone, its intention (whether it was hostile or malicious), or even if it was heading towards the aircraft carrier,” the General Staff confirmed to Radio France.
“The Swedish device has worked perfectly and has not interrupted operations on board,” according to the spokesman for the General Staff, Guillaume Vernet. The French press reports that there has also been a fuel leak in the port, near the aircraft carrier, the origin of which is unknown. An investigation has been opened to determine the causes of the leak. Some French media report that a ship from the Russian ghost fleet has been identified in the area, but the information has not been confirmed.
The air-naval group “is equipped with its own protection devices, but when it enters the sovereign waters of an ally, as is the case, it submits to the protection of the host country,” Vernet explained.
He Charles de Gaulle, nuclear-powered, it is the only aircraft carrier of the French Armed Forces and one of its military deterrents. It is an attack platform with a runway so that fighter planes can take off and land. It is escorted by several frigates, French or allied. He arrived in Sweden on Wednesday for a stopover before participating in military maneuvers organized by France and several NATO countries with the aim of preparing for a possible high-intensity conflict.
These exercises will continue until May and include operations in the Baltic Sea, aimed at deterring, following the cable cuts attributed to the Russian ghost fleet.
It is the first time that the French aircraft carrier is in Sweden. On Monday he is due to be at Île Longue, the French naval base in Brittany, where French President Emmanuel Macron will give a speech. It is the one that houses the four nuclear-powered submarines, its deterrent force against the enemy. These ships are capable of carrying up to 16 ballistic missiles (the M51) and there is always one with a vigilant patrol at sea.
Less than three months ago, for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. Although military infrastructure was not threatened, the Rennes Military Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation. Macron will give a highly anticipated speech at this base on the French deterrence doctrine in an increasingly tense geopolitical context, of rearmament in the face of the Russian threat and in which .
France is the only EU country that has a nuclear arsenal, since the United Kingdom is already outside the Union. Deterrence has ensured the protection of France’s “vital interests” since 1964, with the presidency of General Charles de Gaulle, and has continued since then. Now, the French president wants to influence . The idea is that the countries of the Union can benefit from the protection of the French nuclear umbrella, now that that of the United States cannot be counted on.
Macron will emphasize on Monday that this deterrence doctrine consists of reminding the enemy that “the country is capable of inflicting such unacceptable damage that attacking its interests does not make sense,” Elysée sources recall. France has four nuclear-powered submarines and 300 atomic warheads, half of what it had in the Cold War and far from the arsenal of Russia or the United States. These warheads can be fired on ballistic missiles launched from the aforementioned nuclear submarines or Rafale fighter jets. In 2025, 7 billion euros were invested in 2025 and nuclear deterrence eats up 13% of the Defense budget.
