NationMaster - Encyclopedia: French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle

Career

Builder:	DCN, Brest
Power Plant:	Two K15 Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) 150 MW each, two shafts
Length:	261.5 m overall
Flight Deck Width:	64 m
Beam:	31.5 m
Displacement:	40,500 tons full load
Speed:	27 knots (50 km/h)
Catapults:	Steam (the same models as installed on the Nimitz-class supercarriers).
Aircraft:	40 aircraft, including Rafale Super Étendard E-2C Hawkeye SA365 Dauphin helicopters.
Complement:	Ship's Company: 1,150 Air Wing: 600
Armament:	Four 8 cell SYLVER launchers carrying the MBDA Aster 15 surface to air missile. Two 6 cell Sadral launchers carrying Mistral short range missiles Eight Giat 20F2 20 mm cannons. Charles de Gaulle Nuclear Aircraft carrier , courtesy of www. ... Image File history File links Civil_and_Naval_Ensign_of_France. ... Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) is based in France and is one of Europes leading shipbuilders. ... Location within France Brest, at the tip of Brittany Brest is a city in the Bretagne rÃ©gion, north-west France, sous-prÃ©fecture of the FinistÃ¨re dÃ©partement. ... The Nimitz class supercarriers are the largest capital ships in the world. ... USS , a typical supercarrier, and HMS Illustrious, a light V/STOL aircraft carrier on a joint patrol. ... The Rafale is a French twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ... The Dassault Super Ã‰tendard is a French carrier-borne strike fighter in service with the French and Argentine Navy. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. ... The Eurocopter Dauphin (Dolphin) is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter (originally by AÃ©rospatiale). ... Aster 15 SYLVER launchers on the Charles de Gaulle The SYLVER is a vertical missile launcher designed by DCN. The primary application of the launcher has been the MBDA Aster missile. ... Aster is a surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European firm MBDA. The missile comes in two variants, the medium range Aster 15 and the longer range Aster 30. ... Mistral is an infrared homing surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European multinational company MBDA missile systems (formerly by Matra BAe Dynamics). ...
Date Deployed:	April 2001.

The Charles De Gaulle (R91) is the only serving French aircraft carrier and is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). She is the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel and the tenth carrier in the history of the French Navy. She is named after the French statesman and general Charles De Gaulle. An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraftâ€”in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a Merchant ship powered by a nuclear reactor. ... Charles AndrÃ© Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ) (22 November 1890 â€“ 9 November 1970), in France commonly referred to as le gÃ©nÃ©ral de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ...

Her complement of Dassault Rafale and E-2 Hawkeye, as well as state-of-the-art electronics and Aster missiles, give her offensive power unseen before in France. She is the second largest (after Admiral Kuznetsov) and arguably the most powerful European aircraft carrier, at least until the introduction of the Franco-British future carriers. The Charles de Gaulle is also the world's only non-American nuclear carrier. The Rafale is a highly agile French twin-engined delta-wing multi-role fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. ... Aster is a surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European firm MBDA. The missile comes in two variants, the medium range Aster 15 and the longer range Aster 30. ... The Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (originally named Tbilisi) is an aircraft carrier serving as the flagship of the Russian Navy. ... Impression of UKs STOVL variant PA2 (Porte-Avions 2) is a planned new aircraft carrier developed for the French Navy by Thales Naval France and DCN from the Thales UK/BMT design for the future British aircraft carriers CV(F). ...

Development

Construction

The carrier replaced the Foch conventionally powered aircraft carrier in 2001. The Clemenceau and Foch were completed in 1961 and 1963 respectively; the requirement for a replacement was identified in the mid-1970s. The Foch (R 99) was the sister-ship of the Clémenceau. ... The Clémenceau (R98), oftem affectuously called le Clém, was the 8th aircraft carrier of the French Navy. ...

The hull was laid down in April 1989 at the DCN Brest Naval shipyard. The carrier was completed in May 1994 and at 35,500 tonnes was the largest warship launched in Western Europe since the HMS Ark Royal (R09) in 1950. Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) is based in France and is one of Europes leading shipbuilders. ... Location within France Brest, at the tip of Brittany Brest is a city in the Bretagne rÃ©gion, north-west France, sous-prÃ©fecture of the FinistÃ¨re dÃ©partement. ... A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... The HMS Ark Royal (R09) began construction in 1943 during World War II. She replaced the previous Ark Royal which was lost to enemy action on November 14, 1941. ...

She was named Richelieu in 1986 by the French president at the time, President François Mitterrand, after the famous French politician Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal and Duc de Richelieu (following a traditional name for capital ships in the French Navy, see battleship Richelieu for instance). In 1989 however, after a ferocious row, the ship was renamed to Charles De Gaulle the year after by the Gaullist Prime Minister of the time, Jacques Chirac (October 26, 1916 â€“ January 8, 1996) was a French politician. ... For other uses of Richelieu, see Richelieu (disambiguation). ... The Richelieu was a French battleship of World War II named for the seventeenth century statesman Cardinal Richelieu. ... Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. ... Jacques RenÃ© Chirac (born November 29, 1932) is a French politician and the current President of the French Republic. ...

Construction quickly fell behind schedule, which was worsened by the economic recession in the 1990s, when the project was starved of funding. On four occasions, work on the ship was suspended altogether. When the ship was commissioned in 2001, it had already missed the projected deadline for active service deployment by five years.

Spying incident

In 1993, a group of MI6 officers posing as engineers were discovered inspecting the vessel during its construction. It is believed they were evaluating the method of shielding the nuclear reactors. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ...

Trials and technical problems

The Charles De Gaulle entered sea trials in 1999 which identified the need to extend the flight deck to safely operate the E-2C Hawkeye. This operation induced a bad perception in the population, though the same operation had been performed on both the Foch and the Clemenceau when F-8 Crusader aircraft had been introduced, and that the 5 million francs for the extension were 0.025% of the total budget for the Charles De Gaulle project. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... Le Parisien (The Parisian) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and suburbs. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. ... The Foch (R 99) was the sister-ship of the Clémenceau. ... The Clémenceau (R98), oftem affectuously called le Clém, was the 8th aircraft carrier of the French Navy. ... F-8C digital fly-by-wire testbed (NASA) The F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) was an aircraft carrier-based fighter aircraft built by Chance-Vought of Dallas, Texas. ...

On 28 February 2000, a nuclear reactor trial triggered the combustion of additional isolation elements, producing a smoke incident. February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

During the night of the 9 November–10 November 2000, in the Western Atlantic, en route toward Norfolk, Virginia, the port propeller broke, and the ship had to return to Toulon to replace the faulty element. The investigations that followed showed similar structural faults in the other propeller and in the spare propellers: bubbles in the one-piece copper-aluminium alloy propellers near the center. The fault was blamed on the supplier, Atlantic Industries, which since had gone bankrupt. To make matters worse, all documents relating to the design and fabrication of the propellers had been lost in a fire. As a temporary solution, the less advanced spare propellers of the Foch and the Clemenceau were used, limiting the maximum speed to 24 knots (44 km/h), instead of the contractual 27 knots (50 km/h). This did not affect air operations. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... -1... Port is the nautical term (used on boats and ships) that refers to the left side of a ship, as perceived by a person facing towards the bow (the front of the vessel). ... Location within France Coat of Arms of Toulon Toulon (Tolon in Provençal) is a city in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. ... The Foch (R 99) was the sister-ship of the Clémenceau. ... The Clémenceau (R98), oftem affectuously called le Clém, was the 8th aircraft carrier of the French Navy. ...

On 5 March 2001, the Charles De Gaulle went back to the sea with two older propellers, and sailed 25.2 knots (47 km/h) on her trials. March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Between July and October, the Charles De Gaulle had to be refitted once more due to abnormal noises near the starboard propeller up to 100 dB, which rendered the aft part of the ship uninhabitable.

On the 18 May 2001, the Charles De Gaulle was officially commissioned, somewhat tainted with a reputation as a financial black hole and as a bit of a lemon. May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... A lemon is a defective car that, when purchased new or used, is found by the purchaser to have numerous or severe defects not readily apparent before the purchase. ...

Active Service

Refitting

On 16 September 2001, slightly higher than acceptable radioactivity level aboard the Charles De Gaulle, that was thought to be due to a faulty isolation element, were reported by the French press. however it was later found out that the radioactivity levels were normal, but that the regulations concerning acceptable radioactivity levels had changed. September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

While the USA were preparing their retaliation for the attack of the 11th of September 2001 in the form of "Operation Enduring Freedom", the media complained about the lack of deployable French military power. At the same time, the Defence Commission reported the maintenance of the Fleet to be substandard. In this context, the Charles De Gaulle, then under repairs, was again object of criticism, former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing mentioning a "half-aircraft-carrier". For the 1993 bombing, see World Trade Center bombing. ... It has been suggested that United States war in Afghanistan be merged into this article or section. ... This article needs to be updated. ...

Link 16

On 11 October 2001, the frigate Cassard, four AWACS aircraft and the Charles De Gaulle were involved in a successful trial of the Link 16 high-bandwidth secure data network. The network allows real-time monitoring of the airspace from the South of England to the Mediterranean Sea. The collected data were also transmitted in real time to the Jean Bart through the older Link 11 system. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Cassard (D614) is an anti-air frigate of the French Marine Nationale, lead ship of the Cassard type. ... US Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft is prepared for flight in November 1997 Cockpit of RAF E-3 Sentry undergoing upgrades Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is a radar-based electronic system designed to carry out airborne surveillance, and C3 (command, control and communications) functions for both... Link 16 is a military inter-computer data exchange format of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... The Jean Bart (D615) is an anti-air frigate of the French Marine Nationale of the Cassard type. ... TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex TADIL radio link used by the U.S. military that receives or transmits--but not both simultaneously--a sequential data exchange digital link. ...

Gas incident

On 8 November 2001, a sailor performing a routine maintenance task lost consciousness due to a toxic gas leak. A non-commissioned officer attempted to rescue him and collapsed as well. They were immediately rescued by the onboard medical team and sent to Toulon Hospital. Both survived. November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Afghanistan : Mission Héracles

On 21 November 2001, France decided to send the Charles De Gaulle to the Indian Ocean to support UN operations against Afghanistan. November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Task Force 473, with 2900 men under command of Contre-Amiral François Cluzel sailed on 1 December. The task force was comprised of the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, frigates La Motte-Picquet, Jean de Vienne and Jean Bart, the nuclear attack submarine Rubis, the tanker Meuse and the aviso Commandant Ducuing. Counter Admiral is an Anglification of a naval rank found in some European navies; in the Deutsche Marine: Konteradmiral. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The La Motte-Picquet is a F70 type anti-submarine frigates of the French Marine Nationale. ... The Jean de Vienne is a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. ... The Jean Bart (D615) is an anti-air frigate of the French Marine Nationale of the Cassard type. ... The Rubis is a first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy, named after the French submarine Rubis which distinguished herself during the Second World War. ... The Durance class is a type of military tanker of the French Navy. ... An aviso is a French kind of dispatch boat. ... The A69 type Avisos are small warships mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions (notably in support missions with the FOST). ...

Embarked air power comprised 16 Super Étendards, one E-2C Hawkeye, two Rafale and several helicopters. The Dassault Super Ã‰tendard is a French carrier-borne strike fighter in service with the French and Argentine Navy. ... The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is the United States Navys all-weather, aircraft carrier-based tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft. ... The Rafale is a French twin-engine delta-wing multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. ...

On 17 December 2001, Task Force 473 was integrated in an international force, alongside USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS John C. Stennis aeronaval groups, and the Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi. The force included over 100 French, US, Canadian, British, German, Italian, Dutch, Australian, Spanish and Japanese ships under a centralised inter-allied command in Bahrain. Image File history File links Fleet_5_nations. ... Image File history File links Fleet_5_nations. ... It has been suggested that United States war in Afghanistan be merged into this article or section. ... Maestrale class is the most important frigate class for the Marina Militare (Italian Navy) of the late 20th century. ... The De Grasse is a F67 type large high-sea frigates of the French Marine Nationale specialised in anti-submarine warfare, though it also has anti-air and anti-surface capabilities. ... USS (CVN-74) is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy named for a Senator from Mississippi. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73) is a United States Navy guided missile cruiser, the last to be constructed in the 20th century, and the first cruiser to integrate women into the crew. ... The sixth HMS Ocean (L12) of the Royal Navy is a Landing Platform, Helicopter Cruiser, the only one in its class, built by Kvaerner Govan on the Clyde taking advantage of commercial build methods and facilities, before sailing from Barrow-in-Furness for fitting out prior to acceptance into service... FS Surcouf (F-711) is a La Fayette-class frigate of the French Navy. ... USS (CVA/CV-67) (or Big John) is a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. ... The Karel Doorman class is a class of eight multi-purpose frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is the fourth Nimitz-class supercarrier. ... USS (CVN-74) is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy named for a Senator from Mississippi. ... Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) is a cruiser-aircraft carrier[1] of Italian Marina Militare. ...

Super Étendard aircraft carried out their first missions above Afghanistan on 19 December, executing reconnaissance and bombing missions, covering over 3000 kilometres. Overall they carried out 140 missions, averaging 12 every day, dodging five Stinger missiles. December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Two soldiers preparing to fire a shoulder-mounted Stinger missile launcher A Stinger System: Launcher, Missile and Battery The FIM-92 Stinger is a man portable infra-red homing surface-to-air missile developed in the United States and used by all the US armed services, with whom it entered...

On 18 February 2002, a Helios observation satellite spotted abnormal activities near Gardez. The next day, after US Special Forces in the region confirmed these observations, the Charles De Gaulle launched two reconnaissance Super Étendards. On the 20th, British and US forces entered the valley, and on 2 March, "Operation Anaconda" began. February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Helios 1B is a French military photo-reconnoissance spacecraft. ... Gardez is the capital of Paktia province, Afghanistan. ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62nd in leap years). ... Combatants United States, Canada, UK, Australia, Denmark, France, Norway, Germany Taliban, al-Qaeda Commanders Buster Hagenbeck unknown Strength 2000 500-1000 Casualties 90 casualties (8 U.S. servicemen dead, 82 wounded) 500 [1] In March 2002 fighting in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was renewed as coalition forces made...

In March, Super Étendards and six Mirage 2000 aircraft carried out airstrikes against targets claimed to be al Qaeda. A few targets suggested by US forces were denied out of fear of hitting civilians. Nevertheless, French involvement was complimented by the US President George W. Bush, mentioning "our good ally, France, who deployed a quarter of her Navy in Operation Enduring Freedom" (11 March 2002)[1]. At this point, the French air complement had been increased to 16 Super Étendards, 6 Mirage 2000 D, 5 Rafale, two KC-135 air tankers, and two Hawkeye AWACS. From February, the Charles De Gaulle and the USS John C. Stennis exchanged a few aircraft as a means of strengthening the ties between the allies. A Mirage 2000 of the Indian Air Force The Mirage 2000 is a French-built multi-role fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. ... Osama bin Laden. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft, first manufactured in 1956 and expected to remain in service into the 2020s. ...

On 2 May, the Charles De Gaulle arrived in Singapore for a relief, and returned to Oman on 18th. At the same time, tension began to increase over the question of Iraq; Vice-Admiral François Cluzel declared before the press: "France is opposed to any military action against Iraq. Should anything of this nature be undertaken, we would be unlikely to be part of the coalition". Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... The eighth USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the worlds first nuclear aircraft carrier and the seventh U.S. Navy ship of the name. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ...

Indian-Pakistani crisis

From 9 June–19 June 2002, the Charles De Gaulle and her group allegedly carried out interposition missions to ease the tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. There is no factual proof to back the claim that the Rafales patrolled the Indian^{[citation needed]} and Pakistani coasts, armed with live air-air munitions, with the aim of preventing incidents such as in 1999 when a Pakistani Breguet Atlantique coming from the sea, possibly on an intelligence mission, was shot down by Indian forces. June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani administration. ... The Breguet Atlantic (Breguet 1150 Atlantique) is a Long-distance Reconnaissance airplane, primarily designed for use over open Sea. ...

There is no substance to this claim as neither does the French Navy have the capacity to successfully interdict the Indian Navy nor does the French Government have the necessary political power to influence strategic decisions in either India or Pakistan.

The BBC website in a news article "French aircraft carrier heads home" specifically states that the Charles de Gaulle "returned in July 2002 from a seven-month mission in the Indian Ocean as part of the war against terror" (in Afghanistan).

The aircraft carrier participated in the annual bilateral naval exercises between Indian and French navies [2] called Varuna[3] in May 2002.

Rescue mission

On 9 October, the CrossMed (Regional Operational Centre for Monitoring and Rescue in Mediterranean Sea) received a distress call on the 8-metre Babolin, whose hull was leaking. The Charles De Gaulle, on manoeuvers in the region, sent a helicopter which airlifted the three-man crew, in spite of a 35-knot wind, troubled sea and bad visibility. October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in leap years). ...

Continuing operations

The Charles de Gaulle participated in further actions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005. It returned to Southwest Asia in May 2006 and is currently supporting coalition efforts over Afghanistan. The definition of cultural-geographical regions in use by the United Nations. ...

Integration in the future Navy

The French Navy is usually a two-carrier navy, mainly to ensure that at least one ship is operational at all times even if the other is under repair. This scheme calls for another aircraft carrier to be built.

Cost considerations have made equipment standardisation a necessity. In this context there is a possibilty of collaboration between Britain and France for future carriers. It is possible that the new ship series could be built on the British design, incorporating the recent experience with the Charles De Gaulle. CVF, literally Aircraft Carrier Future, but commonly called the Future Carrier is a new generation of aircraft carrier being developed for the United Kingdoms Royal Navy. ...

Steps have been taken to make such a scenario possible: the new carrier had to be conventionally propelled to meet the cost requirements of the Royal Navy, and while the French Navy favoured a nuclear design, French President Jacques Chirac declared at the end of 2004 that the next French carrier would use a gas engine. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ...

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