French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91)
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Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale) and the largest Western European warship currently in commission. She is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel, and the first and so far only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. She is named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle.
The ship carries a complement of Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard, Dassault Rafale M and E‑2C Hawkeye aircraft, EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopter for combat search and rescue, as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. It is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses two 75 m C13‑3 steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, one catapult at the bow and one across the front of the landing area.[4] Thanks to her characteristics, Charles de Gaulle is the only non-American carrier-vessel in the world empowered to operate American aircraft such as the F/A-18E Super Hornet [5] or C-2 Greyhound,[6] which operate from American carrier-vessels.
Operator: Marine Nationale
Ordered: 3 February 1986
Builder: DCNS
Laid down: 14 April 1989
Launched: 7 May 1994
Commissioned: 18 May 2001
Renamed: Ordered as Richelieu on 3 February 1986, renamed Charles de Gaulle 18 May 1987[1][2]
Homeport: Toulon, France
Identification: R91
Nickname: CDG
Honours and
awards: Jack with the colours of the Free French Forces (front) and the ribbon of the Ordre de la Libération (back)
Status: in active service, as of 2015
General characteristics
Class and type: Unique aircraft carrier
Displacement: 42,500 tonnes (full load)[3]
Length: 261.5 m (858 ft) overall
Beam: 64.36 m (211.2 ft) overall
Draught: 9.43 m (30.9 ft)
Propulsion: 2 × K15 pressurised water reactors (PWR), 30 MW each
4 × diesel-electric
2 × shafts
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h)
Range: Unlimited distance; 20-25 years
Endurance: 45 days of food
Capacity: 800 commandos, 500 tonnes of ammunitions
Complement: Ship's company: 1,350
Air wing: 600
Sensors and
processing systems: DRBJ 11 B tridimensional air search radar
DRBV 26D air search radar
DRBV 15C low altitude air search radar
Arabel target acquisition radar
Electronic warfare
and decoys: ARBR 21 Detector
ARBB 33 Countermeasures suite
ARBG2 MAIGRET Interceptor
4 × Sagaie decoys launcher
SLAT (Système de lutte anti-torpille) torpedo countermeasures
Armament: 4 × 8 cell A-43 Sylver launchers carrying the MBDA Aster 15 surface-to-air missile.
2 × 6 cell Sadral launchers carrying Mistral short range missiles
8 × Giat 20F2 20 mm cannons.
Aircraft carried: 28 – 40 aircraft,[4] including
* Rafale M
* Super Étendard
* E-2C Hawkeye
* SA365 Dauphin
* EC725 Caracal
* AS532 Cougar
