French Naval Aviation

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Aéronavale
French Naval Aviation
Founded 1910
Country France
Size 181 aircraft
Part of French Navy
Insignia
Roundels
Marine Nationale
Motto: Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline
(“Honour, Homeland, Valour, Discipline”)
Command
Naval Ministers
Maritime Prefect
Components
Force d'action navale
Forces sous-marines (FOST, ESNA)
Aviation navale
FORFUSCO (Commandos Marine, Fusiliers Marins)
Gendarmerie Maritime
Equipment
Current fleet
Current deployments
Personnel
Ranks in the French Navy
History
History of the French Navy
Future of the French Navy
Ensigns and pennants
Historic ships

   battleships
   cruisers
   ships of the line
   Sail frigates

Historic fleets
Awards
Croix de guerre
Médaille militaire
Légion d'honneur
Ribbons

French Naval Aviation (French: Aéronavale) is the naval air arm of the French Navy. Born as a fusion of carrier squadrons and naval patrol air force, the Aviation navale was created on the 19 June 1998. The headquarters is under command of an admiral (ALAVIA) in Toulon naval base. The French Naval Aviation has a strength of around 6,800 civilian and military personnel. They operate from four airbases in Metropolitan France and several detachments in foreign countries or French overseas territories. Carrier-borne pilots of the French navy do their initial training at Salon-de-Provence Air Base.

Aircraft

Complete and correct as of 1 January 2014.

Aircraft Photo Origin Role Version Quantity[1][2] Note
Fixed-wing aircraft
Grumman E-2 Hawkeye  United States AEW&C C 3
Dassault Rafale  France Multirole combat aircraft F1
F3		 10
29 		10 on order.
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard  France Strike aircraft 24 To be retired by 2015.
Atlantique II  France Maritime patrol 22
Dassault Falcon 50  France Surveillance, reconnaissance M 5 3 more to be delivered.
Dassault Falcon 20 Gardian  France Surveillance, reconnaissance 5
Dassault Falcon 10  France Communications & Transport aircraft MER 6
Embraer EMB 121 Xingu  Brazil Transport aircraft & Trainer aircraft A
A1		 9
2
Mudry CAP 10  France Trainer aircraft B 7
Cirrus SR20  United States Trainer aircraft 3
Helicopters
NH90 Caiman  France Maritime helicopter
Search and rescue 		2
7 		18 more on order.
Eurocopter EC225  France Search and rescue SECMAR 2
Westland Lynx  United Kingdom Maritime helicopter Mk.2 (FN) 20
Eurocopter AS565 Panther  France Maritime helicopter SA 16 Panther is the military version of the Dauphin
Eurocopter SA 365 Dauphin  France Search and rescueF-1
N
N3 		3
6
2
Aérospatiale Alouette III  France Utility aircraft SA316B
SA316 B VSV
SA319B 		23
UAVs
Schiebel S-100 Serval  Austria Surveillance 1

Structure

active bases of the French naval air arm (status 2013).

Components

The French Naval Aviation has four components:

  • The air complements of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle: Rafale, Super Étendard and E-2 Hawkeye
  • Naval patrol air units: Atlantique 2
  • On-board (ship) helicopters: Dauphin, Panther, Lynx, Alouette III
  • Support units

Units

Operational squadrons are known as Flottilles and normal consist of 12 aircraft :

  • 1F to 10F are carrier based anti-submarine squadrons
  • 11F to 20F are fighter and attack squadrons
  • 21F to 30F are maritime patrol squadrons
  • 31F to 39F are helicopter squadrons

Shore-based training and transport squadrons are known as Escadrilles de Servitude :

  • 1S to 19S are communications squadrons
  • 20S to 29S are helicopters squadrons
  • 50S to 59S are training squadrons
Squadron Insignia Type Aircraft Base Role Notes
4F Fixed wing E-2C Hawkeye BAN Lann Bihoue Carrier Airborne Early Warning
11F Fixed wing Rafale M BAN Landivisiau Strike Fighter
12F Fixed wing Rafale M BAN Landivisiau Strike Fighter
17F
Fixed wing Super Etendard BAN Landivisiau Strike Fighter To convert to Rafale M
21F
Fixed wing Atlantique II BAN Lann Bihoue Maritime patrol detachments at Dakar and Djibouti
23F Fixed wing Atlantique II BAN Lann Bihoue Maritime patrol
24F Fixed wing Falcon 50 M BAN Lann Bihoue Maritime patrol
25F Fixed wing Falcon 200 Gardian GAM Faa’a Maritime patrol detachment at Nouméa
28F
Fixed wing Embraer Xingu BAN Lann Bihoue Utility
31F Rotary NH90 Caiman BAN Hyeres Search and Rescue
32F Rotary EC225 SECMAR BAN Lanveoc Search and Rescue detachment at Cherbourg
33F Rotary NH90 Caiman BAN Hyeres Anti-Submarine Warfare
34F Rotary Westland Lynx BAN Lanveoc Anti-Submarine Warfare To convert to NH90 Caiman
35F Rotary Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, Alouette III BAN Hyeres Search and Rescue detachments at La Rochelle, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Faa’a
36F Rotary Eurocopter AS565 Panther BAN Hyeres Small ship flights
10S Rotary/ Fixed wing/UAV Alouette III, Westland Lynx, Schiebel S-100 Serval BAN Hyeres Experimental
22S Rotary Alouette III BAN Lanveoc Utility
50S Fixed wing SR20 and CAP-10 BAN Lanveoc Elementary flying training
57S Fixed wing Falcon 10 M BAN Landivisiau Training (Jets)

Gallery

  • Two Super etendard, two Rafale fighters and a E-2C Hawkeye at the 2010s French Naval Aviation Centenary Airshow

  • Rafale fighter on the flight deck of the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier at dawn.

  • Rafale fighters on the flight deck of the Charles De Gaulle aircratf carrier

  • Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft

  • Lynx WG13 helicopter armed with a Mk46 torpedo on the deck of a frigate

  • Offshore rescue by French Navy Dauphin helicopter

  • Panther helicopter lifts off the deck of the French frigate Guepratte

Former Aéronavale aircraft

Seaplanes

Aircraft

Helicopters

Autogyro

References

  1. ↑ "Marine Nationale 2013 Chiffres & données - dossier d'information-" (in (French)). Defense.gouv.fr. 
  2. ↑ Flight Global World Air Forces 2014

External links

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