France’s Charles de Gaulle Carrier Completes First Pacific Deployment
The Charles de Gaulle remains the backbone of France’s sea-based power projection strategy.
When it comes to power projection out at sea, the U.S. Navy’s fleet of eleven nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers outnumbers every other nation. Providing extended operational endurance and minimizing the need to refuel frequently, nuclear-powered vessels are considered to be superior to their conventional-powered counterparts. Other than the United States, only one other country operates a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The flagship of the French Navy is the Charles De Gaulle. While smaller than its American Nimitz and Ford-class counterparts, this warship remains one of the most advanced of its kind in service today.
Last month, the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group (CSG) completed its first deployment in the Pacific. Designated as Mission Clemenceau 25, the CSG began its deployment in December and embarked on several Pacific exercises while out at sea including La Perouse 25, Pacific Stellar 2025, and a Maritime Cooperative Activity naval drill with the Philippines. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the French CSG is comprised of the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle carrier, the FS Forbin destroyer, the FS Provence, and FS Alsace frigates, and the fleet oiler FS Jacques Chevallier. The Pacific deployment certainly emphasized ties between France, the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. French ambassador to Singapore Stephen Marchisio noted that “The deployment of this mission is a clear signal of France and Europe’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to work for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Introducing Charles De Gaulle
Upon completing the Clemenceau and Foch conventional-powered aircraft carriers in the 1960s, French officials began contemplating a nuclear-powered design for successors. Particularly, French engineers crafted a carrier prototype with an angled deck and steam catapults, which was unique at the time. The resulting Charles de Gaulle replaced its Foch predecessor officially in 2001. Capable of carrying up to forty airframes, including the Rafale M fighter jet, the E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, and the Super Etendard, Charles de Gaulle truly signifies what it means to be a floating airport.
The French carrier’s USN-type C13 catapult is capable of launching one aircraft a minute onboard. Additionally, Charles de Gaulle features the Sagem Defense Security DALAS laser landing aid and an integrated stabilization system to support aircraft take-offs and landings. Over its four decades in service, Charles de Gaulle has undergone two major facelifts in 2007 and 2017. While these modernization efforts were underway, the carrier’s nuclear reactor was also refueled. The carrier’s propellers were replaced during her 2007 overhaul, and its combat system was modernized in 2017.
Prior to its stint in the Pacific, Charles de Gaulle has embarked on many operations and deployments over her years in service. From the Indian Ocean in the early 2000s to enabling flight operations over Afghanistan and Libya years later, Charles de Gaulle remains the backbone of France’s sea-based power projection strategy.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
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