French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle in 2019.
Class overview
NameCharles de Gaulle class
Operators French Navy
Preceded byClemenceau class
Succeeded by
Cost€3 billion (2001)
Built1989–2000
In commission2001–present
Planned1
Completed1
History
France
NameCharles de Gaulle
NamesakeCharles de Gaulle
Ordered3 February 1986
BuilderNaval Group
Laid down14 April 1989 (stacking of elements in prefabrication since 24 November 1987)
Launched7 May 1994
Maiden voyage18 May 2001
RenamedOrdered as Richelieu on 3 February 1986, renamed Charles de Gaulle 18 May 1987[1][2]
HomeportToulon, France
Identification
Nickname(s)CDG
Honours and
awards		Jack with the colours of the Free French Forces (front) and the ribbon of the Ordre de la Libération (back)
Statusin active service
General characteristics
TypeAircraft carrier
Displacement42,500 t (41,800 long tons) (full load)[3]
Length261.5 m (857 ft 11 in) LOA
Beam
  • Overall: 64.36 m (211 ft 2 in)
  • Waterline: 31.5 m (103 ft 4 in)
Height66.5 m (218 ft 2 in)
Draught9.43 m (30 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Areva K15 pressurised water reactors (PWR), 150 MWt each,[4][5] LEU < 20%[6]
  • 2 × Alstom steam turbines with a total 61 MW (82,000 hp) shaft power[5]
  • 4 × diesel-electric
  • 2 × shafts
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Endurance45 days of food
Capacity800 commandos, 500 t (490 long tons; 550 short tons) of ammunition
Complement
  • Ship's company: 1,350
  • Air wing: 600
Sensors and
processing systems
  • DRBJ 11 B tridimensional air search radar
  • Thales SMART-S MK2 (replacing DRBJ 11B)
  • DRBV 26D air search radar
  • DRBV 15C low altitude air search radar
  • Arabel target acquisition radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • ARBR 21 Detector
  • ARBB 33 Countermeasures suite
  • ARBG2 MAIGRET Interceptor
  • 4 × Sagaie decoys launcher
  • SLAT (Système de lutte anti-torpille) torpedo countermeasures
Armament
Aircraft carried

Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French Navy. The ship, commissioned in 2001, is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel, and the only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. She is named after French president and general Charles de Gaulle.

The ship carries a complement of Dassault Rafale M and E-2C Hawkeye aircraft, AS365F Dauphin Pedro, EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopters for combat search and rescue, as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. She is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses two 75 m (246 ft) C13‑3 steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the US Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, one at the bow and one at the waist.[7] As of July 2021, Charles de Gaulle was the only non-American carrier-vessel that had a catapult launch system, which has allowed for operation of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets[10] and C-2 Greyhounds of the United States Navy.[11][12]

  1. ^ Roche, vol.2, p.423
  2. ^ Roche, vol.2, p.128
  3. ^ "Le Charles de Gaulle a ses nouvelles hélices américaines". Libération (in French). 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ^ Kuperman, Alan J. (17 April 2013). Nuclear Terrorism and Global Security: The Challenge of Phasing Out Highly Enriched Uranium. Routledge. pp. 189–. ISBN 978-1-135-10586-0. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Nuclear-Powered Ships". World Nuclear Association. August 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Sous-marins australiens: Quels risques de prolifération nucléaire?". 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Charles de Gaulle". GlobalSecurity.org. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  8. ^ ""Historic Super Etendard's final carrier launch", Airheadsfly, march 31, 2016". Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  9. ^ Grolleau, Henri-Pierre (December 2017). Carrier Aviation in the 21st Century. Harpia Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-9973092-2-5.
  10. ^ "U.S. F/A-18E Hornet operates from French Aircraft Carrier". 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Libye : un aéronef américain apponte sur le Charles de Gaulle". 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  12. ^ "French Rafale fighter jets operate from U.S. aircraft carrier". theaviationist.com. 15 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.