French Naval Aviation

French Naval Aviation
French Naval Aviation
Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale
	French Fleet Air Arm Roundel
Founded	20 March 1912
Country	France
Branch	French Navy
Type	Naval aviation
Size	6,800 personnel; 178 aircraft
Nickname(s)	Sky Navy; 'La Marine du Ciel
Motto(s)	Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline
Commanders
Current; commander	Contre-amiral Eric Janicot

French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: Aéronavale (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or Aviation navale, or more simply l'Aéro) is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale. Born as a fusion of aircraft carrier squadrons and the naval patrol air force, the Aéronavale was created in 1912. The force is under the command of a flag officer officially titled Admiral of Naval Aviation (ALAVIA) with his headquarters at Toulon naval base. It has a strength of around 6,800 military and civilian personnel. It operates 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 after which they undergo their carrier qualification with the US Navy.

Aircraft inventory

Type	Origin	Class	Role	In service	Notes
Bréguet Atlantique II	France	Turboprop	ASW	22	^[2]
Dassault Falcon 10 M	France	Jet	Utility	6	^[2]
Dassault Falcon 50 M	France	Jet	Patrol	8	^[2]
Dassault Falcon 200 Guardian	France	Jet	Patrol	5	^[2]
Dassault Rafale M	France	Jet	Multirole	42^[3]	^[2]^[4]
Embraer EMB 121 Xingu	Brazil	Turboprop	Utility	11	^[2]
Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin	France	Rotorcraft	SAR	15	^[2]
Eurocopter AS565 Panther	France	Rotorcraft	Utility	16	^[2]
Grumman E-2C Hawkeye	USA	Turboprop	AEW&C	3	^[2]
Mudry CAP 10	France	Propeller	Trainer	7	^[2]
NHIndustries NH90 Caïman Marine	France	Rotorcraft	ASW/SAR	27	^[2]
Airbus Helicopters H160	France	Rotorcraft	ASW/SAR	6	^[2]

Structure

Immediately after the end of World War II, the Aeronavale only had Supermarine Seafire Mk.III (Flottille 1F) and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Flotilles 3F et 4F).

Components

The flight personnel of the French Navy falls into three categories: fighter aviation, fixed-wing aviation and helicopter aviation.

Operationally the French Naval Aviation has four components:

Embarqued Air Group (Le Groupe aérien embarqué) of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle: Rafale M, E-2C Hawkeye
Naval Patrol and Maritime Surveillance Aviation (l'Aviation de patrouille et de surveillance maritime): Atlantique 2, Falcon 50, Falcon 200
Shipborne and Shore-based Helicopters (Les hélicoptères embarqués et basés à terre): Dauphin, Panther, Caïman Marine
Support Aviation (l'Aviation de soutien): Falcon 10, EMB-121 Xingu, SR20, Cap-10, Dauphin, EC120 Colibri

Units

Operational squadrons are known as Flottilles and normally 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	Type	Aircraft	Base	Role	Notes
Embarked Air Group (Le Groupe aérien embarqué)^[5]
4F	Fixed wing	E-2C Hawkeye	Lann Bihoué	Carrier airborne early warning	^[6]
11F	Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	^[7]
12F	Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	^[8]
17F	Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	^[9] Ended conversion to Rafale M in June 2016.
	Rotary	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin	Hyères	Plane guard	Not part of the GAE. Charles de Gaulle set sail on cruises with two Dauphin helicopters from 35F.
Naval Patrol and Maritime Surveillance Aviation (l'Aviation de patrouille et de surveillance maritime)^[10]
21F	Fixed wing	Atlantique 2	Lann Bihoué	Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol	^[11] Detachments at Dakar and Djibouti.
23F	Fixed wing	Atlantique 2	Lann Bihoué	Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol	^[12]
24F	Fixed wing	Falcon 50 M	Lann Bihoué	Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue	^[13]
25F	Fixed wing	Falcon 200 Guardian	GAM Faa'a	Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue	^[14] Detachment at Nouméa.
Shipborne and Shore-based Helicopters (Les hélicoptères embarqués et basés à terre)
31F	Rotary	NH90 Caïman	Hyères	Search and rescue	^[15]
32F	Rotary	Airbus Helicopters H160M Guépard	Lanvéoc		Previously used SA321G Super Frelon.^[16]
33F	Rotary	NH90 Caïman	Lanvéoc	Anti-submarine warfare / Search and rescue	^[17]
34F	Rotary	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin/NH90 Caïman	Lanvéoc	Anti-submarine warfare	Disbanded 4 September 2020. Planned to re-activate in 2021^[18] operating leased SA365M3 Dauphins from Heli-Union and NHV as temporary equipment.^[16] To convert to NH90 Caïman.^[19]
35F	Rotary	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin SPI	Hyères	Search and rescue	Detachments at La Rochelle, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage^[20] and Faa'a. Uses additional leased AS365N3 from Heli-Union.^[16]
36F	Rotary	Eurocopter AS565 Panther	Hyères	Small ship flights	^[21]
Support Aviation (l'Aviation de soutien)
10S	Rotary/ Fixed wing/UAV	Schiebel S-100 Serval	Hyères	Experimental	^[22]Aviation and airborne weapons research and development, evaluation at several locations.
22S	Rotary	Dauphin, EC120 Colibri	Lanvéoc	Rotary operational training / Liaison
28F	Fixed wing	Embraer Xingu	Lann Bihoué	Naval patrol and maritime surveillance operational training / Utility / Liaison	^[23]
50S	Fixed wing	SR20 and CAP-10	Lanvéoc	Elementary flying training	^[22]
57S	Fixed wing	Falcon 10 M	Landivisiau	Combat aviation operational training	^[24]

Insignia

Insignia of pilots of Naval aviation
Arm insignia of personnel of Naval aviation

Views of various aircraft previously or currently in service

Two Super Étendard, two Rafale fighters and an E-2C Hawkeye at the 2010s French Naval Aviation Centenary Airshow
Rafale fighter on the flight deck of Charles de Gaulle at dawn
Rafale fighters on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
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 Guépratte
NH90 helicopter of the French Naval Aviation landing on the FREMM multipurpose frigate Auvergne.
Dassault Falcon 10MER of Escadrille 57S at BAN Nîmes-Garons.

Retired aircraft

This is a list of retired aircraft that has flown with French Naval Aviation.^[25]

The Canard Voisin was the first seaplane used by the French Navy

Helicopters and autogyros

References & notes

External links

French Fleet Air Arm, about French naval aviation.
(fr) Association pour la Recherche de Documentation sur l'Histoire de l'Aéronautique Navale (ARDHAN), Association for Documentation Research on the History of French Naval Aviation.

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