French Naval Aviation

Aéronavale French Naval Aviation
Founded	1910
Country	France
Size	208 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 six airbases, five of them in Metropolitan France and one overseas.

Cborne pilots of the French navy do their initial training at Salon-de-Provence Air Base, then with the US Navy.

Aircraft

Complete and correct as of 8 February 2011.

Aircraft	Photo	Role	Quantity	Squadron
Fixed-wing aircraft
Dassault Rafale		Multi-role fighter	18	12F
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard		Attack	36	11F,17F
Grumman E-2 Hawkeye		Airborne early warning	3	4F
Breguet Atlantic		Maritime patrol	22	21F,23F
Dassault Falcon 20		Surveillance	5	25F
Dassault Falcon 50		Surveillance	4	24F
Embraer EMB 121 Xingu		Support & training	11	24F,28F
Mudry CAP 10		Support & training	7	50S
MS-88 Rallye		Support & training	9	50S
Helicopters
Westland Lynx		Maritime helicopter	26	34F
NHIndustries NH90 Caiman		Anti-submarine helicopter	3	31F
Eurocopter Panther		Anti-submarine helicopter	16	36F
Eurocopter Dauphin		Search & rescue	11	35F
Eurocopter EC225		Search & rescue	2	32F
Aérospatiale Alouette III		Training & utility	18	22S

Structure

Units

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

• 1F to 10F are carrier based ant-submarine squadrons
  • 4F operates the E-2C Hawkeye from Lorient
• 11F to 20F are fighter and attack squadrons
  • 11F operates the Super Etendard based at Landivisiau
  • 12F operates the Rafale M based at Landivisiau
  • 17F operates the Super Etendard at Landivisiau
• 21F to 30F are maritime patrol squadrons
  • 21F operates the Atlantic 2 from Nîmes/Garons
  • 23F operates the Atlantic 2 from Lorient
  • 24F operates the Falcon 50 and Xingu from Lorient
  • 25F operates the Falcon 200 Guardian from Tahiti with a detachment at Nouméa
  • 28F operates the Xingu from Lorient
• 31F to 39F are helicopter squadrons
  • 31F operates the Westland Lynx from Hyeres will change to the NH90 in 2010
  • 32F operates the EC225 from Lanvéoc
  • 34F operates the Lynx from Lanvéoc
  • 35F operates Dauphin helicopters from Hyeres with detachments at Cherbourg, La Rochelle and Le Touquet/Paris-Plage
  • 36F operates the Dauphin from Hyeres

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

• 1S to 19S are communications squadrons
  • 10S is an experimental unit bases at Hyeres
• 20S to 29S are helicopters squadrons
  • 22S operates the Alouette III from Lanvéoc

• 50S to 59S are training squadrons
  • 50S operates the Rallye 100S and CAP-10 from Lanvéoc
  • 57S operates the Falcon 10MER from Landivisiau

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, Super Frelon, Lynx, Alouette III
• Support units:

Gallery

• 

  Markings of the Aviation de Marine are clearly visible on this Alouette III

• 

  Dassault Falcon 20H Gardians are based at La Tontouta International Airport in New Caledonia, with detachments to Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport

• 

  Bastille Day Military Parade 2006, a E-2 Hawkeye and 3 Dassault Rafale

Former Aéronavale aircraft

• Aérospatiale Rallye 100S
• Aérospatiale Super Frelon
• Amiot AAC.1 'Toucan' (Junkers Ju 52)
• Avro Lancaster - 54 sold by Royal Australian Air Force
• Breguet Alizé
• Breguet Atlantic
• Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
• Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
• Dassault Etendard IV
• Dassault Falcon 10
• Douglas C-47 Dakota
• Douglas C-54 Skymaster
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Fouga Zéphyr
• Grumman F6F Hellcat
• Grumman TBF Avenger
• Lockheed P-2 Neptune
• Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris
• Martin P5M Marlin
• Nord Pingouin
• Nord 262
• Short Sunderland
• Piper Navajo
• Sud-Est Aquilon
• Supermarine Seafire
• Vought F4U Corsair
• Vought F-8 Crusader

External links

• French Fleet Air Arm, about French naval aviation.