Poster french air carrier "Charles de Gaulle"

The Charles de Gaulle is the French Navy's aircraft carrier, the first and only nuclear-powered surface combatant built in Europe. It replaced the aircraft carrier Clemenceau. A second aircraft carrier was to be built, the PA 2, to replace the Foch, but was never built.

Its hull number is R91. At 261.5 meters long, 64.36 meters wide and 75 meters high, it is a medium-sized aircraft carrier compared to its American counterparts. It displaces 42,000 tons, and can carry about 1,950 sailors, with an additional 800 military personnel in troop transport. The flight deck area is 12,000 m2 and has an aircraft hangar area of 4,600 m2.

The Charles de Gaulle is equipped with nuclear propulsion and can travel 1,200 kilometers in 24 hours at a maximum speed of 27 knots. Its food and fuel capacity gives it 45 days of total autonomy in operation. Its air group can carry out 100 flights per day for 7 days, i.e. more than 700 flights in total autonomy. This entails the obligation to refuel at sea during long missions lasting several months, which its nuclear propulsion months, which its nuclear propulsion allows it to do.

A refuelling tanker providing an additional 30 days of total autonomy is permanently assigned to the GAN TF473 to refuel the Charles de Gaulle and the other ships of the group. During high-intensity warfare missions, a second tanker is assigned as reinforcement. The aircraft carrier is equipped with a SATRAP (Système Automatique de TRAnquillisation de The aircraft carrier is equipped with a SATRAP (Automatic Platform Stabilization System) which reduces unwanted movements of the ship: roll, yaw, yaw and heel.

Its air fleet is composed of Rafales Marine, E-2 Hawkeye, Dauphin helicopters and Alouette III. The Charles de Gaulle is equipped with a set of short and medium range surveillance radar sensors and secondary radars. secondary radars.

Its self-defence weapons include electronic countermeasures, as well as ground-to-air missiles, in particular the ground-to-air missiles, in particular the SAAM (Anti-Missile Weapons System), made up of Aster-15 missiles.