# French Naval Aviation

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 | To be replaced by Airbus A321 MPA. |
| Dassault Falcon 10 M | France | Jet | Utility | 6 | |
| Dassault Falcon 50 M | France | Jet | Patrol | 8 | |
| Dassault Falcon 200 Guardian | France | Jet | Patrol | 5 | |
| Dassault Rafale M | France | Jet | Multirole | 42 | |
| Embraer EMB 121 Xingu | Brazil | Turboprop | Utility | 11 | |
| Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin | France | Rotorcraft | SAR | 15 | |
| Eurocopter AS565 Panther | France | Rotorcraft | Utility | 16 | |
| Grumman E-2C Hawkeye | USA | Turboprop | AEW&C | 3 | |
| Mudry CAP 10 | France | Propeller | Trainer | 7 | |
| NHIndustries NH90 Caïman Marine | France | Rotorcraft | ASW/SAR | 27 | |
| Airbus Helicopters H160 | France | Rotorcraft | ASW/SAR | 6 | |

## 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:
* Embarked 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) |||||||
| 4F | Fixed wing | E-2C Hawkeye | Lann Bihoué | Carrier airborne early warning | |
| 11F | Fixed wing | Rafale M | Landivisiau | Strike fighter | |
| 12F | Fixed wing | Rafale M | Landivisiau | Strike fighter | |
| 17F | Fixed wing | Rafale M | Landivisiau | Strike fighter | 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) |||||||
| 21F | Fixed wing | Atlantique 2 | Lann Bihoué | Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol | Detachments at Dakar and Djibouti. |
| 23F | Fixed wing | Atlantique 2 | Lann Bihoué | Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol | |
| 24F | Fixed wing | Falcon 50 M | Lann Bihoué | Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue | |
| 25F | Fixed wing | Falcon 200 Guardian | GAM Faa'a | Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue | Detachment at Nouméa. |
| Shipborne and Shore-based Helicopters (Les hélicoptères embarqués et basés à terre) |||||||
| 31F | Rotary | NH90 Caïman | Hyères | Search and rescue | |
| 32F | Rotary | Airbus Helicopters H160M Guépard | Lanvéoc | | Previously used SA321G Super Frelon. |
| 33F | Rotary | NH90 Caïman | Lanvéoc | Anti-submarine warfare / Search and rescue | |
| 34F | Rotary | Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin/NH90 Caïman | Lanvéoc | Anti-submarine warfare | Disbanded 4 September 2020. Planned to re-activate in 2021 operating leased SA365M3 Dauphins from Heli-Union and NHV as temporary equipment. To convert to NH90 Caïman. |
| 35F | Rotary | Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin SPI | Hyères | Search and rescue | Detachments at La Rochelle, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage and Faa'a. Uses additional leased AS365N3 from Heli-Union. |
| 36F | Rotary | Eurocopter AS565 Panther | Hyères | Small ship flights | |
| Support Aviation (l'Aviation de soutien) |||||||
| 10S | Rotary/ Fixed wing/UAV | Schiebel S-100 Serval | Hyères | Experimental | 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 | |
| 50S | Fixed wing | SR20 and CAP-10 | Lanvéoc | Elementary flying training | |
| 57S | Fixed wing | Falcon 10 M | Landivisiau | Combat aviation operational training | |
* Insignia of pilots of Naval aviation
* Arm insignia of personnel of Naval aviation
* 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 have flown with French Naval Aviation.
* Amiot AAC.1 (Junkers Ju 52)
* Avro Anson
* Avro Lancaster Mk.VII
* Beechcraft SNB-5/JRB-4
* Blanchard Brd.1 HB3
* Blériot-SPAD S.42
* Bloch MB.151 C1
* Borel-Odier T BO-2
* Breguet BRE.14B2/A2
* Breguet BRE.19 B2
* Bréguet 521 Bizerte
* Bréguet 1050 Alizé
* Bréguet 1150 Atlantic
* CAMS 30E
* CAMS.37A/37²/37.11/Lia
* CAMS 46 Et2
* CAMS 55.1/55.2/55.6/55.10
* Caudron Cau 59 ET2
* Caudron C635 Simoun
* Caudron C.445 Goéland
* Canadian Car & Foundry Harvard II
* Chance Vought F4U-7/AU-1 Corsair
* Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina
* Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
* Coutant RMC Type 17
* Curtiss SB2C4/SB2C5 Helldiver
* Dassault Étendard IVM/P
* Dassault MD 312 Flamant
* Dassault Super Étendard
* De Havilland 100 Vampire Mk.V
* Dewoitine 7 C1
* Dewoitine D.373/D.376
* Dewoitine D.510
* Dewoitine D.520
* Donnet-Denhaut 140/150 hp
* Donnet-Denhaut 160 hp
* Donnet-Denhaut 200 HP HS Triplace/RR/BB
* Donnet-Denhaut 275hp
* Donnet-Denhaut bimoteur
* Dornier Do 24T
* Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless
* Douglas C-47D Dakota
* Farman Lévy HB2 450 hp
* Farman F60 Torp Goliath/F65
* Farman F.165/F.166/F.168 Torp
* Farman F.223.4
* FBA Type C
* FBA Type H
* FBA Type S
* FBA type 14 HE2
* FBA.17HL1/HL2/HMT2/HE2
* FBA.19HMB2
* Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr
* Georges Lévy 280 HB.2
* Gourdou Leseurre ET1 Type 22
* Gourdou Leseurre LGL.32
* Gourdou Leseurre GL.810/811/812/813 HY
* Gourdou Leseurre GL.832 HY
* Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
* Grumman TBM-3S/E/W/UT Avenger
* Grumman JRF-5 Goose
* Hanriot HD.2 C.1
* Hanriot HD.3 C.2
* Hanriot HD.14 E.2
* Hanriot HD.17 E.2
* Hanriot H.41
* Junkers Ju 188
* Latécoère 290
* Latécoère 298
* Latham 43 HB.3
* Levasseur PL.4 R3b
* Levasseur PL.5 C2b
* Levasseur PL.7 T2B2b
* Levasseur PL.10 R3b/PL.101 R3b
* Levasseur PL.14 Tb2B2
* Levasseur PL.15 T2B2
* Lévy Besson 200 hp
* Lioré et Olivier LeO.7.3
* Lioré et Olivier LeO.20 Bn3
* Lioré et Olivier H.13/H.136
* Lioré et Olivier H.43
* Lioré et Olivier H.193
* Lioré et Olivier H.257 Bis/H258
* Lockheed P2V-1 Ventura
* Lockheed P2V-6/7 Neptune
* Loire 130 C.l
* Loire 210
* LTV/Vought F-8E(FN) Crusader
* Martin 167-A3
* Martin P5M-2 Marlin
* Maurice Farman Type 1910
* Morane Saulnier MoS.130 Et2
* Morane Saulnier MoS.149 Ep2
* Morane Saulnier MS.225 C1
* Morane Saulnier MS.230 Et2
* Morane Saulnier MS.406 C1
* Morane Saulnier MS.500/MS.502 Criquet
* Morane Saulnier MS.733 Alcyon
* Morane Saulnier MS760 Paris
* Nieuport IV.H
* Nieuport VI.H
* Nieuport 12
* Nieuport N.21/N.23
* Nieuport NiD.62 C1/NiD.622 C1
* Nord 262 Frégate
* North American NAA.57 P2
* North American SNJ-3/4/5
* Piper PA-31 Navajo
* Potez 25 A2/TOE
* Potez 452
* Potez 567
* Potez 631 C3
* Salmson Sal.2 A2
* SCAN 20
* Short Sunderland Mk.III/V
* SNCAC/Farman NC.470
* SNCAC NC.701/NC.702 Martinet
* SNCAN N.1001/N.1002 Pingouin
* SNCAN N.1101 Noralpha
* SNCAN N.1402 Noroit
* SNCAN SV.4C Stampe
* SNCAO/Loire-Nieuport LN.401/LN.411
* SNCASE R.82 Romano
* SNCASE Leo.451
* SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc/Bloch MB.160
* SNCASE Aquilon
* SNCASO/Bloch MB.175
* SNCASO SO.94/95 Corse
* SNCASO SO.30P Bretagne
* SOCATA MS.880 Rallye
* Sopwith Sop.1 A2
* Sopwith Baby/130hp Clerget
* Sopwith Triplan C.1
* SPAD S.VII C.1
* SPAD S.XIII C.1
* SPAD XIV Canon
* Stinson 105
* Supermarine Seafire Mk.III/IX/XV
* Supermarine Sea Otter
* Supermarine Walrus
* Tampier T.4
* Taylorcraft L-2
* Tellier Canon 200 hp
* Tellier 200 hp
* Tellier 350Hp
* Tellier BM 400 hp
* Villiers Vil.2AM C.2
* Vickers Wellington
* Voisin L
* Voisin Canard
* Voisin III
* Voisin VIII
* Vought V.156-F
* Wibault Wib.74 C.1

### Helicopters and autogyros

* Aérospatiale Alouette II
* Aérospatiale Super Frelon
* Bell 47
* LeO C-30
* Lynx Mk.4(FN)
* Piasecki H-21C
* Piasecki HUP-2
* Sikorsky H-51
* Sikorsky S-55
* Sikorsky S-58
* Sud-Aviation HSS-1