French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle ( R91 ) " Charles de Gaulle " ( R91 ) is the flagship of the French Navy ( " Marine Nationale " ) and the largest Western European warship . She is the tenth French aircraft carrier , the first French nuclear - powered surface vessel , and the first and so far only nuclear - powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy . It is named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle . The ship carries a complement of Dassault - Breguet Super Étendard , Dassault Rafale M and E ‑ 2C Hawkeye aircraft , EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopter for RESCO , as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles . It is a CATOBAR - type carrier that uses two 75 m C13 ‑ 3 steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the U . S . " Nimitz " class carriers , one catapult at the bow and one across the front of the landing area . Development . Construction . The carrier replaced " Foch " , a conventionally powered aircraft carrier , in 2001 . " Clemenceau " and " Foch " were completed in 1961 and 1963 respectively ; the requirement for a replacement was identified in the mid - 1970s . The hull was laid down in April 1989 at the DCNS Brest naval shipyard . The carrier was launched in May 1994 and at 35 , 500 tonnes was the largest warship launched in Western Europe since the British " Ark Royal " in 1950 . She was to be named " Richelieu " in 1986 by the French president at the time , François Mitterrand , after the famous French politician Armand - Jean du Plessis , Cardinal and Duc de Richelieu . On 7 February 1987 , however , after a ferocious row , the name of the ship was changed to " Charles de Gaulle " by the Gaullist Prime Minister at the time , Jacques Chirac . Construction quickly fell behind schedule as the project was starved of funding , which was worsened by the economic recession in the early 1990s . Total costs for the vessel would top €3 billion . Work on the ship was suspended altogether on four occasions : 1990 , 1991 , 1993 , and 1995 . The ship was commissioned on 18 May 2001 , five years behind the projected deadline . Spying incident . In 1993 , it was alleged by " The Guardian " that a group of engineers inspecting the vessel during her construction were British Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ) operatives , believed to have been learning the method of shielding the nuclear reactors , amongst other technical details . However , the newspaper published a denial by both the British government and the " Direction de la surveillance du territoire " ( DST ) ( in English : " Directorate of Territorial Surveillance " ) that there had been any incident . Trials and technical problems . " Charles de Gaulle " entered sea trials in 1999 . These identified the need to extend the flight deck to safely operate the E - 2C Hawkeye . This operation sparked negative publicity , however , as the same tests had been conducted on both " Foch " and " Clemenceau " when the F ‑ 8E ( FN ) Crusader fighter had been introduced . The 5 million francs for the extension was 0 . 025 % of the total budget for " Charles de Gaulle " project . On 28 February 2000 , a nuclear reactor trial triggered the combustion of additional isolation elements , producing a smoke incident . During the night of 9 November 2000 , in the Western Atlantic while en route toward Norfolk , Virginia , the port propeller broke , and the ship had to return to Toulon to have a replacement fitted . The investigations that followed showed similar structural faults in the other propeller and in the spare propellers : bubbles in the one - piece copper - aluminum alloy propellers near the centre . The supplier , Atlantic Industries , which had already gone bankrupt , was blamed for the fault . To make matters worse , all documents relating to the design and fabrication of the propellers had been lost in a fire . As a temporary solution , the less advanced spare propellers of " Clemenceau " and " Foch " were used , limiting the maximum speed to 24 knots ( 44 km / h ) instead of the contractual 27 knots ( 50 km / h ) . On 5 March 2001 , " Charles de Gaulle " went back to sea with two older propellers and sailed 25 . 2 knots ( 47 km / h ) on her trials . Between July and October , " Charles de Gaulle " had to be refitted once more due to abnormal noises , as loud as 100 dB , near the starboard propeller , which had rendered the aft part of the ship uninhabitable . On 8 November 2001 , a sailor performing a routine maintenance task lost consciousness due to a toxic gas leak . A non - commissioned officer attempted to rescue him and collapsed as well . They were rescued by the on - board medical team and sent to Toulon Hospital . Both survived . Active service . Refitting . On 16 September 2001 , the French press reported slightly higher than acceptable radioactivity levels aboard " Charles de Gaulle " , thought to be caused by a faulty isolation element . It was later discovered that the radioactivity levels matched the design , but that the regulations concerning acceptable radioactivity levels had changed . While the United States was preparing its response to the September 11 , 2001 attacks in the form of Operation Enduring Freedom , French media complained about the lack of deployable French military power . At the same time , the Defence Commission reported the maintenance of the Fleet to be substandard . In this context , " Charles de Gaulle " , then under repairs , was again an object of criticism , with former President Valéry Giscard d ' Estaing describing it as a " half - aircraft - carrier " . Link 16 . On 11 October 2001 , the frigate " Cassard " , four AWACS aircraft and " Charles de Gaulle " were involved in a successful trial of the Link 16 high - bandwidth secure data network . The network allows real - time monitoring of the airspace from the South of England to the Mediterranean Sea . The collected data were also transmitted in real time to the " Jean Bart " through the older Link 11 system . Afghanistan . On 21 November 2001 , France decided to send " Charles de Gaulle " to the Indian Ocean in support of Operation Enduring Freedom against Taliban - controlled Afghanistan . Task Force 473 , with 2 , 900 men under the command of Contre - Amiral François Cluzel , sailed on 1 December . The task force was composed of " Charles de Gaulle " , frigates " La Motte - Picquet " , " Jean de Vienne " and " Jean Bart " , the nuclear attack submarine " Rubis " , the tanker " Meuse " and the aviso " Commandant Ducuing " . Embarked air power comprised sixteen Super Étendard s , one E - 2C Hawkeye , two Rafale Ms and several helicopters . The Super Étendards carried out their first missions above Afghanistan on 19 December , executing reconnaissance and bombing missions , covering over 3 , 000 kilometres . Overall they carried out 140 missions , averaging 12 every day . On 18 February 2002 , a Helios observation satellite spotted abnormal activities near Gardez . The next day , after American Special Forces in the region confirmed these observations , " Charles de Gaulle " launched two reconnaissance Super Étendards . On 20 February , British and US forces entered the valley and Operation Anaconda began in early March . In March , Super Étendards and six Mirage 2000 aircraft carried out airstrikes against targets claimed to be al Qaeda . A few targets suggested by U . S . forces were denied out of fear of hitting civilians . Nevertheless , French involvement was complimented on 11 March 2002 by US President George W . Bush , who mentioned " our good ally , France , has deployed nearly one - fourth of its navy to support Operation Enduring Freedom " . At this point , the French air complement had been increased to 16 Super Étendards , 6 Mirage 2000 D , 5 Rafales , and two Hawkeye AWACS . From February , the air wings of " Charles de Gaulle " and USS " John C . Stennis " landed on each other ' s decks as a means of strengthening the ties between the allies . On 2 May , " Charles de Gaulle " arrived in Singapore for relief and returned to Oman on 18 May . Indian - Pakistani crisis . In June 2002 while " Charles de Gaulle " was in the Arabian Sea , armed Rafale fighters conducted combat air - patrols with the United States Navy off the coast of India and Pakistan , marking a significant point in the Rafale M ' s operational career and its integration with the carrier . Rescue mission . On 9 October , the " CrossMed " ( The Regional Operational Centre for Monitoring and Rescue in the Mediterranean Sea ) received a distress call from the 8 - metre " Babolin " , whose hull was leaking . " Charles de Gaulle " , on manoeuvres in the region , sent a helicopter that airlifted the three - man crew , despite wind , troubled sea , and bad visibility . Continuing operations . " Charles de Gaulle " participated in further actions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005 . It returned to Southwest Asia in May 2006 and shortly after supported coalition efforts over Afghanistan . The aircraft carrier regularly participates in the annual bilateral naval exercises between the Indian and French navies called ' Varuna ' . First major overhaul . " Charles de Gaulle " ' s first major overhaul began in September 2007 . The highlight of this 15 - month refit was the refueling of the nuclear power plant , a necessary step after six years in service , during which " Charles de Gaulle " sailed the equivalent of 12 times around the world , spent 900 days at sea , and performed 19 , 000 catapult launches . Several improvements will also be made , including the installation of new propellers . These will allow the " Charles de Gaulle " to reach her design speed of , replacing the vintage propellers used as a stop - gap since 2001 . Aircraft maintenance and weapons stores will also be upgraded to allow operation of new Rafale F3 fighters armed with ASMP ‑ A nuclear missiles and SCALP EG cruise missiles , and satellite communications bandwidth will be increased tenfold . The refit was completed in December 2008 but following technical problems in March 2009 the carrier is back in Toulon for repairs . An intensive work ‑ up period is planned to bring the " Charles de Gaulle " and her airgroup back to operational status . On 14 October 2010 , a four - month cruise was cut down to a single day when the ship suffered an electrical fault in its propulsion system . Fifth overseas deployment : Task Force 473 and Operation Agapanthus 2010 . A French naval task group , designated Task Force 473 , led by the " Charles de Gaulle " departed Toulon on 30 October 2010 for a four - month deployment , code - named Operation Agapanthus 2010 , to the Mediterranean Sea , Red Sea , Indian Ocean . and Persian Gulf . The task group also included the frigates " Forbin " and " Tourville " ; a nuclear attack submarine " Améthyste " ; a replenishment oiler " Meuse " , 3 , 000 sailors , and an Embarked Aviation Group ( EAG ) consiting of 12 Super - Étendard attack aircraft , 10 Rafale multi - role fighters , and two E - 2C Hawkeye 2000 AEW aircraft . The task group commander , Rear Admiral Jean - Louis Kerignard , defined force ' s mission as follows : Once on station , Task Force 473 joined two U . S . Navy carrier strike group s operating in the Persian Gulf ( " pictured " ) , the Carrier Strike Group Nine led by the USS " Abraham Lincoln " and Carrier Strike Group Ten led by the . On 28 November 2010 , according to an Associated Press dispatch , the French Ministry of Defense announced that a French Rafale fighter jet crashed near the " Charles de Gaulle " which was operating 60 miles ( 100 kilometres ) off the coast of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan . The pilot parachuted to safety and was picked up by helicopter , and the cause of the crash was under investigation . In December 2010 , during its deployment to the Persian Gulf , the British Type 22 frigate and the United States destroyer USS Halsey DDG97 rotated from maritime security patrol to escort " Charles de Gaulle " in support of coalition military operations in Afghanistan . This represented an example of interoperability pursuant to the recently ratified Anglo - Franco defence cooperation treaty . Between 7 – 14 January 2011 , Task Force 473 participated with bilateral naval exercise , code named Varuna 10 , with the Indian Navy . Indian naval units participating in Varuna 10 included the aircraft carrier , the frigates and ; and the diesel - electric submarine . Varuna 10 was a two - phase naval exercise , with the harbor phase taking place between 7 – 11 January and the sea phase between 11 – 14 January in the Arabian Sea . Task Force 473 paid a port visit to Goa between 7 – 14 January 2001 . The carrier " Charles de Gaulle " and the frigate " Fobin " also paid a goodwill visit to Khor Fakkan , United Arab Emirates , on 30 January 2011 , docking at its container terminal facilities . Operation Agapanthus 2010 concluded on 21 February 2011 . Task Force 473 completed more than 1 , 000 flying hours flown from the " Charles de Gaulle " in support of NATO ' s International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) deployed in Afghanistan . Task Force 473 also participated in bilateral exercises with armed forces of India , Saudi Arabia , and the United Arab Emirates to test the interoperability of French military forces and share expertise with the regional partners . 2011 Mediterranean Operations . On 20 March 2011 , the " Charles de Gaulle " was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which called for a no - fly zone over Libya . Accompanying the " Charles de Gaulle " were the frigates " Dupleix " and " Aconit " and the fleet replenishment tanker " Meuse " . During Unified Protector , the air fleet has flown 1 , 350 sorties during the war on Libya . The CdG was then withdrawn for maintenance at Toulon on 10 August . Following this deployment , " Charles de Gaulle " underwent maintenance and upkeep which in an at - sea underway period in December 2011 . 2012 FANAL exercises . On 2 February 2012 , " Charles de Gaulle " was underway for three days of sea trials . Beginning on 5 February 2012 , carrier qualifications began for the pilots of its air group . This included transitioning of pilots flying Super Etandard Modernisé ( SEM ) strike fighters to the new Rafale M fighters . On 16 March 2012 , " Charles de Gaulle " departed for a one - month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea . " Charles de Gaulle " s task force was under the overall command of Rear Admiral Philippe Coindreau , and it consisted of the frigates " Chevalier Paul " , " Dupleix " , " Montcalm " , and " EV Jacoubet " ; the replenishment tanker " Meuse " ; and the nuclear - powered submarine " Émeraude " . " Charles de Gaulle " s embarked air group consisted of 7 Rafales fighters , 7 Super Etendards Modernisés ( SEM ) strike fighters , and 2 E ‑ 2C Hawkeye airborne early warning ( AEW ) aircraft . The highlight of the deployment for the task group was 2012 FANAL exercises that began on 5 April 2012 which also included land - based Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft . 2012 FANAL concluded on 12 April , and this was the first major exercise involving the French Navy ' s new Caïman helicopter . Integration in the future navy . The French Navy is theoretically a two - carrier navy , mainly to ensure that at least one ship is operational at all times even if the other is under repair . This scheme requires another aircraft carrier to be built , however , as the " Charles de Gaulle " is the only aircraft carrier currently serving . Cost considerations have made equipment standardization a necessity . In this context , there is a possibility of collaboration with Britain for future aircraft carriers and Thales UK ( with BMT ) made the design for the " Queen Elizabeth " - class aircraft carrier , which may be modified as the Future French aircraft carrier . Steps have been taken by both countries to make such a scenario possible : the new carrier had to be conventionally propelled to meet the requirements of the Royal Navy . France favours nuclear propulsion , and a study is being conducted to see if it is more cost efficient than gas turbines . As of the 2013 French Defence White Paper , the plan for a second carrier has been cancelled .