Insignia of pilots of Naval aviation
| French Naval Aviation | |
|---|---|
| Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale | |
| |
| Founded | 20 March 1912 |
| Country |  France |
| Branch |  French Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation |
| Size | 6,800 personnel 178 aircraft[1][2] |
| Nickname(s) | Sky Navy 'La Marine du Ciel |
| Motto(s) | Honneur, patrie, valeur, discipline |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Contre-amiral Eric Janicot |
| French Navy |
|---|
 |
| Command |
| Components |
| Equipment |
| Personnel |
| History |
| Awards |
|
|
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.
| Type | Origin | Class | Role | Introduced | In service | Total | 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] |
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 3Fet4F).
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:
Operational squadrons are known as Flottilles and normally consist of 12 aircraft :
Shore-based training and transport squadrons are known as Escadrilles de Servitude :
| Squadron | Insignia | 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
Views of various aircraft previously or currently in service
This is a list of retired aircraft that has flown with French Naval Aviation.[25]
