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.

French Naval Aviation
Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale
French Fleet Air Arm Roundel
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

Aircraft inventory

Main article: List of active military aircraft of the French Armed Forces

Type	Origin	Class	Role	Introduced	In service	Total	Notes
Bréguet Atlantique II	France	Turboprop	ASW		22		[2] To be replaced by Airbus A321 MPA.[3]
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[4]		[2][5]
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]

Structure

Active bases of the French naval air arm (status 2013)

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	Insignia	Type	Aircraft	Base	Role	Notes
Embarked Air Group (Le Groupe aérien embarqué)[6]
4F		Fixed wing	E-2C Hawkeye	Lann Bihoué	Carrier airborne early warning	[7]
11F		Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	[8]
12F		Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	[9]
17F		Fixed wing	Rafale M	Landivisiau	Strike fighter	[10] 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)[11]
21F		Fixed wing	Atlantique 2	Lann Bihoué	Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol	[12] Detachments at Dakar and Djibouti.
23F		Fixed wing	Atlantique 2	Lann Bihoué	Anti-submarine warfare / Naval patrol	[13]
24F		Fixed wing	Falcon 50 M	Lann Bihoué	Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue	[14]
25F		Fixed wing	Falcon 200 Guardian	GAM Faa'a	Maritime surveillance / Search and rescue	[15] Detachment at Nouméa.
Shipborne and Shore-based Helicopters (Les hélicoptères embarqués et basés à terre)
31F		Rotary	NH90 Caïman	Hyères	Search and rescue	[16]
32F		Rotary	Airbus Helicopters H160M Guépard	Lanvéoc		Previously used SA321G Super Frelon.[17]
33F		Rotary	NH90 Caïman	Lanvéoc	Anti-submarine warfare / Search and rescue	[18]
34F		Rotary	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin/NH90 Caïman	Lanvéoc	Anti-submarine warfare	Disbanded 4 September 2020. Planned to re-activate in 2021[19] operating leased SA365M3 Dauphins from Heli-Union and NHV as temporary equipment.[17] To convert to NH90 Caïman.[20]
35F		Rotary	Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin SPI	Hyères	Search and rescue	Detachments at La Rochelle, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage[21] and Faa'a. Uses additional leased AS365N3 from Heli-Union.[17]
36F		Rotary	Eurocopter AS565 Panther	Hyères	Small ship flights	[22]
Support Aviation (l'Aviation de soutien)
10S		Rotary/ Fixed wing/UAV	Schiebel S-100 Serval	Hyères	Experimental	[23]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	[24]
50S		Fixed wing	SR20 and CAP-10	Lanvéoc	Elementary flying training	[23]
57S		Fixed wing	Falcon 10 M	Landivisiau	Combat aviation operational training	[25]

Insignia

• 
  Insignia of pilots of Naval aviation
• 
  Arm insignia of personnel of Naval aviation

Views of various aircraft previously or currently in service

• 
  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.^[26]

• 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

From 1951 to 1956, 164 Grumman Avengers were delivered to French Naval Aviation and in service until 1965

• 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

The Corsair F4U-7 was the first new aircraft delivered to the French Navy after 1945. It saw action during the Indochina war, Algerian war and operation Musketeer.

• 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

The Martin P5M-2 Marlin served in the French navy between 1959 and 1964.

• 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

During the Algerian War of independence, the French Navy flew Lockheed Neptunes on surveillance patrol to fight weapons smuggling by sea

• 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

The Crusader was the air superiority jet aircraft of the French Navy for 35 years

• 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

The Canard Voisin was the first seaplane used by the French Navy

• 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

French Navy Lynx; In service from 1979 to 2020.

• Aérospatiale Alouette II
• Aérospatiale Super Frelon
• Bell 47
• LeO C-30
• Lynx Mk.4(FN)^[27]
• Piasecki H-21C
• Piasecki HUP-2
• Sikorsky H-51
• Sikorsky S-55
• Sikorsky S-58
• Sud-Aviation HSS-1

See also

• Edouard Guillaud