'Charles de Gaulle' - French Aircraft Carrier

Charles de Gaulle (R91) is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale) and the largest Western European aircraft carrier. 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. She 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, as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. She is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the US Nimitz class carriers, the 75 m C13-3 steam catapult.