A THIRD OF CHARLES DE GAULLE FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER INFECTED BY COVID-19

A third of the nearly 2,000 sailors who were aboard France's aircraft carrier and support craft when a coronavirus outbreak occurred at sea have tested positive for the virus, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
With two-thirds of test results in, 668 sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle and escort vessels in its battle group are confirmed to have the virus, it said.
Thirty-one were being treated in hospital, and one was in intensive care, a ministry statement said.
Last week, it was decided to bring the Charles-de-Gaulle home 10 days early from a deployment in the Atlantic after some crew members showed coronavirus symptoms.
The carrier which had helicopters and fighter jets on board, was accompanied by two frigates -- one for aerial defence and the other an anti-submarine vessel.
Sailors from the Charles-de-Gaulle, one of the frigates and the pilots who returned the aircraft to their respective bases, are all placed in isolation for 14 days, the ministry said.
There had been no virus outbreak on the other frigate.
france24

France begins studies for Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier replacement

France will make a decision on the replacement of its flagship aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle at the start of 2020.
The carrier has been in service since 2001 but Paris is looking to build a vessel that would take into consideration expected technological advances post-2030 and be capable of carrying a planned new Franco-German fighter jet.
uk.reuters.com

French Navy Deploying 12 Rafales To USA For Training

Aviators from the French Navy will be in Hampton Roads starting in April to train with the U.S. Navy.
Navy officials say 27 pilots will conduct air–to–air and air–to–ground training at Naval Air Station Oceana and Naval Station Norfolk -- as well as Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) at Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress.
The French pilots will be flying 12 Marine Nationale Rafale-M multi-role fighter jets and one E-2C Hawkeye airborne command.
Officials say the squadrons training in Hampton Roads are being hosted by Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8.
Following the above training, the squadrons will embark the USS George H.W. Bush for around two weeks for day and night flight operations.
The French pilots are training aboard the George H.W. Bush because France's aircraft carrier, the Charles De Gaulle, is undergoing a mid-life overhaul, officials say.
French carriers have similar catapult systems to U.S. carriers.
wavy

France sells five used Super Etendard fighter planes to Argentina

France has sold five used Super Étendard fighter planes to Argentina, which has an outdated military fleet and is hosting large international events in coming years, the French ambassador in Buenos Aires said.
The planes were negotiated during talks over the sale of four ships from French shipbuilding company Naval Group to Argentina, a discussion that Ambassador Pierre Henri Guignard said in an interview is ongoing.
reuters

French Navy Atlantique shows new designation ability over Iraq

A French Navy Dassault Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) has conducted a target designation mission for the first time in Iraq.
Flying from Jordan the ATL2 with a forward air controller (FAC) on board the aircraft conducted 'buddy lasing' for a fighter aircraft striking an insurgent target in Iraq.
The aircraft is one of three French Navy Atlantiques equipped with an L-3 Wescam MX-20 digital electro-optical/infrared turret as part of an upgrade begun in 2013 to enable the aircraft to designate GBU-12 and GBU-51 Paveway 500 lb guided bombs.
http://www.janes.com/article/59526/french-navy-atlantique-shows-new-designation-ability-over-iraq

Carrier Truman joins ISIS fight alongside French flattop

The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman joined the fight against the Islamic State group Tuesday, launching the first missions over Iraq since the flotilla arrived in the Middle East in mid-December.
Truman joins Operation Inherent Resolve more than two months after the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group departed U.S. Central Command, leaving the region without a carrier for the first time in years.
The Truman is in the Persian Gulf with the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is fresh off strikes in Syria after the IS-directed terror attacks in Paris.
navytimes

Spanish Army helicopters conduct first trials on board French amphibious ship

Spanish Army helicopters carried out the first onboard compatibility tests with the French Navy on 4 December.
The trials involved a Boeing Chinook, a Eurocopter Cougar, and a Eurocopter Tigre from the army's Air-mobile Force (FAMET), with the helicopters conducting deck landings and take-offs from the Mistral-class amphibious assault (LHD) vessel BPC Dixmude .
janes

France Sends Charles de Gaulle Carrier Against ISIS

The French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier sailed Wednesday from Toulon naval base, and headed for the eastern Mediterranean to support coalition operations in Iraq and Syria.
The sailing, announced Nov. 5, has taken greater significance since the terrorist attacks here last week, as French President François Hollande has pledged to punish the ISIS forces which claimed responsibility for the killings.
The nuclear-powered vessel up anchored at 11:00 in the morning Paris time with 26 fighter jets on board and will arrive on station in the next few days.
HMS Defender, a Type 45 destroyer, has been assigned to sail with the French carrier, the British Ministry of Defence said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked the Russian Navy to sail with the Charles de Gaulle as a sign of political support. The Russian intelligence service has concluded that ISIS used a homemade bomb to bring down an Airbus 321 airliner flying over the Sinai desert, killing all 224 on board.
defensenews

France to deploy Charles De Gaulle carrier to help operations against Islamic State

France will deploy its aircraft carrier to support operations against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq to bolster Paris' firepower in the region amid international efforts to launch Syrian peace talks.
French warplanes struck their first targets in Syria at the end of September. It was the first country to join the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and has also provided limited logistical support to Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurds.
reuters

French Carrier Charles de Gaulle Bound for India After Two Months of Strikes Against ISIS

French carrier Charles de Gaulle has left the Persian Gulf after about two months of strike operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL).
The nuclear carrier is now bound for India for exercises with the Indian military.
In its time in the region, the carrier launched an average of 10 to 15 sorties a day with its compliment of about 20 strike aircraft — a mix of Dassault Rafale M aircraft and Dassault Super Etendard Modernisé (SEM).
The strike missions were in support of the U.S. led Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) missions against ISIS.
The departure of the carrier “brings France’s contribution to the anti-Isis air effort down to six Rafales based in the UAE and six Dassault Mirage 2000 in Jordan.
usni

France To Modify Rafales for Egypt

The Rafale fighter jets sold to Egypt will be modified to remove nuclear missile capability and NATO standard communications.
Once adapted, the fighters will be delivered, with the first three in time for Egyptian pilots to fly the twin-engine fighter in Egyptian colors over the opening of a new waterway on the Suez Canal in August.
One of the Rafale upgrades to F3 standard in 2008 was the air-sol moyenne portée améliorée (ASMPA) missile tipped with the TN-200 nuclear warhead. That capability will be taken off the fighters for Egypt.
As Egypt is not part of NATO, the communication system will be adapted.
Egypt has started paying for its order for 24 Rafales, the first export win for the fighter jet.
Dassault will deliver five Rafales to France this year, and the first batch of three to Egypt, with a second three-strong batch in December or January.
Dassault has delivered 137 Rafales to France, with 43 remaining in the present fourth tranche. The company expects delivery in 2018 of the upgraded F3R version, adapted to fire the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile. Egypt will also receive that advanced version.
The French Navy has received two fighters upgraded to the F3 version from F1 with the remaining eight due to be modernized over two years.
defensenews

French Navy NH90 NFH Caïman Achieves IOC for ASW with MU90 Torpedo

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) announced that its NH90 Nato Frigate Helicopter (NFH) "Caïman" Achieved its Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) missions with MU90 Torpedo, a major capability step for the FREMM / NH90 combo that can now deal with the submarine threat from a safer distance.
The French Navy took delivery of its first NH90 in May 2010. In February 2013, it achieved the on-board anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability and was used for the protection of Carrier Battle Group or for the French SSBNs.
Now it has the capacity to hunt and engage autonomously any submarine threatening the French Navy. Currently an NH90 NFH Caiman is accomplishing its First Operational Deployment on board the Horizon class air-defence destroyer Chevalier Paul.
navyrecognition

French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier Launches first attacks in Gulf against ISIS

French aircraft carrier launched operations in the Gulf on Monday.
Four Rafale fighter jets took off in the morning from the carrier as it sailed about 200 kilometers (120 miles) off the coast north of Bahrain in the direction of Iraq.
The Charles de Gaulle left its base in Toulon on Jan. 13 for a five-month mission that will include eight weeks in the Gulf working alongside the USS Carl Vinson as part of the coalition launched after IS seized swathes of Syria and Iraq last year.
The French carrier is then to travel to India, where it is due to take part in exercises in mid-April.
Carrying 12 Rafale and nine Super Etendard fighters, the carrier will significantly increase French air capabilities in the region.
France has nine Rafales in the United Arab Emirates and six Mirage fighters in Jordan operating in Iraq, along with a maritime patrol and a refueling aircraft.
The warship's deployment will cut in half the time it takes for planes to reach Iraq for strikes against IS from the base in the UAE.
The Charles de Gaulle strike group also includes an attack submarine, a French anti-aircraft frigate and the HMS Kent, a British anti-submarine frigate.
It arrived in the Gulf on Feb. 15 after a month of operations in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
defensenews

French Carrier Enters Persian Gulf, ISIS Strike Missions Could Start Soon

French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) has entered the Persian Gulf and could soon start strike missions against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
French president announced the mission on Jan. 14, a week after the attacks in Paris on the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
French aircraft were among the first to join the U.S. in strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria under Operation Chammal.
To date, France has flown sorties with a collection of about 10 fighters and a collection of information, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) planes.
Charles de Gaulle ‘s embarked air assets include two squadrons of fighter aircraft: 11F (or flotille) with the Dassault Rafale M aircraft, and 17F with the Dassault Super Etendard Modernisé (SEM).
usni

Charles de Gaulle to sail for Gulf, possible participation in Islamic State air strikes

The French Navy's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is deploying with its battlegroup to the Gulf, and is understood to be preparing to contribute to coalition air strikes against Islamic State.
Sailing on 13 January, the carrier battlegroup - which includes a nuclear-powered attack submarine - will head from Toulon through the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf on Operation 'Arromanches'. The deployment is scheduled to last until May at the earliest.
While there has been no confirmation from French authorities, the carrier - with about 20 combat aircraft embarked - is likely to support air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq, Operation 'Chammal'.
'Chammal' was launched in response to an official request for assistance from the Iraqi government. The operation currently involves 15 French Air Force combat aircraft, one Boeing E-3F Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft, and one Boeing C-135FR tanker, as well as two French Navy Breguet Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft.
Public confirmation of Charles de Gaulle 's participation in the strikes could come on 14 January, when president François Hollande is scheduled to give his annual new year's speech to the armed forces aboard the carrier in the Mediterranean.
Charles de Gaulle 's embarked air assets include two squadrons of fighter aircraft: 11F (or flotille) with the Dassault Rafale M aircraft, and 17F with the Dassault Super Etendard Modernisé (SEM). The SEM aircraft are scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2016 and replaced by the Rafale M. Also present on board are two Northrop Grumman E-2C command-and-control aircraft from squadron 4F.
The Rafale M aircraft on board are currently configured to F3.3 standard, with full capacity in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
janes

French aircraft Charles de Gaulle carrier set for Persian Gulf to fight ISIS

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is preparing to leave for the Gulf region where it is expected to engage in combat against ISIS, according to the specialist website Mer et Marine.
Although such a move has not been confirmed by the French Presidency, nor army or naval spokespersons, the website is usually well-informed about naval matters.
According to Mer et Marine, the Charles de Gaulle and its 30 aircraft, including Rafale jets, should take up position in the Persian Gulf.
They will take part in the air bombing campaign conducted by the US-led coalition against the jihadist forces of the group which calls itself Islamic State;
France already has nine Rafale planes, a C135 supply plane, an Awacs E-3F detector plane and an Atlantic 2 maritime patrol plane in the region.
The Rafales are based either in the United Arab Emirates or in Jordan.
President Hollande is scheduled to make a speech aboard the Charles de Gaulle at its home base in Toulon on 14 January, when he is expected officially to announce its deployment.
english.rfi.fr

Two U.S. Ships in Black Sea, French Surveillance Ship Due Friday

The U.S. command ship USS Mount Whitney entered the Black Sea on Saturday — a day after guided missile destroyer USS Cole bringing the total of American naval ships in the region to two.
French signals intelligence ship Dupuy de Lôme is also due in the Black Sea by Friday.
Whitney was in the Black Sea earlier this year during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
The NATO presence mission in the Black Sea has been ongoing since the forced annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea by Russia in March.
All warships from countries without a coast on the Black Sea operate under the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits.
Montreux rules call for foreign warships to depart the Black Sea after 21 days.
usni.org

France takes delivery of its 1st retrofitted Rafale “Marine”

On Friday, 3 October, the Dassault Aviation plant in Mérignac delivered to the French defense procurement agency (DGA) the Rafale M10, the first of a tranche of ten retrofitted Rafale “Marine” (Navy) aircraft.
These ten Rafale aircraft (M1 to M10) were produced from the late 1990s to replace the F-8 Crusaders aircraft that provided air defense for the French navy since 1964. As this replacement could not wait for the service entry of the versatile F2 and F3 standards, the ten Rafale Marine were provided with a so-called basic F1 standard, limited to superiority and air defense missions only.
All the other French Navy (and Air Force) Rafale aircraft are currently built to the F3 standard. The aircraft that were produced to the F2 standard have been easily converted to the F3 standard. The transition from F1 to F3 is more complex and requires a specific program.
dassault-aviation

Russian Sailors To Begin Mistral Training June 22

400 Russian sailors are expected on June 22 to start training on the Mistral-class helicopter carrier.
Russian training ship Smolny, carrying sailors is due to sail on June 18 for Saint-Nazaire, France.
Initial training on the first Russian Mistral, Vladivostock, will consist of familiarization with the ship and its equipment.
The French authorities are due to decide in October whether to hand over the helicopter carrier to Russia. Moscow has insisted on Paris observing the contract for two ships and held out prospects for further business, or pay a hefty compensation if the vessels are withheld.
defensenews

Russian Naval Aviation Monitoring NATO Warships in Black Sea – Source

Naval wings of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet have resumed training flights over neutral waters of the sea to monitor the activity of NATO.
During the flights, combat training is carried out to provide surface image coverage in the neutral waters of the Black Sea. These flights, performed mainly by Su-24 attack aircraft, allow monitoring of NATO warship maneuvers, which have increased in activity in recent months.
NATO member countries deployed three ships to the Black Sea earlier this month: the French La Fayette-class frigate Surcouf, the French Dupuy de Lôme intelligence ship, and the US Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided-missile cruiser Vella Gulf something unmotivated for Russia.
The operations are in compliance with international regulations that govern flights over the neutral waters.
NATO Secretary General Anders said Tuesday the alliance would intensify its naval presence in the Baltic and Black Seas amid the crisis in Ukraine.
ria.ru