T
HERE’S A STRONG and long
history of co-operation
between the US and French
naval air arms, but this
was taken to a whole new
level during a joint training
operation held between April 5 and
May 21. A major exercise culminated
with Aéronautique Navale (French Navy)
aircraft operating from the US carrier, the
USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77).
Dubbed the ‘Chesapeake’ deployment,
the initiative was named in honor of the
battle that took place in Virginia during
the revolutionary war of independence
in 1781. France was a key ally during
that con ict, and remains the USA’s
oldest friend. ‘Chesapeake’ once again
strengthened the military alliance
between the two nations.
The French contingent consisted of 12
Dassault Rafale M ghters, a Northrop
Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and about350 sailors who deployed to the US to
continue their operational training as
part of the ramp up and return to active
service of the sole French carrier — the
Charles de Gaulle. The deployment aimed
to sharpen the French sailors’ skills and
achieve a high level of interoperability
with the US Navy.
The de Gaulle is undergoing a major
re t, which began in February 2017. It
is the agship of the French eet, with a
gross displacement of up to 42,500 tons,
and the only nuclear-powered carrier
outside of those in service with the US
Navy. Besides refueling the reactors,
the overhaul will optimize and adapt
the ship for operations solely with the
Rafale, since the Dassault Super Étendard
was retired in July 2016. The optical
landing system, catapult equipment,
electrics and landing signal o cer (LSO)
platform will also be upgraded. The work
will be complete around July 2018 andSharing the
deck — a Rafale
M taxies on the
deck of the USS
Bush alongside
an F/A-18E.the Charles de Gaulle should become
available for active service in the fall.
The ship was commissioned in 2001 and
since then has completed 10 operational
deployments. The vessel’s air wing, known
as the Groupe aérien embarqué, consists
of three Rafale M squadrons, a trio of
E-2C Hawkeyes and a mix of NHIndustries
NH90 NFH Caïman and Eurocopter AS365
Dauphin helicopters. The Rafale units
are Flottilles 11F, 12F and 17F, the latter
of which recently converted to type
from the Super Étendard. All are based
at Landivisiau; when deployed, typically
only two embark on the carrier while the
third stays behind to continue training. In
the case of the ‘Chesapeake’ deployment,
the 12 Rafales were a mix of aircraft
from all three units. All the Rafale Ms are
upgraded to the latest F3 standard, which
adds several capabilities including air
reconnaissance utilizing the Areos recce
pod, an anti-ship capability with the AM39http://www.combataircraft.net // August 2018 67
66-72 Rafales on Bush C.indd 67 21/06/2018 13:53