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44 // AUGUST 2018 #365 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Franco-American cross-decking
ith the Charles
de Gaulle strike
carrier undergoing
an 18-month refit –
including nuclear refuelling
and a mid-life update – the
Marine Nationale (French
Navy) was left without a
platform to train its Rafale and
Hawkeye aircrews for carrier
operations, and defence chiefs
had to look abroad to solve the problem.
The US Navy came to the rescue, offering the
USS George H W Bush (CVN 77) for a major
bilateral exercise during which US and French
pilots honed their carrier operations and combat
skills over four weeks of intensive flying.
The French deployment, Opération
Chesapeake, involved one Flottille 4F E-2C
Hawkeye early warning aircraft and 12 Rafale
M ‘omnirole’ fighters from Flottille 17F.In-depth preparation
Captain Jean-Emmanuel Roux de Luze,
the French Naval Attaché in Washington,
played an active role in preparing the
deployment, saying: “Such a deployment
requires a lot of detailed planning.”
Admiral Bernard Rogel, then commander of
the Marine Nationale, and Admiral Jonathan
Greenert, then US Navy Chief of NavalOperations (CNO), initiated
the first discussions as
early as 2015. “Admiral
Bruno Thouvenin,
then commander of the
Aéronavale [the French naval
air component], visited the
US in April 2016 to provide
more details of our requirement,”
Capt Roux de Luze added.
“The idea made progress and, in May
that year, during a visit to France, Admiral John
Richardson, the new US Navy CNO, officially
accepted our request. In spring last year we
received confirmation of the carrier involved,
dates of the deployment and the location on
the US east coast. In July an initial planning
conference was held in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Beginning last September, contacts
between French officers and their US
counterparts became increasingly frequent
as detailed planning of the deployment was
conducted. Notably, this involved the various
training missions that would be ‘played’ by
French and US fighters and Hawkeyes.
“Two site surveys were carried out last autumn
and, in January, there was an intermediate
planning conference in Paris and a final
planning conference in Landivisiau. In between
these events countless phone calls and e-mails
were exchanged to iron out all the issues.”platform to train its Rafale andoperations, and defence chiefsOperations (CNO), initiatedthen commander of the
Aéronavale [the French naval
air component], visited the
US in April 2016 to provide
more details of our requirement,”
Capt Roux de Luze added.
“The idea made progress and, in MayRight: Rafale M26
about to hit the deck
and catch the third
arresting cable. French
pilots, used to operating
from the 42,000-tonne
‘Charles de Gaulle’,
had no problem landing
on the 95,000-tonne
‘Bush’. Below: French
E-2C Hawkeye serial 1 is
connected to the catapult
shuttle. The aircraft
received special markings
to commemorate the
deployment. All photos
Henri-Pierre Grolleau