Key Points and Summary – France’s nuclear-powered flagship, Charles de Gaulle (R91), is a 42,000-ton CATOBAR carrier commissioned in 2001.
-Powered by twin K15 reactors, she makes 27 knots and operates up to 40 aircraft, typically Rafale M fighters, E-2C Hawkeyes, and helicopters.
-Defensive systems include Aster 15 and Mistral missiles plus 20mm guns. After early teething problems, midlife refueling and upgrades improved reliability.
-CDG has flown combat in Afghanistan, Libya, and against ISIS, and routinely trains alongside U.S., Japanese, and Indian forces.
-Recent Indo-Pacific deployments underscore French commitment to a free, open region and demonstrate deep interoperability, including cross-deck operations with American carriers today.
The French Aircraft Carrier Charles De Gaulle, France’s Flagship
The naval battles of World War II saw the rise of the aircraft carrier, and the United States has led the way, with the supercarriers of the Nimitz and the Ford classes.
But the US isn’t the only country with outstanding carriers.
France, which has built ten aircraft carriers, has the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle (CDG). France is the only other country to have a nuclear-powered carrier.
China is currently building its fourth aircraft carrier, which is expected to be nuclear-powered.
Though the CDG is not as big as the Nimitz or Ford classes of the US Navy, the CDG is still a formidable warship.
She boasts a steam catapult system only slightly smaller than those found on U.S. carriers, which is still capable of launching F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and C-2 Greyhounds if the situation called for it.
Meet The FS Charles de Gaulle (R91)
The FS CDG was initially designed in the 1980s. The hull was laid down in April 1989 at the DCN Brest naval shipyard.
The carrier was launched in May 1994 and, at 42,000 tons (full combat load), was the largest warship launched in Western Europe since HMS Ark Royal in 1950.
Rafale lands on the Charles de Gaulle 🇫🇷
IG: @tvalexgary pic.twitter.com/3IqXwCzdCZ— Acepilot Aviation (@AcepilotAV) January 19, 2025
She was initially to be named Richelieu in 1986 by the French president at the time, François Mitterrand, after the famous French statesman Armand-Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, made famous in the Alexandre Dumas novel “The Three Musketeers.”
However, on May 18, 1987, the name of the ship was changed to Charles de Gaulle by the Gaullist Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.
The CDG suffered from numerous work stoppages due to budget constraints before finally being completed and commissioned in mid-May 2001, five years after its projected deadline.
The carrier suffered from teething troubles during its first few years of service before all the bugs were worked out of a totally new warship.
The carrier has a length of 857 feet, a beam of 211 feet, a draught of 30 feet, 11 inches, and a height of 218 feet.
The Charles De Gaulle Powerplant
The CDG is powered by two Areva K15 pressurized water reactors (PWRs), each with a thermal output of 150 MWt, and two Alstom steam turbines with a total shaft power of 61 MW (82,000 hp).
The top speed of the CDG is 27 knots, after upgrades were made in 2007. She went through her midlife refueling in 2017. Since these upgrades were made, the Charles De Gaulle has been an outstanding aircraft carrier.
Charles De Gaulle’s Armaments
The CDG is equipped with numerous defensive armaments, including four eight-cell A-43 Sylver launchers that carry the MBDA Aster 15 surface-to-air missile. Two 6-cell Sadral launchers carrying Mistral short-range missiles
The carrier is equipped with 20mm autocannons for close-in air defense. Eight Giat 20F2 20 mm cannons (original armament), and three Nexter Narwhal (since 2019).
The CDG carries up to a full complement of 40 combat aircraft, consisting of 30 of the outstanding Rafale M fighters, two E-2C Hawkeye, two NFH Caïman Marine, one AS565 Panther ISR, and two AS365F Dauphin Pedro.
Combat History Of the Charles De Gaulle
In November 2001, the French sent Task Force 473 in the waters off Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The task force under the command of Contre-Amiral François Cluz was composed of the Charles de Gaulle, frigates Lamotte-Picquet, Jean de Vienne, and Jean Bart, the nuclear attack submarine Rubis, the tanker Meuse, and the D’Estienne d’Orves-class aviso Commandant Ducuing.
The CDG carried out 770 sorties during her deployment. In February 2002, aircraft from the US carrier USS John Stennis and the CDG landed on each other’s carriers in a show of interoperability and the strength of the alliance.
At the end of the CDG’s deployment, US President George Bush complimented “our good ally, France, who has deployed nearly one-fourth of its navy to support Operation Enduring Freedom.”
The task force would complete another deployment in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005.
The CDG was involved in the no-fly zone over Libya in 2011 and was an integral part of the campaign to defeat the Islamic State in 2015. Through it all, the CDG has proven to be a more than capable aircraft carrier, which is indicative of the flagship of the French fleet.
The CDG Sails To The Pacific
With China acting more aggressively in the Pacific, the US has hardly been alone in trying to maintain the freedom of navigation in the region. Earlier this year, the Charles de Gaulle deployed to the Indo-Pacific, demonstrating to the Chinese that US allies can also be present to carry the NATO flag.
Earlier this year, the CDG’s air group was busy during the deployment, working closely with air and naval assets of the US and Japan, and showing just how far French naval aviation capabilities have grown since the Cold War.
At the conclusion of the exercises with the US and Japan, the CDG sailed to the Indian Ocean to conduct joint exercises with Indian Navy units.
The world’s only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the United States: The Charles de Gaulle
byu/Wonderful-Excuse4922 ineurope
“All the exercises and interactions carried out on this new area for the French Carrier Strike Group have not only strengthened our interoperability but also demonstrated our commitment to promote a free, open, safe, and peaceful Indo-Pacific region,” said the CDG’s commander, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard.
Golden hour flight deck ops on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. pic.twitter.com/mzoKquFPhM
— Tom Antonov (@Tom_Antonov) October 2, 2025
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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