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France Naval Group
Charles de Gaulle
France's nuclear-powered fleet flagship and the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operated outside the United States Navy, giving France an independent CATOBAR carrier strike capability. It launches Rafale M fighters and E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning aircraft via steam catapults derived from the US Nimitz-class design.
In service since 2001 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
42,500
t
27
kn
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
French export-licensed
CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.
Channel: DGA / direct commercial
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2001. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- Aircraft air wing (Rafale M, E-2C Hawkeye, helicopters)
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 261.5 m
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- DRBJ 11B air-search radar
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- Arabel multifunction radar
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 45% of warships
Specifications compiled from public Naval Group and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Navantia Alvaro de Bazan class (F100) 
Fincantieri Bergamini class (FREMM) Frequently asked questions
What is the main armament of the Naval Group Charles de Gaulle? +
The Naval Group Charles de Gaulle's primary weapon is the Aircraft air wing (Rafale M, E-2C Hawkeye, helicopters).
What is the Naval Group Charles de Gaulle used for? +
The Naval Group Charles de Gaulle is a warship typically used for air superiority, deep strike.
How many countries operate the Naval Group Charles de Gaulle? +
The Naval Group Charles de Gaulle is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Naval Group Charles de Gaulle cost? +
Naval Group Charles de Gaulle: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
