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The Aviation navale (Naval aviation) of the French Navy includes 223 aircraft (133 of them combat-capable) and 6,800 men, both civilians and military personnel. They operate from six airbases, five of them in Metropolitan France and one overseas.
Born as a fusion of carrier squadrons and naval patrol air force, the Aviation navale was created on the 19 June 1998. The headquarter is under command of an admiral (ALAVIA) in Toulon.
It has four components:
- The air complements of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle: Rafale, Super Étendard and E-2 Hawkeye
- Naval patrol air units: Atlantique 2
- On-board helicopters: Dauphin, Panther, Super Frelon, Lynx, Alouette III
- Support air units
Carrier-borne pilots of the French navy do their initial training at Salon-de-Provence Air Base, then within the US Navy.
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 Markings of the Aviation de Marine are clearly visible on this Alouette III |
 Dassault Falcon 20H Gardians are based at La Tontouta International Airport in New Caledonia, with detachments to Tahiti's Faa'a International Airport |
 Bastille Day Military Parade 2006, a E-2 Hawkeye and 3 Dassault Rafale |
Aircraft inventory
French Naval Aviation operates 223 aircraft, including 69 combat jets and 87 helicopters. 82% of the Navy's aircraft were built in France.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale Alouette III |  France |
utility helicopter | SA 316B and SA 319B | 26 | |
| Aérospatiale Super Frelon | France |
transport helicopter | SA 321G | 8 | |
| Atlantique | France |
maritime patrol | Atlantique 2 | 22 | |
| Dassault Falcon 20 | France |
surveillance | Falcon 20H Gardian | 5 | Based in French Pacific Territories |
| Dassault Falcon 50 | France |
surveillance | Falcon 50M | 4 | |
| Dassault Rafale | France |
fighter/attack | Rafale M | 28 (60) | |
| Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard | France |
attack | 41 | ||
| Embraer EMB 121 Xingu |  Brazil |
trainer | 11 | ||
| Eurocopter Dauphin | France |
naval helicopter | SA 365 | 11 | |
| Eurocopter Panther | France |
naval helicopter | AS 565MA | 16 | |
| Grumman E-2 Hawkeye |  United States |
airborne early warning | E-2C | 3 | |
| Mudry CAP 10 | France |
trainer | CAP 10B | 7 | |
| Westland Lynx |  United Kingdom |
antisubmarine helicopter | Lynx HAS 4 | 26 |
References
- ^ Dossier information marine nationale 2009 (French navy information file)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aviation navale |
- French Fleet Air Arm , about French naval aviation.
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