President Francois Hollande confirmed the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier would aid six Mirage jets already stationed in Jordan and six Rafale jets in the United Arab Emirates.
The aircraft carrier can carry up to 40 aircraft and support 100 flights a day.
France began air strikes in Syria in September, a year after joining the US-led aerial campaign against IS in Iraq.
French officials have described the air strikes as self defence, after Islamist gunmen killed 17 people in twin attacks in Paris at the start of the year.
Since that time, French fighter jets have carried out 271 strikes in 1,285 aerial missions across Iraq, according to the AFP news agency.
Only two known strikes have been carried out by France in Syria, targeting an Islamic State training camp in the east of the country at the end of September.
The Charles de Gaulle carrier is usually accompanied by several frigates, a refuelling ship and an attack submarine, according to Reuters.
France will deploy its largest warship to fight Islamic State (IS) and other jihadists in Syria and Iraq.