Nuclear-powered, named after a famous Frenchman and launched in 1994, which is the French navy's only aircraft carrier?
French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle both conventional and nuclear - and aircraft-launching capabilities will be assessed before a decision is made in 2020. French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle is the flagship of the French Navy ("Marine Nationale"). The ship is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel, and the only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. She is named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle. The ship carries a complement of Dassault Rafale M and E‑2C Hawkeye aircraft, EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopters for combat search and rescue, as well as
French aircraft carrier PA2 French aircraft carrier PA2 PA2 (, "Aircraft Carrier 2") was a planned aircraft carrier under development by Thales Naval France and DCNS for the French Navy. The design was based on the aircraft carriers developed for the Royal Navy. The project was cancelled in the 2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security. The previous French carriers, and , were completed in 1961 and 1963 respectively. The requirement for a replacement was identified in the mid-1970s, which became the 40,600 tonne nuclear-powered , laid down in April 1989 at the DCNS Brest naval shipyard. This carrier was completed in