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Naval Today said:

As part of a Royal Australian Navy Task Group deployment to North and South East Asia, HMA Ships Arunta, Stuart and Sirius have rendezvoused with the French frigate FNS Vendemiaire in South China Sea.

Following port visits to Zhanjiang, China, by HMA Ships Arunta and Stuart and Da Nang, Vietnam, by HMAS Sirius, the ships have met at sea with the French frigate in international waters off the coast of Vietnam. The navies of Australia and France will work on enhancing their level of interoperability and maritime awareness in the region.

The four ships planned to conduct a series of routine tactical maritime training activities, including ship manoeuvering, flying operations with Arunta’s embarked Seahawk helicopter, a refuelling at sea activity with Sirius and a live firing using close range weapons against a static target.

Training was undertaken yesterday, November 3, before the vessels continued their separate missions.

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Since November 3, 2015, de Gaulle aircraft carrier Charles left his base port of Toulon for a period of two weeks spent at the school of carrier aviation (EAE).

This time at sea allows new aviation pilots onboard the French Navy to qualify apponter the French nuclear aircraft carrier.To prepare, these drivers have followed a particularly advanced training, specific to naval aviation pilots. Initially formed in the US in Mississippi, they realized their first landings of US aircraft carrier. They then brought down several weeks, during simulated landings on track (ASSP) on Naval Aeronautical Base of Landivisiau or Lann-Bihoue, and on the Istres Air Base. For these young drivers, the challenge of this period EAE is primarily to adapt to the environment of Charles de Gaulle.

To qualify, they must perform a series of six landings satisfactory. Their performance is evaluated by the officers landing (OA), experts drivers on an airplane type in particular: Rafale, Modernised Super Etendard (SEM) or E-2 Hawkeye C. Ultimately, the decision to qualify a driver returns to the commander of the aircraft carrier.If she can qualify, the school period of carrier aviation is for young drivers a first step before being fully operational. They must now "age" to hang the "confirmation" and continuing in parallel the acquisition of tactical skills in assault or air defense

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EXCLUSIVE!
As I wrote right here Defens'Aero on November 3, 2015, the Air Force and the Directorate General of Armaments, probably in cooperation with the aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, concert work to validate the capacity for Mirage 2000D of carrying four air-ground bombs GBU-12 laser-guided.

This configuration, which was validated in a very short time on the Mirage 2000N before deployment to Jordan for the Chammal operation against the Organization Islamic state, is currently being tested on the air base 125 of Istres by Directorate General of Armaments with the Mirage 2000D No. 673, as evidenced by this photograph taken by a French photographer in the vicinity of the air base. She confirms the information from my contact, and that I had relayed here.

Upon publication of the article about the integration of this new configuration, I wrote, repeating the information in this trusted contact, "the configuration of four GBU12 on Mirage 2000 is also provided for the 2000D" .

It also taught us that the configuration "was opened faster on 2000N due to OPEX. For 2000D, there are problems in centering narrow. These are created by the fact that the computers Mirage 2000N and 2000D Mirage are not the same, and that this influences the release points of the arms. "

To overcome this problem and allow the Mirage 2000D to take four GBU, we need engineers from Ministry of Defence develop "a new pylon for attaching the two central bombs more back."

Regarding the laser designation pod carried in point before the Mirage 2000D law, it should logically be absent on devices that will carry the load of four GBU-12, as evidenced by this photograph. An ally, either another Mirage 2000, a Rafale, a UAV (Snowy or MQ-9 Reaper) or a ground unit will undertake to illuminate the target. This feature is used in operation during joint patrols between the Mirage 2000D and the Mirage 2000N (Chammal) or between the Mirage 2000D coupled with a Mirage 2000C.

Only change in what had been said a few days earlier ("one should not immediately see this flight configuration"), this configuration so steals already on Mirage 2000D DGA and could therefore, in a few weeks be washed away by the 2000D of the 3rd Fighter Wing of the Air Base 133 Nancy-Ochey

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Formed around the aircraft carrier nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, is a particularly rich carrier group which set sail from the naval base of Toulon, on Monday, to the Persian Gulf. A configuration that reflects the will of France to fully play its role in the fight against the Islamic state. In addition to the staff of the carrier group, the air carrier aircraft embark indeed a group consisting of 18 Rafale, 8 SEM (Modernised Super Etendard) 2 radar aircraft and E-2C Hawkeye.

The aircraft carrier will be escorted by the air defense frigate Chevalier Paul, anti-submarine frigate La Motte Piquet, the FREMM (multimission frigate) Aquitaine -including this will also be the baptism of fire- the BCR (Building command and refueling) Marne and a nuclear submarine attack whose identity remains secret traditionally. The French group will take place in cooperation with other ships and aircraft of the international coalition in the fight against Daesh.

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FORBIN said:

Charles De Gaulle left Toulon monday with a big escort and CAW !

Aboard :
18 Rafale Marine
8 Super Etendard Modernisé
2 E-2C
Some helos about 3/5 normaly for Sar especialy

Possible last deployment for Etendard Modernisé.

Escort
DDG Chevalier Paul, Forbin class
FFG Aquitaine first operationnal deployment
FFG La Motte Piquet, Georges Leygues class
CS Marne
SSN ?

Normaly after join a Australian FFG.

On duty soon

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In total, Charles de Gaulle should have 31 to 34 aircraft onboard:
» 18x Rafale ;
» 8x Super-Etendard Modernisé (SEM) ;
» 2x E-2C Hawkeye ;
» 3 to 5 CSAR and SAR helicopters including Air Force Caracal and Navy Alouette III

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The President of the Republic said Monday before Congress: the aircraft carrier (PA) Charles de Gaulle will sail "to get in the Eastern Mediterranean" and not directly in the Gulf, as was originally planned. While the PA had to go through what sailors call Medor (Eastern Mediterranean) before entering the Suez Canal, but the new military posture of France leading to changes in the original plans.
So its aircraft operate off the Syrian coast.

There remains the question of the roads they borrow up going hit targets in eastern Syria, where the Islamic State is located.

The most obvious and therefore the most likely is that the north via Turkey. This is roughly that used by aircraft from Incirlik, the large base in south-eastern Turkey.

The central route is the most direct, but it passes exactly through the area where take off and operate mainly Russian planes based near Latakia. A "deconfliction" between French (integrated with the US coalition) and Russians would not only essential, but would require close cooperation. It is likely that Francois Hollande speaks quickly to Vladimir Putin.

The third route, south one goes through Lebanon and flies over the Damascus area. Again, things would be complicated with the Assad regime - French planes flying over the capital! Another element to consider: This area is closely monitored by the Israelis, who sometimes strike Hezbollah. Again, a serious deconfliction would be necessary.

Compared to a deployment in the Gulf, one in Medor shortens considerably shortens flight times for strikes in Syria, in a proportion doubled. The distances correspond, in contrast to those from the French base in Jordan or the bose NATO to Incirlik.
The aircraft carrier ship 24 fighter-bombers: 16 Rafale M and Super Etendard 8, which it will probably be the last operational mission. This reinforcement will triple the number of French aircraft committed by France against Daech.

The Air Force has six Rafale and the UAE Mirage 2000 6 (3 N and 3 D) in Jordan.It is not excluded that the aircraft carrier then continue its mission in the Gulf. He must sail from Toulon on Wednesday or Thursday.

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"The CDG is able to implement 35-40 aircraft 20/25 ton class.
The aviation facilities provide 100 combat flights every 24 hours for 7 days by massive bridged 20-24 aircraft, renewable every 4 hours or bridged chained April to August were all about 1h 30

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Other sources suggest rather a capacity of about 80 sorties a day aboard the Nimitz class when PAN is given for 120. What seems more logical in view of the characteristics of both types of platforms and their aviation facilities . It would matter to reach, thanks to electromagnetic catapults, a daily rate of 160 attractions on Gerald R. Ford.

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