MN Charles de Gaulle (R91)

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The Charles de Gaulle at sea.

The MN Charles de Gaulle (R91) is the flagship and one of two Charles de Gaulle-class aircraft carriers of the Marine Nationale (French Navy). She is the tenth French aircraft carrier, the first French nuclear-powered surface vessel. She is named after French statesman and general Charles de Gaulle. She has a sister ship, the Richelieu.

She carries a complement of Dassault Rafale M multirole fighters, E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft, AS532 Cougar and EC725 Caracal helicopters for combat search and rescue, as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. She is a CATOBAR-type carrier that uses two 75 m C13‑3 steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the Nimitz-class CVNs, one catapult at the bow and one across the front of the landing area.