French Naval Aviation

French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: Aéronavale (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or Aviation navale, or more simply l'Aéro) is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is Force maritime de l'aéronautique navale. Born as a fusion of aircraft carrier squadrons and the naval patrol air force, the Aéronavale was created in 1912. The force is under the command of a flag officer officially titled Admiral of Naval Aviation (ALAVIA) with his headquarters at Toulon naval base. It has a strength of around 6,800 military and civilian personnel. It operates from four airbases in Metropolitan France and several detachments in foreign countries or French overseas territories. Carrier-borne pilots of the French Navy do their initial training at Salon-de-Provence Air Base after which they undergo their carrier qualification with the US Navy.

Aircraft inventory

 * Bréguet Atlantique II || France || Turboprop || ASW || || 22 ||  ||
 * Dassault Falcon 10 M || France || Jet || Utility || || 6 ||  ||
 * Dassault Falcon 50 M || France || Jet || Patrol || || 8 ||  ||
 * Dassault Falcon 200 Guardian || France || Jet || Patrol || || 5 ||  ||
 * Dassault Rafale M || France || Jet || Multirole || || 42 ||  ||
 * Embraer EMB 121 Xingu || Brazil || Turboprop|| Utility || || 11 ||  ||
 * Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin || France || Rotorcraft || SAR || || 15 ||  ||
 * Eurocopter AS565 Panther || France || Rotorcraft || Utility || || 16 ||  ||
 * Grumman E-2C Hawkeye || USA || Turboprop || AEW&C || || 3 ||  ||
 * Mudry CAP 10 || France || Propeller || Trainer || || 7 ||  ||
 * NHIndustries NH90 Caïman Marine || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 27 ||  ||
 * Airbus Helicopters H160 || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 6 ||  ||
 * }
 * Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin || France || Rotorcraft || SAR || || 15 ||  ||
 * Eurocopter AS565 Panther || France || Rotorcraft || Utility || || 16 ||  ||
 * Grumman E-2C Hawkeye || USA || Turboprop || AEW&C || || 3 ||  ||
 * Mudry CAP 10 || France || Propeller || Trainer || || 7 ||  ||
 * NHIndustries NH90 Caïman Marine || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 27 ||  ||
 * Airbus Helicopters H160 || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 6 ||  ||
 * }
 * NHIndustries NH90 Caïman Marine || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 27 ||  ||
 * Airbus Helicopters H160 || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 6 ||  ||
 * }
 * Airbus Helicopters H160 || France || Rotorcraft || ASW/SAR || || 6 ||  ||
 * }

Structure
Immediately after the end of World War II, the Aeronavale only had Supermarine Seafire Mk.III (Flottille 1F) and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers (Flotilles 3F et 4F).

Components
The flight personnel of the French Navy falls into three categories: fighter aviation, fixed-wing aviation and helicopter aviation.

Operationally the French Naval Aviation has four components:
 * Embarqued Air Group (Le Groupe aérien embarqué) of the aircraft carrier FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Charles de Gaulle: Rafale M, E-2C Hawkeye
 * Naval Patrol and Maritime Surveillance Aviation (l'Aviation de patrouille et de surveillance maritime): Atlantique 2, Falcon 50, Falcon 200
 * Shipborne and Shore-based Helicopters (Les hélicoptères embarqués et basés à terre): Dauphin, Panther, Caïman Marine
 * Support Aviation (l'Aviation de soutien): Falcon 10, EMB-121 Xingu, SR20, Cap-10, Dauphin, EC120 Colibri

Units
Operational squadrons are known as Flottilles and normally consist of 12 aircraft : Shore-based training and transport squadrons are known as Escadrilles de Servitude :
 * 1F to 10F are carrier based anti-submarine squadrons
 * 11F to 20F are fighter and attack squadrons
 * 21F to 30F are maritime patrol squadrons
 * 31F to 39F are helicopter squadrons
 * 1S to 19S are communications squadrons
 * 20S to 29S are helicopters squadrons
 * 50S to 59S are training squadrons

Retired aircraft
This is a list of retired aircraft that has flown with French Naval Aviation.
 * Amiot AAC.1 (Junkers Ju 52)
 * Avro Anson
 * Avro Lancaster Mk.VII
 * Beechcraft SNB-5/JRB-4
 * Blanchard Brd.1 HB3
 * Blériot-SPAD S.42
 * Bloch MB.151 C1
 * Borel-Odier T BO-2
 * Breguet BRE.14B2/A2
 * Breguet BRE.19 B2
 * Bréguet 521 Bizerte
 * Bréguet 1050 Alizé
 * Bréguet 1150 Atlantic
 * CAMS 30E
 * CAMS.37A/37²/37.11/Lia
 * CAMS 46 Et2
 * CAMS 55.1/55.2/55.6/55.10
 * Caudron Cau 59 ET2
 * Caudron C635 Simoun
 * Caudron C.445 Goéland
 * Canadian Car & Foundry Harvard II
 * Chance Vought F4U-7/AU-1 Corsair
 * Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina
 * Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
 * Coutant RMC Type 17
 * Curtiss SB2C4/SB2C5 Helldiver
 * Dassault Étendard IVM/P
 * Dassault MD 312 Flamant
 * Dassault Super Étendard
 * De Havilland 100 Vampire Mk.V
 * Dewoitine 7 C1
 * Dewoitine D.373/D.376
 * Dewoitine D.510
 * Dewoitine D.520
 * Donnet-Denhaut 140/150 hp
 * Donnet-Denhaut 160 hp
 * Donnet-Denhaut 200 HP HS Triplace/RR/BB
 * Donnet-Denhaut 275hp
 * Donnet-Denhaut bimoteur
 * Dornier Do 24T
 * Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless
 * Douglas C-47D Dakota
 * Farman Lévy HB2 450 hp
 * Farman F60 Torp Goliath/F65
 * Farman F.165/F.166/F.168 Torp
 * Farman F.223.4
 * FBA Type C
 * FBA Type H
 * FBA Type S
 * FBA type 14 HE2
 * FBA.17HL1/HL2/HMT2/HE2
 * FBA.19HMB2
 * Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr
 * Georges Lévy 280 HB.2
 * Gourdou Leseurre ET1 Type 22
 * Gourdou Leseurre LGL.32
 * Gourdou Leseurre GL.810/811/812/813 HY
 * Gourdou Leseurre GL.832 HY
 * Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat
 * Grumman TBM-3S/E/W/UT Avenger
 * Grumman JRF-5 Goose
 * Hanriot HD.2 C.1
 * Hanriot HD.3 C.2
 * Hanriot HD.14 E.2
 * Hanriot HD.17 E.2
 * Hanriot H.41
 * Junkers Ju 188
 * Latécoère 290
 * Latécoère 298
 * Latham 43 HB.3
 * Levasseur PL.4 R3b
 * Levasseur PL.5 C2b
 * Levasseur PL.7 T2B2b
 * Levasseur PL.10 R3b/PL.101 R3b
 * Levasseur PL.14 Tb2B2
 * Levasseur PL.15 T2B2
 * Lévy Besson 200 hp
 * Lioré et Olivier LeO.7.3
 * Lioré et Olivier LeO.20 Bn3
 * Lioré et Olivier H.13/H.136
 * Lioré et Olivier H.43
 * Lioré et Olivier H.193
 * Lioré et Olivier H.257 Bis/H258
 * Lockheed P2V-1 Ventura
 * Lockheed P2V-6/7 Neptune
 * Loire 130 C.l
 * Loire 210
 * LTV/Vought F-8E(FN) Crusader
 * Martin 167-A3
 * Martin P5M-2 Marlin
 * Maurice Farman Type 1910
 * Morane Saulnier MoS.130 Et2
 * Morane Saulnier MoS.149 Ep2
 * Morane Saulnier MS.225 C1
 * Morane Saulnier MS.230 Et2
 * Morane Saulnier MS.406 C1
 * Morane Saulnier MS.500/MS.502 Criquet
 * Morane Saulnier MS.733 Alcyon
 * Morane Saulnier MS760 Paris
 * Nieuport IV.H
 * Nieuport VI.H
 * Nieuport 12
 * Nieuport N.21/N.23
 * Nieuport NiD.62 C1/NiD.622 C1
 * Nord 262 Frégate
 * North American NAA.57 P2
 * North American SNJ-3/4/5
 * Piper PA-31 Navajo
 * Potez 25 A2/TOE
 * Potez 452
 * Potez 567
 * Potez 631 C3
 * Salmson Sal.2 A2
 * SCAN 20
 * Short Sunderland Mk.III/V
 * SNCAC/Farman NC.470
 * SNCAC NC.701/NC.702 Martinet
 * SNCAN N.1001/N.1002 Pingouin
 * SNCAN N.1101 Noralpha
 * SNCAN N.1402 Noroit
 * SNCAN SV.4C Stampe
 * SNCAO/Loire-Nieuport LN.401/LN.411
 * SNCASE R.82 Romano
 * SNCASE Leo.451
 * SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc/Bloch MB.160
 * SNCASE Aquilon
 * SNCASO/Bloch MB.175
 * SNCASO SO.94/95 Corse
 * SNCASO SO.30P Bretagne
 * SOCATA MS.880 Rallye
 * Sopwith Sop.1 A2
 * Sopwith Baby/130hp Clerget
 * Sopwith Triplan C.1
 * SPAD S.VII C.1
 * SPAD S.XIII C.1
 * SPAD XIV Canon
 * Stinson 105
 * Supermarine Seafire Mk.III/IX/XV
 * Supermarine Sea Otter
 * Supermarine Walrus
 * Tampier T.4
 * Taylorcraft L-2
 * Tellier Canon 200 hp
 * Tellier 200 hp
 * Tellier 350Hp
 * Tellier BM 400 hp
 * Villiers Vil.2AM C.2
 * Vickers Wellington
 * Voisin L
 * Voisin Canard
 * Voisin III
 * Voisin VIII
 * Vought V.156-F
 * Wibault Wib.74 C.1

Helicopters and autogyros

 * Aérospatiale Alouette II
 * Aérospatiale Super Frelon
 * Bell 47
 * LeO C-30
 * Lynx Mk.4(FN)
 * Piasecki H-21C
 * Piasecki HUP-2
 * Sikorsky H-51
 * Sikorsky S-55
 * Sikorsky S-58
 * Sud-Aviation HSS-1