3 weeks after the end of mission Agapanthe in the Indian ocean, the French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, has left Toulon at 01h30 PM (local time). The ship should be on station in about 24h but the first flights should start in about 36-48 H, the time for the pilots to get their carrier landing qualification back. Indeed, Although the French pilots are training intensively since Friday from the Landivisiau Naval base, they all have to perform a few real carrier landing before being allowed to fly war missions over Libya.
In addition to its airgroup of 8 Rafale F3, 6 Super Etendard and 2 E-2C Hawkeye, the CdG will be escorted by the following ships :
- ASW Frigate Dupleix
- Lafayette class Frigate Aconite
- Tanker meuse
- An unknown nuclear Submarine
- The Anti air warfare frigates Forbin (Horizon class) and Jean Bart are already deployed in the Libyan seas.
so just 14 combat planes, perhaps more aircraft will be flown in to the CdG in the coming days
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