A Rafale F2 of the French Marine nationale should land today on the US carrier USS Enterprise off the coast of Toulon. it's the first time it happens and it shloud be followed by the lanuching of the plane.

Technically it shouldn't be hard since the the French Aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle (currently the only nuclear powered aircraft carrier operated by a country other than the United States) uses an american system.


French Navy pilots train in the US since France doesn't own the two-seat training jets needed for the task.

Very cool.... keep us posted, especially if you can find some video of the event.

-Rob

no video but some pics from the US Navy

France is interested in a partenership with the US Navy because our only carrier is currently refitted and won't be available for operations nor training before 18 months
so the Marine nationale needs foreign carriers to train their pilots (basic training is already done in the US and some parts like the launching system are "Made in USA").

here's a older pic showing a Rafale on the Stennis



A French Rafale aircraft from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier French navy ship Charles de Gaulle (R 91) performs a touch-and-go on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) April 12, 2007. Stennis, as part of the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, and Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of Commander, Task Force 473, are in the North Arabian Sea conducting bilateral exercises and supporting multi-national ground forces in Afghanistan.

Very interesting! For all of the antigonism that France and the US go through, I am surprised that they could actually agree on this sort of arrangement. I didn't know French pilots train in the US. France is pretty independant when it comes to her military, except the use of KC-135's out of Istres.....

-Ski

the hawkeye are also US aircrafts

here are some other pics (courtesy of the French Navy)






a video can be seen here : http://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/base/ ... enterprise

the Marine nationale's website provides the story for the pics.

On Monday July 23, 2007, two Rafale F2 and a E-2C Hawkeye of the French Navy carried out a series of landings and catapult-launchings aboard nuclear aircraft carrier American USS Enterprise which was cruising off Cannes. This interaction, carried out successfully, makes the Rafale F2 the first French fighter to be able to operate from an American aircraft carrier thanks to a new system of navigation via GPS.

Admiral Alain Oudot de Dainville, chief of staff of the Navy and his American counterpart, obtained the necessary visas and agreements of the technical (ruling on the feasibility of the operations of catapult-launching and landing) and of the American nuclear safety authorities (ruling on the implementation of the Rafale F2 from a ship with nuclear propulsion), so that a team of a score of technical experts (Rafale, Hawkeye, deck officers ) can embark on July 22 in order to prepare the arrival of the French aircraft the following day.
The success of the operations of July 23 (two landings and two catapult-launchings for the Rafale F2 and a landing followed by a catapult-launching for the E-2C) is a good omen for future interactions between the American and French navies, the American aircraft carriers constituting of the ideal platforms of exercise in the temporary absence of the French aircraft carrier Charles of Gaulle.

Sign of a very strong co-operation, the operation which is completed will allow the Rafale F2 and E-2C French Hawkeye to take part more regularly in exercises since American aircraft carriers. The first of them will take place during summer in 2008.

That is pretty cool. I love that sort of collaboration. It tends to build ties that come in handy! Thanks for the heads-up. We should see more news of this in the future, including operations pictures.

-Ski

That is gangsta! - now thats what we need...a Rafale in 1:18! Thanks for the video, blaster!

The French Navy air component revealed several aircrafts are gonna work directly on the USS Roosevelt. This training session will begin in July (taht's one yer after the 1st landing of a rafale fighter on the Enterprise. 6-8 Rafale from flotille 12 F et 2 Hawkeye from flotille 4F.

This program is welcomed by the French pilots as the only French nuclear carrier, the Charles De Gaulle is undergoing a refitting period of 8 monthes.