The ''Force d'action navale'' (FAN, Naval Action Force) is the 9,600-man and about 100-ship force of surface warships of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. As of 2018, it is commanded by Vice-Amiral d’Escadre
Jean-Philippe Rolland
Jean-Philippe Rolland is an admiral of the French Armed Forces, he was Commander of the Naval Action Force since August 31, 2017, and concurrent Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic.
Jean-Philippe Rolland, an admiral of the ...
.
The ships are divided into seven categories:
* The aeronaval group, which has the aircraft carrier at its core
* The
amphibious group, directed by "Projection and Command vessels" (currently ships of the )
*
Frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s, which act either as protection for the strategic groups, or alone in monitoring, survey, presence, rescue or deterrence missions
*
Minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
s
* "Sovereignty" ships, which are deployed overseas and act as presence and prevention forces
* Support vessels
* Public service ships, hydrographic and oceanographic vessels
The aeronaval group
The aeronaval group is the main French Navy power projection force. It is also one of the components of the nuclear deterrence forces, since the embarked
Super Étendard
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard butto ...
and
Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide rang ...
planes have nuclear capabilities.
At minimum, it contains a single aircraft carrier, , an anti-air
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, and a support vessel. Typically, this group also includes several anti-air and anti-submarine frigates,
nuclear attack submarines (s and the future
Barracuda-class submarines), and possibly additional support ships.
The carrier air group can include up to 40 aircraft:
Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide rang ...
,
Super Étendard
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard butto ...
and
E-2 Hawkeye
The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable tactical Airborne early warning and control, airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed duri ...
planes;
NH90 Caïman Marine,
AS365 Dauphin and
AS565 Panther helicopters. This composition varies according to the mission and the tactical environment, and can include aircraft of the
''ALAT'' (Army) or the
''Armée de l'Air'' (Air Force).
Like any naval force, the aeronaval group can be assisted by land-based
Breguet Atlantique Breguet or Bréguet may refer to:
* Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer
**Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker
**Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work
* Bréguet ...
aircraft.
The aircraft carrier formed the core of the French Navy's battle force for many years.
One of the aeronaval group's deployments was to take part in the initial attacks on
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
and the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
as part of what became the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
, in response to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
. The group, designated
Task Force 473 for the operation, comprised 2,900 men under the command of
Contre-Amiral François Cluzel and sailed in December 2001. It consisted of the nuclear aircraft carrier ''Charles De Gaulle'', frigates , , , the nuclear attack submarine , the tanker , and the . The
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
region deployment lasted for seven months before the group returned to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in mid-2002.
The number 473 seems to be semi-permanently assigned to ''Charles de Gaulle'' and its task group, being used again during
Operation Agapanthe
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
in 2004.
During the
2011 Libyan civil war
The First Libyan Civil War was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. It erupted with the Liby ...
, the French carrier battle group commanded from ''Charles de Gaulle'' was designated Task Force 473 and was under the command of Vice-Admiral Phillippe Coindreau. Coindreau was promoted to contre-amiral in September 2009, and he was named deputy commandant of the aéro-maritime force of rapid réaction at
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
. In English-language reports, he was described as deputy commander of the High Readiness Force Maritime Headquarters.
On 29 December 2013, Task Force 473, led by the aircraft carrier ''Charles de Gaulle'', and comprising the destroyer , frigate ''Jean de Vienne'', and the replenishment oiler ''Meuse'' met
Carrier Strike Group Ten
Carrier Strike Group 10, abbreviated as CSG-10 or CARSTRKGRU 10, is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore.
, CSG-10 consist of , the strike group's curre ...
for an exercise in the
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا ...
. Carrier Strike Group Ten comprises the aircraft carrier , guided-missile cruisers and and guided-missile destroyers , , , and .
In November 2015, Task Force 473 sailed again to strike Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. The composition of the task force is French, however, the British destroyer and a frigate from the Belgian Navy, , sailed as part of the group.
The amphibious group
The French Navy operates three large amphibious ships ( amphibious assault ships), which contain smaller landing craft. Aboard are helicopters, troops, and land vehicles.
This force also operates five smaller craft which are based in
Fort de France
Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean.
Histo ...
,
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
,
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The Communes of France, commune of Papeete is located on the isl ...
,
Nouméa
Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, a ...
, and
La Réunion
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
.
The amphibious groups include one or several landing craft (EDAR and CTM) which allow the projection of inter-arm groups with troops, vehicles and helicopters. They can carry
Puma,
Cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...
and
NH-90 Caïman Marine transport helicopters or
Gazelle
A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...
and
Tigre combat helicopters, the ''
Commandos Marine
The Commandos Marine are the Special Operation Forces (SOF) of the French Navy. The Commandos Marine are nicknamed ''Bérets Verts'' ( Green Berets). They operate under the Sailor Riflemen and Special Operations Forces Command (FORFUSCO) an ...
'', minesweeping units, or Army units.
Commander French Maritime Forces (COMFRMARFOR) advises ALFAN, the Admiral in command of the Naval Action Force, and when operational at sea commands from the TCDs.
Destroyers and frigates
![FS Surcouf](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/FS_Surcouf.jpg)
The destroyers and frigates are the backbone of the French surface fleet. They secure aero-naval space and allow free action to the other components of the Navy. They are specialised according to the threat, typically escorting other forces (aeronaval or amphibious groups, submarines or civil ships). As of 2022 the principal surface combatants of the force consisted of:
* The four anti-air destroyers/frigates: Two and two
''Aquitaine'' air defence variant of the FREMM-class of frigate are designed to protect the aeronaval group against air threats. The final two of a total of eight ''Aquitaine''-class frigates are built with enhanced air defence capabilities but drop the land-attack capabilities of the ASW variants. Nevertheless, they retain the ASW sensors and capabilities of this class of vessel.
* The six anti-submarine (ASW) variant destroyers/frigates of the ''Aquitaine'' class: They carry both hull-mounted and towed sonars and
NH-90 Caïman Marine or
Eurocopter AS565 Panther
The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) AS565 Panther is the military version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin medium-weight multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter. The Panther is used for a wide range of military roles, including combat assault, f ...
helicopters, and have anti-ship, land-attack and anti-air capabilities.
* The five s are used primarily as presence ships, to patrol national and international waters, and to take part in dispute settlement outside of Europe. They can therefore act in cooperation with international intervention, protection, special operation or humanitarian missions. They carry AS565 Panther helicopters.
* The six s are used primarily for patrolling the territorial waters of France's overseas territories. While the ships themselves do not carry anti-submarine sensors, they are able to carry a single AS565 Panther for anti-submarine warfare if required and available.
Minesweepers
The minesweepers secure major French harbours, especially for the
ballistic missile submarines (
Strategic Oceanic Force
The Strategic Ocean Force (french: Force océanique stratégique, FOST) has been the synonym of the French Submarine Forces since 1999, which the commandant commands the ensemble related to, along with the squadron of nuclear attack submarine ( ...
) in
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
, and the
attack submarines
An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet Navy, Soviet and Russian Navy, Russian navies th ...
in
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
. They also stay available to secure access to
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
,
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, any of the harbours of the Atlantic coast, and any Allied harbour simultaneously.
They are designed to be used within a larger group, interallied or international, in case of mine risks near coasts.
In peacetime, these units can bring help and assistance to civilian ships, or search wrecks.
This force includes 1,100 men and:
* 9 minehunters
* 3 minesweeping diver groups for shallow waters.
* Several sonar ships which secure the area around Brest harbour
* One command and support ship
Sovereignty vessels
These 65 vessels (as of 2019) patrol harbors, territorial waters, and the world's largest
exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including enforcing fishing, environmental, and criminal laws, and conducting or supporting recovery operations.
Six s perform sovereignty tasks, mainly by controlling the large French EEZ, carrying out police action, and monitoring fishing activities. They operate in low-risk environments. All six are based overseas (two at Réunion, two at Martinique, one in French Polynesia, and one in New Caledonia)
offshore patrol vessels (OPVs):
* Prior to 2011, ten P400-class OPVs operated in pairs at Réunion, Martinique, French Guiana, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. Of these, as of 2020, only ''La Glorieuse'' , based at Nouméa, New Caledonia, remains. ''La Glorieuse'' and similar vessels operating in the waters of France's overseas territories in the Pacific and Indian Ocean are to be replaced between 2023 and 2025 with a new class of vessels, the
Patrouilleur Outre-mer
The Patrouilleurs Outre-mer (POM), or ''Félix Éboué'' class, are a type of six high-sea patrol vessels of the French Navy. They are to be based at Nouméa, Tahiti and La Réunion, as replacement for the s which are nearing the end of their care ...
(POM class).
* ''Flamant'', ''Cormoran'', and ''Pluvier'' fill similar roles of patrolling beyond territorial waters out of metropolitan France.
The
A-69 avisos were originally designed to counter conventional submarines, especially in coastal defence. Instead of decommissioning all 17 as planned, by 2011, nine were stripped of heavy weaponry and converted to offshore patrol vessel (''Patrouilleur de haute-mer'' or PHM). While based in metropolitan France, they conduct routine deployments to the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, replacing eight of the original P400-class OPVs. As of 2021, six of the PHMs remain in service, with replacements (the ''Patrouilleurs Océanique'' (PO)) being designed to enter service from 2025 and operate primarily in the waters of Metropolitan France.
Three
''Patrouilleur Antilles Guyane'' (PAG), based in French Guiana and Martinique, are larger and more capable of the offshore patrol mission than the P 400s.
Three unique patrol vessels (''Le Malin'' at Réunion, ''Arago'' for French Polynesia, and ''Fulmar'' for Saint Pierre and Miquelon) conduct inshore patrol missions in their respective areas.
The patrol boats of the ''
Gendarmerie Maritime
The Maritime Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie maritime) is a component of the French National Gendarmerie under operational control of the chief of staff of the French Navy. It employs 1,157 personnel and operates around thirty patrol boats and h ...
'' carry out law enforcement operations primarily in ports and coastal waters. These include six coastal patrol boats (''Patrouilleur côtier de Gendarmerie maritime'' or PCGM), based in Cherbourg (2), Lorient, Toulon, Guadeloupe, and French Polynesia. There are twenty-four coastal surveillance launches (''vedette côtière de surveillance maritime''), nineteen deployed around metropolitan France and five deployed overseas, generally responding to both maritime and departmental prefects for law enforcement in coastal waters. Eight launches (''vedette de sûreté maritime et portuaire''), are located in Le Havre, Cherbourg, Brest, Marseilles, and Toulon.
Four overseas support and assistance vessels (''bâtiments de soutien et d'assistance outre-mer'') of the have been constructed and deployed to New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Réunion, and Martinique.
Two of four planned home support and assistance vessels (''bâtiments de soutien et d'assistance métropolitains'') of the ''Loire'' class have been constructed and deployed to Brest and Toulon (with two in each port when the last two are completed).
Support ships
![FS Monge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/FS_Monge.jpg)
The support ships allow the French naval forces to be present anywhere on the planet, regardless of the remoteness of their bases. These ships operate independently or are integrated into tactical groups. They shuttle between harbours and fleets, giving them months of operational capabilities by feeding fuel, ammunition, food, water, spare parts and mail. There is also one permanent mechanics ship, ''Jules Verne'', which can repair other ships. The spy ship
''Dupuy de Lôme'' is used for
intelligence gathering
This is a list of intelligence gathering disciplines.
HUMINT
Human intelligence (HUMINT) are gathered from a person in the location in question. Sources can include the following:
* Advisors or foreign internal defense (FID) personnel wor ...
and the tracking ship is used to develop new weapon systems, especially those related to nuclear deterrence.
Hydrographic and oceanographic vessels
One hydro-oceanographic and three hydrographic ships help carrying out mapping and research operations, as well as gathering intelligence which could prove useful to the deployment of naval forces and their weapon systems. They are operated by the ''
service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine
The Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (french: Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine or SHOM) is a French public establishment of an administrative nature (french: établissement public à caractère administratif) admi ...
'' (SHOM).
See also
*
List of active French Navy ships
This is a list of active French Navy ships. The French Navy consists of nearly 100 vessels of the '' Force d'action navale'' (Naval action force) and the 9 submarines of the '' Forces sous-marines'' (Submarine force). Primary assets include 1 nu ...
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Force D'action Navale
French naval components
Military units and formations established in 1995