The advent of World War II catapulted aircraft carriers to the forefront of naval warfare, establishing the U.S. Navy as the dominant force with its 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers. However, the French Navy also plays a significant role with the Charles de Gaulle (CDG), the only other nuclear-powered carrier in operation globally.
The French military maintains a high-end force of tanks, armored vehicles and modern jet fighters for high intensity conflict and a low-end of light infantry, special forces and light armored vehicles for the lower end of the spectrum.
At 42,000 tons fully loaded, de Gaulle is half the size of America’s Nimitz-class supercarriers. She can carry up to forty aircraft while underway, both rotary and fixed-wing.