There is a touch of Star Wars on the flagship of the National Navy. In the heart of the night, when the darkness of the sky and the sea merge, the Charles de Gaulle seems to float amidst the stars. Visual markers are reduced to the lights of the ship and those of the aircraft lined up on the long flight deck. In a few seconds, the smell of kerosene and the heat of the Rafale Marine engines remind us that we are not in a science fiction movie. Around ten planes are ready to be catapulted at over 250 km/h, somewhere above the English Channel.
On Wednesday, February 18th, helmeted silhouettes are bustling around the aircraft. Big protective glasses, multicolored suits, precise gestures. “Before taking off, the aircraft must be perfectly positioned on the catapult hook,” explains Commander Emmanuel, a Rafale pilot. While about thirty catapults are performed daily, the feat relies on the mastery of those who operate the aircraft, but also on the personnel surrounding them: armament technicians, crew members, deck chiefs, and chockers. Everyone knows their role perfectly. “Our imperative is to launch the planes at the time set by the headquarters,” says Lieutenant Christophe, in charge of the sixty sailors deployed on the steel platform. In operation, delays are not tolerated.
“To gain an advantage, the Rafale aircraft are the X factor,” says Thibault de Possesse.
The “yellow dog” role on the deck is more prominent than others. “They are called that because the flight deck is very noisy, so they can bark to communicate,” adds a sailor. However, in the noise of the machines, verbal communication is almost impossible. For them, everything is done through gestures to move, turn, or stop the aircraft, explains the sailor.
Departing from Toulon on January 27th, the aircraft carrier crossed the Mediterranean Sea, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, and traveled up the Atlantic coast to join Exercise Orion 2026, off the coast of Cherbourg. This training brings together about twenty countries engaged, with the main aim of preparing the armies for complex situations in hybrid and contested environments, as stated by the Ministry of Armed Forces.
In total, Orion involves 12,500 French military personnel, 140 aircraft and helicopters, and 25 ships, including the Charles de Gaulle. “It is part of a scenario of a large-scale air and sea operation, with the aim of acquiring air superiority by neutralizing the ground defense systems of a fictitious enemy,” details Rear Admiral Thibault de Possesse, commander of the naval air group. “To gain an advantage, the Rafale aircraft are the X factor,” he adds.
In the English Channel, the aircraft carrier’s 260 meters are shaken by an unusual swell. “It has been almost five years since the ‘Charles’ has not been on a mission in the Northern waters,” says a sailor, as his previous deployments have mainly taken him to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The pitching is felt all the way to the flight deck, 75 meters above the surface.
In his cockpit, Commander Emmanuel is strapped in, focused, undisturbed. Under the aircraft wings, in the noisy engine environment and facing the wind pressure, the catapult master verifies that the aircraft is caught by the catapulting system before moving away. The engine power increases, the pilot accelerates. The Rafale disappears in just two seconds into the night. Here, there are no lightsabers or special effects, just the precision of a well-oiled machine.
