The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has conducted its first combat operation against ISIL targets in Syria, Sputnik News reports.
Warplanes from the French aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle” engaged in their first combat mission, striking Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq on Monday.
The French media reported that the Charles de Gaulle’s mission is expected to last at least four months and that it may be prolonged.
The ship houses 18 Rafale fighter jets, eight Dassault Super-Etendard supersonic deck attack aircraft and two Hawkeye aerial early warning aircraft (AEW). The carrier’s crew consists of 1,9 thousand sailors, pilots and mechanics.
France’s only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle was deployed in the Mediterranean late Saturday after the November 13 terrorist acts in Paris saw 130 killed and over 360 injured.