Book Review of
French Naval Aviation
Author: Henri-Pierre Groleau
Key Books
ISBN: 978-1-80282-195-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
ISBN: 978-1-80282-195-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $24.95
HISTORY:
Over the last two decades, the Aeronautique Navale, French Naval Aviation, has grown with a powerful and battle-hardened force equipped with a large inventory of Rafale Marine naval strike fighters , E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, Falcon 50, Guardian and Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance/maritime patrol aircraft, Dauphin, Panther, Alouette and Caiman naval helicopters and CAP 10, Xingu and Falcon 10 trainers/light transport aircraft.
Its well-trained aircrews, supported by highly qualified engineers, air traffic controllers, intelligence specialists and firemen, perform a wide range of missions over land and sea, both in continental France and abroad.
THE BOOK:
Key Books is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover, with 96 pages in 6 ¾” x 91/2” page format. I recently got 10 Key Books to review and all of them have the same page count and page size.
With 191 full-color images including the cover arts and detailed information, this book plunges the reader right into the heart of French Navy squadrons, as it depicts the every-day life of modern-day Aeronautique Navale units.
The front cover art is a color photo of 2 Rafale M fighter aircraft in flight. Both are overall light-grey, with white noses. The one in the rear has a pale white 44 on its rudder and a pale white French roundel and MARINES on its fuselage sides. The Rafale in the foreground is only showing its front half, so no markings on it can be seen.
The back cover shows a color photo of an Atlantique 2 Maritime Patrol aircraft, that is flying just off shore.
The CONTENTS page lists a FORWARD and names of 6 chapters:
Chapter 1: A powerful, agile and multi-role force.
Chapter 2: Aircrew selection & training.
Chapter 3: Carrier aviation.
Chapter 4: Navy helicopters at sea.
Chapter 5: Maritime patrol & maritime surveillance.
Chapter 6: SAR missions.
The first couple pages show a color photo of a T2-C Hawkeye and a Raphael M.
Chapter 1:
Color photos of Rafale Ms, Panther Standard 2 helicopter
Chapter 2:
Color photos of a 31F Caiman helicopter, Marine Nationale badge, data list, Marine Atlantique 2 Standard 5, Rafale M41s, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, an E2-C Hawkeye, Panther Standard 2, NH90 Caiman helicopter, Dauphin N3 that is over-flying the Frigate Aquitaine off Britany in 2019, a Fokker 50, a Fokker 10, an Alouette III helicopter and an unmanned robotic helicopter, a unit shield insignia that a sailing ship and eagles on it, a Cap10s trainer, a Cirrus CR-20 trainer, a photo of a student pilot and instructor, a Pilatus PC-21 trainer, a T-6 Texan II, EMB 121 XINGU, a Rafale B, an Alouette III and Dauphin N3 helicopters and 3 photos of their interiors, a unit shield with an octopus and eagle on it, the VN Partisan ship, the Alouette 3 helicopter flying over a lighthouse, a large storage box, a 57F Falcon, an instructor training in a Cessna pool, a Falcon 2, carrier flight-deck personnel.
Chapter 3:
A circular unit badge with an A3-C Hawkeye silhouette, anchor and carrier on it, with lettering GROUPE ABRIEN EMBARQUE, the carrier Charles de Gaulle with 8 Rafales and 1 Daufin on deck and a photo below its decks, Rafales in flight, a unit badge that is an outline of a Rafale with a winged-seahorse on it, a circular unit badge that has Donald Duck holding a rocket and a blunderbuss rifle and the slogan “ANY TIME BABY” on it, another unit badge that is shaped like a Rafale, with a French roundel on it, a Rafale in the Charles de Gaulle’s hangar, its engine, many Rafale photos, an E-2C Hawkeye, a circular unit badge with a black silhouette of a Hawkeye, over a white eagle’s head and slogan BORN TO BE WILD, FLOTTILLE 4P FRENCH NAVY, many Hawkeye photos, a unit badge that is in the shape of a Hawkeye with a French roundel on it and 1500 His on it, a rectangular unit badge with DAUFIN PEDRO 35F helicopter on it, an AAE EC725 Caracal helicopter, an Alouette III helicopter, 2 photos of a Falcon 10a, a circular unit badge with a Falcon and a fist holding a black Falcon by the legs, with white FALCON 1c MER on it.
Chapter 4:
A unit shield with a winged-bomb over a black Pegasus-horse on it, many Panther 36F helicopter photos, The RETRACTABLE unit badge with a black Panther and yellow word PANTHER on it, the Panther’s camera and dashboard, a circular unit badge that has an alligator on it and 33F CAIMANS, a Caiman’s training simulator, a Caiman helicopter, an Aquitaine Class Frigate. Many NH9J Caiman helicopters, its engines, a circular unit badge with an alligator wearing a sailor’s hat and eating soup out of a large white bowl, with CAIMAN MARINE written on it, a Thales underwater system FLASH and tech-men, an Alouette III helicopter, a Dauphin helicopter and photos showing its insides and outsides.
Chapter 5:
A circular unit badge with the face of a caribou and PAT MAR FLOTTILLE 21F on it, many photos of the Falcon 50 MSI, its dashboard, a circular unit badge with a black bird flying over a bouy and FLOTTILLE 24F on it.
Chapter 6:
A circular unit badge with a NH Caiman on it and white FLOTTILLE 33F SEARCH AND RESCUE, 5 photos of its crewmen and many photos of it, a circular unit badge with a head-on illustration of a Caiman helicopter over a French roundel with SECURE PROTECTION INTERVENTION FLOTTILLE 35F on it, a circular unit badge with a Caiman helicopter on it and FLOTTILLE 35 on it, a Falcon 50Mi, a search-and-rescue (SAM) kit, a Falcon 50 MSI in flight and in a hangar.
The bottom of the last page of the book suggests readers to further read Key’s bunch of magazines, with color cover arts of them. Shown are: Britain at War, Air International, Airforces, Aviation, Aeroplane, Fly Past and Airlines magazine covers.
This book truly tells IT ALL about French naval aviation. It will be of interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Key Books and all Key titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Over the last two decades, the Aeronautique Navale, French Naval Aviation, has grown with a powerful and battle-hardened force equipped with a large inventory of Rafale Marine naval strike fighters , E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, Falcon 50, Guardian and Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance/maritime patrol aircraft, Dauphin, Panther, Alouette and Caiman naval helicopters and CAP 10, Xingu and Falcon 10 trainers/light transport aircraft.
Its well-trained aircrews, supported by highly qualified engineers, air traffic controllers, intelligence specialists and firemen, perform a wide range of missions over land and sea, both in continental France and abroad.
THE BOOK:
Key Books is based in the UK.
This book is of soft-cover, with 96 pages in 6 ¾” x 91/2” page format. I recently got 10 Key Books to review and all of them have the same page count and page size.
With 191 full-color images including the cover arts and detailed information, this book plunges the reader right into the heart of French Navy squadrons, as it depicts the every-day life of modern-day Aeronautique Navale units.
The front cover art is a color photo of 2 Rafale M fighter aircraft in flight. Both are overall light-grey, with white noses. The one in the rear has a pale white 44 on its rudder and a pale white French roundel and MARINES on its fuselage sides. The Rafale in the foreground is only showing its front half, so no markings on it can be seen.
The back cover shows a color photo of an Atlantique 2 Maritime Patrol aircraft, that is flying just off shore.
The CONTENTS page lists a FORWARD and names of 6 chapters:
Chapter 1: A powerful, agile and multi-role force.
Chapter 2: Aircrew selection & training.
Chapter 3: Carrier aviation.
Chapter 4: Navy helicopters at sea.
Chapter 5: Maritime patrol & maritime surveillance.
Chapter 6: SAR missions.
The first couple pages show a color photo of a T2-C Hawkeye and a Raphael M.
Chapter 1:
Color photos of Rafale Ms, Panther Standard 2 helicopter
Chapter 2:
Color photos of a 31F Caiman helicopter, Marine Nationale badge, data list, Marine Atlantique 2 Standard 5, Rafale M41s, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, an E2-C Hawkeye, Panther Standard 2, NH90 Caiman helicopter, Dauphin N3 that is over-flying the Frigate Aquitaine off Britany in 2019, a Fokker 50, a Fokker 10, an Alouette III helicopter and an unmanned robotic helicopter, a unit shield insignia that a sailing ship and eagles on it, a Cap10s trainer, a Cirrus CR-20 trainer, a photo of a student pilot and instructor, a Pilatus PC-21 trainer, a T-6 Texan II, EMB 121 XINGU, a Rafale B, an Alouette III and Dauphin N3 helicopters and 3 photos of their interiors, a unit shield with an octopus and eagle on it, the VN Partisan ship, the Alouette 3 helicopter flying over a lighthouse, a large storage box, a 57F Falcon, an instructor training in a Cessna pool, a Falcon 2, carrier flight-deck personnel.
Chapter 3:
A circular unit badge with an A3-C Hawkeye silhouette, anchor and carrier on it, with lettering GROUPE ABRIEN EMBARQUE, the carrier Charles de Gaulle with 8 Rafales and 1 Daufin on deck and a photo below its decks, Rafales in flight, a unit badge that is an outline of a Rafale with a winged-seahorse on it, a circular unit badge that has Donald Duck holding a rocket and a blunderbuss rifle and the slogan “ANY TIME BABY” on it, another unit badge that is shaped like a Rafale, with a French roundel on it, a Rafale in the Charles de Gaulle’s hangar, its engine, many Rafale photos, an E-2C Hawkeye, a circular unit badge with a black silhouette of a Hawkeye, over a white eagle’s head and slogan BORN TO BE WILD, FLOTTILLE 4P FRENCH NAVY, many Hawkeye photos, a unit badge that is in the shape of a Hawkeye with a French roundel on it and 1500 His on it, a rectangular unit badge with DAUFIN PEDRO 35F helicopter on it, an AAE EC725 Caracal helicopter, an Alouette III helicopter, 2 photos of a Falcon 10a, a circular unit badge with a Falcon and a fist holding a black Falcon by the legs, with white FALCON 1c MER on it.
Chapter 4:
A unit shield with a winged-bomb over a black Pegasus-horse on it, many Panther 36F helicopter photos, The RETRACTABLE unit badge with a black Panther and yellow word PANTHER on it, the Panther’s camera and dashboard, a circular unit badge that has an alligator on it and 33F CAIMANS, a Caiman’s training simulator, a Caiman helicopter, an Aquitaine Class Frigate. Many NH9J Caiman helicopters, its engines, a circular unit badge with an alligator wearing a sailor’s hat and eating soup out of a large white bowl, with CAIMAN MARINE written on it, a Thales underwater system FLASH and tech-men, an Alouette III helicopter, a Dauphin helicopter and photos showing its insides and outsides.
Chapter 5:
A circular unit badge with the face of a caribou and PAT MAR FLOTTILLE 21F on it, many photos of the Falcon 50 MSI, its dashboard, a circular unit badge with a black bird flying over a bouy and FLOTTILLE 24F on it.
Chapter 6:
A circular unit badge with a NH Caiman on it and white FLOTTILLE 33F SEARCH AND RESCUE, 5 photos of its crewmen and many photos of it, a circular unit badge with a head-on illustration of a Caiman helicopter over a French roundel with SECURE PROTECTION INTERVENTION FLOTTILLE 35F on it, a circular unit badge with a Caiman helicopter on it and FLOTTILLE 35 on it, a Falcon 50Mi, a search-and-rescue (SAM) kit, a Falcon 50 MSI in flight and in a hangar.
The bottom of the last page of the book suggests readers to further read Key’s bunch of magazines, with color cover arts of them. Shown are: Britain at War, Air International, Airforces, Aviation, Aeroplane, Fly Past and Airlines magazine covers.
This book truly tells IT ALL about French naval aviation. It will be of interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Key Books and all Key titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.