France’s ‘flying frigate’

Atlantique 2

The French Navy’s Atlantique 2s are veritable warships of the skies, capable of searching, identifying and prosecuting all types of sea and land-based targets. Bastien Otelli reports on the ‘Frégate volante’ (‘flying frigate’) and its sailors at Lann-Bihoué.

Atlantique 2 serial 26 cruises above the clouds. The aircraft carries the gazelle’s head badge of Flottille 21F below the cockpit. Since the ATL 2 fleet is shared across the two squadrons, the Flottille 23F insignia appears on the opposite side of the airframe. All photos Bastien Otelli unless stated Insert: The motto on this Flottille 23F crew patch reads: ‘60 years old and still has all its teeth’. Today’s 23F was established in June 1953 but traces its lineage back to Flottille de Bombardement 2F, created in December 1940 and initially equipped with the Martin 167 and Lockheed Hudson.
James Lawrence

The eyes close, the heart rate slows, concentration is at its peak… a sonobuoy has just been released and the crewman known as the ‘golden ear’ raises the alert: he has located an enemy submarine. On board, it’s action stations as two protagonists engage in a game of cat and mouse, with the aim of neutralising the enemy. While it seems like a scene from The Hunt for Red October, in this case the ‘golden ear’ – or on-board acoustician – isn’t at the bottom of the sea, but flying over the waves in an Atlantique 2 (ATL 2).

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