The French Navy supplements Charles de Gaulle’s carrier air group with three Landing Helicopter Docks, used for amphibious operations and special forces raids under a multi-domain battle concept. Henri-Pierre Grolleau outlines how the Mistral, Tonnerre and Dixmude and their air assets would be used in battle.
FRENCH AIR-SEA BATTLE FORCE
Embarked Tactical Group
A typical ‘Mistral’-class tactical amphibious group would be built around a combined arms battle group supported by helicopters, similar to the USMC’s Marine Expeditionary Units. It would include a combat company equipped with Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé (VAB; armoured personnel carrier) vehicles, a reconnaissance and fire-support company, and a command and logistic support company for medical, technical engineering and logistical support, equipped with Toutes Roues Motrices 2000 (TR M2000, an all-wheel drive vehicle with a 4,400lb [2,000kg] payload) and TRM10000 trucks.
