French President Emmanuel Macron announced during his visit to Egypt on Wednesday, October 25, that France was dispatching an amphibious helicopter carrier, the Tonnerre, in Gaza's direction. The move marks a significant reinforcement of France's military posture in the war between Israel and Hamas. Although the president and the armed forces general staff have stressed the humanitarian dimension of this deployment, the Tonnerre, which left Toulon late on Wednesday, is much more than a simple "hospital ship," as it has been widely presented.
With a length of 200 meters, a deck area of 750 square meters, and a tonnage of over 21,000 tons, it is one of the navy's largest vessels, behind the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier. It houses a medical facility capable of performing surgical operations as close as possible to a combat zone: two operation rooms, an X-ray room and 69 beds – the equivalent of a hospital serving a town of 25,000 residents. With its landing craft and barges, it can easily carry out evacuations.
But the Tonnerre is also capable of carrying more than 15 helicopters, which can then carry out strikes or surveillance operations. On Wednesday, in addition to its 200 sailors, the Tonnerre also set sail with an embarked battle group, army units equipped with everything from armored vehicles to logistics trucks. An amphibious assault ship can carry up to 900 soldiers in addition to its own crew, and the full range of army vehicles, up to a full squadron of Leclerc tanks (13 tanks).
Above all, a ship like the Tonnerre can carry enough staff to carry out multinational operations. On Wednesday, it left to join two other French vessels already deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Surcouf: a Lafayette-class frigate, with some 150 sailors on board and a helicopter. The ship was already present at the start of the war as part of the permanent intelligence and sea surveillance mission that France was carrying out under the auspices of Operation Chammal, the French component of the coalition engaged in the fight against the Islamic State group.
The second, the Alsace, is a multi-mission frigate that joined the Surcouf only a few days ago. With a crew of 130, the Alsace is one of the French navy's most modern frigates – it was admitted to active service at the end of 2021. In addition to her sophisticated anti-submarine warfare capabilities, it is also resolutely focused on anti-aircraft defense and is equipped with short- and medium-range Aster-type missiles that can provide a protective bubble against aircraft, certain types of missiles and drones.
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