The French navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, and its entire carrier strike group will visit Goa and Kochi from Saturday to participate in the Varuna naval exercise with Indian warships to strengthen maritime security in the region.

A carrier battle group or carrier strike group (CSG) is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number of destroyers, frigates and other ships.

The carrier strike group is currently in the Indian Ocean as part of the French Navy’s Mission Clemenceau 25, which is aimed at protecting the country’s interests in the Indo-Pacific and contributing to European operations in the region.

India has been France's foremost strategic partner since 1998, a French readout said, announcing the CSG's visit to the country.

"Currently, the CSG is deployed in the Indian Ocean, where it is conducting joint training sessions with its regional partners and allies, notably India, before moving on to the Indonesian zone for Exercise La Perouse, and then to the Pacific Ocean for Exercise Pacific Steller," the French embassy said.

Deployed in the Indian Ocean as part of Mission Clemenceau 25, the French CSG — comprising aircraft carrier FNS Charles De Gaulle, its embarked air fleet and escort vessels (frigates and supply ships) — will be making stopovers at Goa and Kochi from January 4, the embassy said.

"The aim of this aero-naval training is to develop interoperability between our two navies, and to prepare crews to deal with a multi-milieu threat (air, surface, submarine) as part of a coalition,” it said.

India has been France’s foremost strategic partner since 1998 and the India-French military cooperation is characterised by numerous bilateral exercises such as Shakti on land, Varuna at sea and Garuda in air. India also plays host to numerous operational stopovers made by French navy vessels, accounting for 16 port calls since 2022, the embassy said.

The 42,500-tonne aircraft carrier FNS Charles De Gaulle carries a complement of aircraft and helicopters, including Rafale M combat jets.