Navy
Battle Against IS: The French Fight
As Iraqi forces fight their way into Mosul, they're receiving air support from a coalition of nations.
Among the largest contributors is France.
The French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle is currently in the Eastern Mediterranean and is the only European aircraft carrier involved in Operation Inherent Resolve.
On board the French Navy's flagship are two dozen Rafale fighter jets.
For nearly two years the Charles De Gaulle has led Frances's air campaign against the so-called Islamic State terror group.
Her pilots have been flying hundreds of combat sorties over Iraq and Syria in a mission the French military calls 'Operation Chammal'.
The De Gaulle carries two squadrons of Rafale Marine fighter aircraft, each one costing around £70 million.
On the flight deck technicians prepare the Rafales for their missions over Iraq and Syria, their different coloured tops identifying their different jobs.
As well as Rafales, meanwhile, the De Gaulle carries two Hawkeye surveillance planes, which leave the carrier half an hour before the fighter jets.
They scan a huge expanse of land and sea, as well as providing overwatch across Iraq and Syria.
In the past two years, French aircraft have launched nearly 900 airstrikes against IS in both Iraq and Syria.
Since the start of the battle for Mosul, the French military says it has trebled its number of bombing missions - and now launches 75 per fortnight.
This latest mission, called Arromanches 3, is the De Gaulle's third deployment to the region in two years, and it has already been extended.
For a country which has suffered so much at the hands of IS-inspired terrorists, this ship is a powerful symbol of national pride.
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