Foch/Sao Paulo-class

Foch was the second Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier, commissioned into the French Navy on 15 July 1963. The vessel was ordered in 1955 under a naval expansion plan that was subsequently reduced from a six-carrier requirement to three. It served as the successor to its sister ship, Clemenceau, and was later replaced in French service by the Charles de Gaulle.

The vessel utilized a conventional CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery) design. Its flight deck featured an angled landing area offset by 8 degrees from the ship's axis. Aircraft handling equipment included two 52-meter catapults—one located at the bow and one on the angled deck—and two elevators. The forward elevator was positioned on the starboard side, while the rear elevator was located on the deck edge to maximize hangar space. During the 1980s and 1990s, the ship underwent modernizations to update its defensive systems, which included replacing 100 mm gun turrets with Crotale and Sadral missile launchers. Between 1992 and 1996, the flight deck was modified to support the testing and operation of the Dassault Rafale.

The carrier's operational history included participation in the 1966 campaign of nuclear experimentation in the Pacific. In 1977 and 1978, the ship deployed to the Red Sea for operations related to the independence of Djibouti. During this period, F-8 Crusaders from the carrier conducted a combat interception of Yemeni MiG-21 aircraft. In 1983, the vessel provided air support for French peacekeepers in Lebanon during Operation Olifant. Following tension in the Gulf of Sidra in 1984, the ship deployed off the Libyan coast for Operation Mirmillon.

From 1993 to 1999, the carrier operated regularly in the Adriatic Sea during French involvement in the Yugoslav Wars. These missions included aerial raids over Serbia as part of NATO operations. During its final combat deployment in 1999, mechanical issues with the catapult system required the vessel to withdraw from service four months into the operation.

On 15 November 2000, the French Navy decommissioned the vessel and sold it to the Brazilian Navy, where it was renamed São Paulo. The ship remained in Brazilian service until its disposal. It was scuttled by the Brazilian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean on 3 February 2023.