French Navy upgrade and discussion

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After 1.3 billion euro makeover, French aircraft carrier returns to sea

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A picture taken off Toulon shows the aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle", after the completion of its 18 month-long renovation, France, November 8, 2018.

ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER CHARLES DE GAULLE (Reuters) -

Dressed in a khaki uniform and helmet, a pilot jumps into a Rafale fighter jet under the watchful gaze of France’s armed forces minister, Florence Parly, as the deck of the Charles de Gaulle carrier prepares for its first activity in 18 months.

Europe’s only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the 260-metre-long (850-ft) vessel, which carries 1,700 personnel and whose tonnage is equal to four Eiffel Towers, is due to be deployed in early February in the Indian Ocean, according to military sources.

Its mid-life upgrade, costing 1.3 billion euros, largely focused on modernizing facilities for landing and guiding aircraft. That came after heavy use given the retirement of Britain’s carrier and intense operations between 2015-2016 in the fight against Islamic State militants.

President Emmanuel Macron will spend a night on the vessel next week as it ramps up its five-week pre-deployment training phase.

Faced with the “profound change in the naval strategic panorama”, including the expansionist aims of Beijing in the South China Sea, France considers the aircraft carrier of incomparable “tactical and political value”, said Admiral Christophe Prazuck, Chief of Staff of the French Navy.

After 1.3 billion euro makeover, French aircraft carrier returns to sea | Reuters
 
La refonte du Charles de Gaulle est achevée
La refonte du Charles de Gaulle est achevée

Translation

The overhaul of the Charles de Gaulle has been completed

The renovation of the French nuclear aircraft carrier has been completed, announced yesterday by the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Naval Group. "This mid-life redesign involved unprecedented renovations and a density of work that gave the site an unprecedented complexity. This real industrial challenge required an exceptional organisation in order to achieve overall coordination in real time, the core business of Naval Group", explains the French industrialist, prime contractor for this colossal project, which will enable the Charles de Gaulle to remain operational for another 25 years.

Built in Brest and commissioned in 2001, Europe's most powerful warship, 261 metres long and carrying 42,500 tonnes of cargo, had entered the dry dock in Toulon in February 2017. Launched last May, he had returned to his usual position at the Milhaud wharves to complete the work and dockside tests. He then set sail again for various outings during which his systems were tested and qualified in real conditions. At the end, the vessel was handed over to the French Navy on 16 October.

It will now continue its ramp-up with numerous training sessions, including the return aboard the on-board air group, consisting of Rafale Marine fighters, Hawkeye air watch aircraft and Cayman Marine (NH90) and Dauphin Pedro helicopters. In total, up to 40 aircraft can be used by the building. The flying and technical personnel of the fleets will re-appropriate the boat and the pilots, especially the young ones, will qualify for day and night landings, the fleets having as a reminder benefited during the Charles de Gaulle's absence from a training campaign in the United States (Chesapeake mission). The aircraft carrier and its on-board staff will also train with the entire naval aviation group (frigates, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft, etc.) so that the entire system is fully operational again by the end of the year. This will allow it to be deployed for a new mission in early 2019.

The Charles de Gaulle was redesigned at a cost of 1.3 billion euros over a period of 18 months (it takes four years for an equivalent project on an American aircraft carrier, for example, at a cost of 4.7 billion euros). It required 5 years of preparation and represented 4 million working hours, with 200,000 tasks performed (half by the crew) and 2000 tests conducted. By way of comparison, the first major technical shutdown of the Charles de Gaulle, in 2008/2009, included "only" 80,000 tasks.

On average, 2100 people worked every day on this project, including 1100 sailors and 1000 employees of Naval Group and its subcontractors, with some 160 companies involved. "This extraordinary programme was carried out by a French team combining the Directorate General of Armaments, the French Navy, the fleet support service, the aircraft carrier crew and French industry players. Naval Group has worked with major equipment manufacturers in the Defence sector such as Technicatome, Thales or Safran, generalist companies but also with SMEs, mainly from the local and regional industrial fabric", emphasises Naval Group.

The redesign focused on three main areas. First, the modernization of the combat system, the implementation of new digital networks, the complete change of the Central Operation, the renovation of telecommunications systems, as well as the replacement of air surveillance and navigation radars. As such, the DRBJ-11B was landed and replaced by a SMART-S.

The second challenge of the project was the modernization of the aviation installations covering all the modifications necessary for the transition from on-board hunting to the "all-Rafale", the old Super Etendard having been withdrawn from service in 2016. The aviation premises have been adapted and renovated, as well as the devices dedicated to aircraft recovery, with in particular the installation of a new landing mirror on a specially designed cantilever.

6415-navalgroup-081118-refonte-charles-de-gaulle-photo1.jpg


The third major point of the aircraft carrier overhaul concerned the platform, with, among other things, the modernization of the ship's steering automatons, the renovation of the automatic stilling and piloting system (SATRAP), the replacement of two units of the refrigeration system, but also the redesign of the driving simulator or that of a kitchen (the other had been modernized during the first major technical stop).

In addition, the usual work of an ATM, including the maintenance of all major installations: visit of the two nuclear boiler rooms and replacement of their fuel, maintenance of the power plant and propulsion system, visit of the catapults, shaft lines, and stabilization fins, as well as the painting of the entire building, from the keel to the masthead.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
 
Could have bought a new carrier for not much more.
 

€ 3 billion is an 2008 estimate for a carrier withput nuclear propulsion comparable to British QE. Cost of British QE is more that that now, and the french variant would have cost more with a CATOBAR configuration.
British Carrier Remains Controversial
Britain’s new aircraft carrier is now afloat, but the total forecast cost of £6.1 billion ($10.4 billion) still threatens to sink other defense projects in the UK. To this cost must be added the forecast near £2.5 billion ($4.28 billion) being contributed by the UK to development and initial test and evaluation of the F-35s that will fly from her decks, plus perhaps another £5 billion ($8.56 billion) for their production. However, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are taking their cue from H.M. Queen Elizabeth herself, who, in naming the 65,000-tonne warship in a July 4 ceremony, said “it will be a source of inspiration and pride for all.”

In the two years since AIN last reported on the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, the cost has risen a further £754 million, but the government has reached a cost-sharing agreement with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) that is building them.

And all of this as to be compare to € 1.3 billion and only 18 months delai.
 
Good job there wasn't a war during those 18 months.
 
Good job there wasn't a war during those 18 months.

How long has the United Kingdom had no aircraft carriers? :D

The major technical visit of Charle de Gaulle was scheduled earlier and was delayed to allow him to conduct an additional campaign in the Middle East before being immobilized. This is a flexibility that increases the chances that the aircraft carrier will not be required during its immobilization.
 
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How long has the United Kingdom had no aircraft carriers? :D

The major technical visit of Charle de Gaulle was scheduled earlier and was delayed to allow him to conduct an additional campaign in the Middle East before being immobilized. This is a flexibility that increases the chances that the aircraft carrier will not be required during its immobilization.
The UK has airbases all over the world though, France doesn't.

'Him' - are we talking about the carrier or de Gaulle himself?
 
Yeah, compared, ours is better. You're also missing Australia and New Zealand. We've already got every place covered. The carriers are just for reinforcement.
 
You're missing one in Nigeria too. You've also included other EU and NATO countries in yours to make it more impressive and a force presence is not the same as a permanent air base. FFS the RAF is present in Syria and Iraq too, with ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan too. Your map includes ground troop deployments, they are not air bases. The RAF are also helping with logistics in Mali for example, but they are not shown, because it is not a permanent air base.

1543851769875.png
 
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You're missing one in Nigeria too. You've also included other EU and NATO countries in yours to make it more impressive and a force presence is not the same as a permanent air base. FFS the RAF is present in Syria and Iraq too, with ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan too. Your map includes ground troop deployments, they are not air bases. The RAF are also helping with logistics in Mali for example, but they are not shown, because it is not a permanent air base.
Ah Ah Ah!
In my chart the blue (force de souveraineté) and the green (force de présence) are permanent. And there are missing in your graphic because the blue are in France (and not abroad) and the green are for a whole country and not only for just a base.
These two categories alone cover the whole world very well.
 
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Ah Ah Ah!
In my chart the blue (force de souveraineté) and the green (force de présence) are permanent. And there are missing in your graphic because the blue are in France (and not abroad) and the green are for a whole country and not only for just a base.
These two categories alone cover the whole world very well.
Forces present does not equal a permanent base. And they are still not as widely spread as the UK bases, nor are they air bases in all cases. All the blue bases have air bases on the UK map. Many of the bases are sovereign territory for the UK. E.g. Cyprus is owned by Greece and Turkey but the base is UK sovereign territory, this is the case for most air bases. Gibraltar, Falklands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Ascension Island, Belize, Bermuda, Monserrat are all UK sovereign territory and others are Commonwealth Realms where the Queen is head of state. I think we're fairly well covered.

Commonwealth realm - Wikipedia

1543919296763.png


For France:
1543919444169.png



Akrotiri etc. is in addition to the above.
 
Forces present does not equal a permanent base. And they are still not as widely spread as the UK bases, nor are they air bases in all cases. All the blue bases have air bases on the UK map. Many of the bases are sovereign territory for the UK. E.g. Cyprus is owned by Greece and Turkey but the base is UK sovereign territory, this is the case for most air bases. Gibraltar, Falklands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Ascension Island, Belize, Bermuda, Monserrat are all UK sovereign territory and others are Commonwealth Realms where the Queen is head of state. I think we're fairly well covered.

Commonwealth realm - Wikipedia

View attachment 3710

For France:
View attachment 3711


Akrotiri etc. is in addition to the above.
Ah ah you have the biggest but at first you said that we don't have one!