12 février 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval

Can France Eventually Replace Its Single Aircraft Carrier?

by Robert Farley Follow drfarls on TwitterL

Key Point: Paris has a long history of building aircraft carriers, including their current nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle. If France wants to remain a relevant great power, it needs to think about what comes next after its carrier reaches retirement.

France's first carrier entered service in the interwar period, but for a very long time the French navy trailed behind international counterparts in naval aviation. This changed in the Cold War, however, and today France operates the world's most advanced carrier outside of the U.S. Navy. How did France build its naval aviation force, what does it do today and what direction will France take next?

The History of French Carriers

Soon after World War I, France joined the international carrier community through the conversion of the battleship hulk Bearn. Although large, Bearn did not carry many aircraft and never actively participated in combat, even during World War II. The construction of two additional large carriers was suspended by World War II, but after the war the French navy gained access to light carriers transferred from Britain and the United States.

Four in total, these carriers helped the French navy develop its naval aviation muscles. The next step was big; France constructed a pair of CATOBAR aircraft carriers, Clemenceau and Foch. Commissioned in 1961 and 1963, the ships displaced 30,000 tons and could carry around forty modern aircraft. A third carrier, the much larger Verdun, was cancelled before being laid down. Clemenceau and Foch, operating the F-8 Crusader and later the Super Etendard, would form the backbone of the world's second largest carrier force for the latter half of the Cold War. After nearly forty years of hard service, the two ships were decommissioned in favor of France's next carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/can-france-eventually-replace-its-single-aircraft-carrier-122231

Sur le même sujet

19 novembre 2021 | International, C4ISR, Sécurité

DoD SBIR/STTR Component BAA Pre-Release: Army SBIR BAA 21.4, Topics A214-045 through A214-51
The DoD Small Business and Technology Partnerships Office announces the pre-release of the following Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) topics: Army SBIR 21.4 SBIR Topic A214-045: “Graph Neural Networks (GNN) for UxS Collaborative Agent Control,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/178e0311b4d04df2bf25025d5c99473d/view SBIR Topic A214-046: “Synthetic RF Training Data Generation,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/fa78f3dd832249ec925b092246c8ed0f/view SBIR Topic A214-047: “Height of Burst scoring through Machine Learning,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/e94aafd959174ec2882511ace4c3e939/view SBIR Topic A214-048: “Machine Learning (ML) for Breach Routing,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/f8c317353e0547f5b139fb87016075af/view SBIR Topic A214-049: “Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) for Radio Frequency (RF) Modulation Recognition,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/84a904f180234f85bc861a604844c8d8/view SBIR Topic A214-050: “Natural Language Processing+,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/a27caede2da442ce86ec6f52c2aa13f1/view SBIR Topic A214-051: “Asynchronous Neuromorphic Digital Readout Circuit for Infrared Cameras for Autonomous Target Acquisition and Autonomous Vehicles,” published at https://sam.gov/opp/b8c670091b7947ca99658c48f62e0621/view IMPORTANT DATES: November 16, 2021: Topics pre-release November 16, 2021: Topic Q&A opens to questions November 30, 2021: Topics open, begin submitted proposals in DSIP December 21, 2021: Topic Q&A closes to new questions at 12:00 pm ET January 4, 2022: Topics close, full proposals must be submitted in DSIP no later than 12:00 p.m. ET Full topics and instructions are available at the links provided above.
14 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

Airbus A330 delivery brings dedicated tanker capability to South Korean Air Force
By: Mike Yeo MELBOURNE, Australia ― The first Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport for the Republic of Korea Air Force has landed in South Korea for its acceptance tests. According to a news release from the manufacturer, the aircraft, which was piloted by a joint Airbus and Air Force crew, arrived at Gimhae Air Base in Busan after a ferry flight from the Airbus Final Assembly Line in Getafe, Spain, with a stop in Vancouver, Canada. It will now undergo ground and flight tests in Gimhae. The Air Force will be supported by a team from Airbus, which will be based in South Korea for the duration of the tests and until the aircraft is officially handed over to the customer. Airbus did not specify how long the acceptance tests will last, and referred questions about the specifics of the test program to the Air Force. This aircraft is the first of four ordered by South Korea. Its arrival marks the second regional customer of the A330 MRTT to receive its first aircraft this year, with the first of Singapore's six aircraft having been delivered in August. Another customer, France, had also taken delivery of its first MRTT in October. The A330 MRTT marks the introduction of a dedicated tanker capability for South Korea's Air Force, and it will allow the service's fighters to increase their persistence during missions. The service is currently operating the Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle and the Lockheed Martin KF-16C/D Fighting Falcon as its primary combat aircraft. South Korea has also ordered the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, with the first one for the Air Force rolling out earlier this year. South Korea selected the A330 MRTT for its $1.26 billion KC-X program in 2015 after evaluating competing proposals from Boeing, with the KC-46 Pegasus, and Israel Aerospace Industries, who proposed converting 767 airliners in a tanker aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/11/13/airbus-a330-delivery-brings-dedicated-tanker-capability-to-south-korean-air-force
24 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR

SpaceX launches Air Force’s best GPS yet, ends banner year
By: The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has launched the U.S. Air Force's most powerful GPS satellite ever built. A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday, hoisting the satellite toward orbit. The satellite was supposed to soar Tuesday but rocket concerns and then weather delayed the flight. Heather Wilson, secretary of the Air Force, says this next-generation GPS satellite is three times more accurate than previous versions and eight times better at anti-jamming. It's the first in a series and nicknamed Vespucci after the 15th-century Italian explorer who calculated Earth's circumference to within 50 miles (80 kilometers). It was SpaceX's 21st and final launch of the year, a company record. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/12/23/spacex-launches-air-forces-best-gps-yet-ends-banner-year

Toutes les nouvelles