Porte-Avions 2

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Draft of the PA2
Data
Displacement: 70,000 tons (max.)
Length: 283 m
Width (trunk): 39 m
Width (flight deck): 73 m
Draft: 11.5 m (max.)
Drive: 2 × Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines with 36 MW each or
2 × General Electric LM2500 + G4 gas turbines with 28.6 MW each
Top speed: 27+ knots
Range: 10,000 miles at 15 knots
Crew: 1650
Armament: Aster 15 anti- aircraft missiles
Airplanes : 40 planes and helicopters
Costs: approx. € 2.7 billion

Porte-Avions 2 (short: PA2 ) is a failed project to build an aircraft carrier for the French Navy . It was developed on the basis of the British Queen Elizabeth class and was due to enter service between 2015 and 2020, but the project was discontinued in 2013 without a construction contract.

history

In 2001 the French Navy put their new aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle into service. The original plan was to build a second ship of this class, but massive technical problems, delays and cost overruns ultimately led to this plan not being pursued any further. Instead, France was looking for a cheaper alternative and was interested in the UK CVF project , which was to develop two new aircraft carriers for the British Navy .

There were initial talks between the two countries regarding cooperation as early as 2002, and in 2004 President Jacques Chirac officially confirmed that France was interested in participating in the CVF project . On January 26, 2006, the United Kingdom and France agreed to cooperate on further planning. This includes an analysis of the extent to which the British concept can be adapted for the French Navy. Since France favored an aircraft carrier for the conventional take off ( CTOL ) Rafale aircraft , some changes had to be made to the UK STOVL design. It paid off that the UK had the carriers designed from the outset so that they can be converted from STOVL to CTOL with relative ease.

At the Euronaval trade fair in October 2006, France announced that the British concept complied with the French requirements to over 90 percent and that participation was considered certain. A final decision as to whether France would build a CTOL variant of the British carrier - now known as the Queen Elizabeth class - was originally expected in mid-2007, but has been delayed due to funding problems. In April 2008, the French Defense Minister Hervé Morin questioned the procurement of PA 2 against the background of budget cuts. He pointed out that with the current budget situation it would be problematic to carry out such an expensive project. On May 27, 2008, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that the decision to build the carrier had been postponed to 2010/11. This would have delayed commissioning by at least two to three years.

The project was abandoned in 2013 and removed from the French White Paper on Defense and National Security.

concept

Since the British Navy opted for a conventional drive and there were also a number of problems with the Charles de Gaulle nuclear reactor , France planned to drive PA 2 conventionally as well. The drive system would have either of two Rolls-Royce - MT30 gas turbines with 36 MW or two General Electric LM2500 + should consist, each with 28.6 MW G4 gas turbines. The maximum speed should be between 27-30 knots, and the range at a speed of 15 knots should be around 10,000 miles.

The aircraft equipment was originally intended to consist of PA 2 up to 48 aircraft and helicopters, but was reduced to just 40 machines in the latest concepts. As on the Charles de Gaulle  , the Dassault Rafale should be used as a fighter aircraft , of which up to 32 should be carried. The aerial reconnaissance was to be ensured by three Grumman E-2 aircraft . In addition, five NH90 helicopters were to be carried for air transport and anti -submarine defense .

The adaptation of the British concept to French needs was carried out by the arms company Thales , whose subsidiary Thales UK is also involved in the British carriers, and DCN . The PA 2 was to be built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ^ Richard Beedall: French Second Aircraft Carrier (CVF FR) - Part 1. ( Memento from October 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Navy Matters.
  2. ^ Richard Beedall: French Second Aircraft Carrier (CVF FR) - Part 2. ( Memento of July 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Navy Matters.
  3. Livre Blanc-2013 ( French ) Ministry of Defense (France). July 15, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  4. ^ Greg Keller: France to slash 24K military jobs, seeking savings . In: Huffington Post , April 29, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2015.