CHARLES DE GAULLE

CHARLES DE GAULLE
_____________________________






The Charles De Gaulle is a 38,000 ton, nuclear powered French aircraft carrier launched in May 1994 The ship operates a fleet of 40 Rafale M combat aircraft, the Super Etendard and three E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. The ship also supports the AS 565 Panther and Dauphin helicopters. There are two lifts, measuring 19 x 13 m, which have a load capacity of 36 tons. The hangar has a floor area of 140 x 30 metres and a height 6.1 metres. It accommodates 20 to 25 aircraft. The main deck consists of a main runway angled at 8.5 degrees to the ship's axis and an aircraft launch area forward of the island. The runway and the forward launch area are each equipped with a USN Type C13 catapult rated to handle aircraft up to 22 tonnes and capable of launching one aircraft per minute. The runway is 195 metres long and the whole deck measures 260 x 64 metres. Charles de Gaulle
The Charles De Gaulle is a 38,000 ton, nuclear powered French aircraft carrier launched in May 1994 The ship operates a fleet of 40 Rafale M combat aircraft, the Super Etendard and three E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. The ship also supports the AS 565 Panther and Dauphin helicopters. There are two lifts, measuring 19 x 13 m, which have a load capacity of 36 tons. The hangar has a floor area of 140 x 30 metres and a height 6.1 metres. It accommodates 20 to 25 aircraft. The main deck consists of a main runway angled at 8.5 degrees to the ship's axis and an aircraft launch area forward of the island. The runway and the forward launch area are each equipped with a USN Type C13 catapult rated to handle aircraft up to 22 tonnes and capable of launching one aircraft per minute. The runway is 195 metres long and the whole deck measures 260 x 64 metres.

The ship's weapons are managed by a Senit Combat Management System, CMS Model 8. The system has the capacity to track up to 2,000 friendly and hostile targets. The weapon control system consists of two Sagem Vigy 105 optronic directors. The ship has two Sagem Vampir search and track systems. The ship is fitted with the Aster 15 surface-to-air missile launchers, Sylver vertical launch systems, installed on the edge of the deck, with two launchers (16 cells) on the starboard side forward of the bridge and two launchers on the port side aft of the bridge. The ship has two six-cell Sadral launching systems for the Mistral missile positioned on the edges of the main deck about 45 metres (starboard side) and 36 metres (port side) aft of the Aster missile launchers. The ship is also equipped with eight Giat 20F2 guns and four decoy launchers are installed, two on either side of the ship firing chaff to 8 km and infra-red flares to a range of 3 km

When launched, Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the largest fighting ship ever built by a European shipyard. Designed to operate 40 Rafale M aircraft, it will be the main unit of the French Navy's surface fleet. The Charles de Gaulle was officially handed over to the French Navy on 28 September 2000.

The Charles de Gaulle is the most sophisticated, highest performance warship ever built in Europe. She offers massive air power, a highly-integrated combat system, and impressive endurance. Deploying 40 modern combat planes plus early-warning aircraft, she can conduct 100 air missions a day. As the center-piece of a carrier group, she can perform vital duties in any waters.

Two catapults accelerate aircraft (Rafales, Hawkeyes, and modernized Super Étendards) to over 300 km/h in just 75 meters. The flight deck can launch one aircraft every 30 seconds or handle a mass landing of 20 aircraft in just 12 minutes. Data links (to NATO standards L16 and L11) allow Hawkeye early-warning aircraft to transmit tactical situation data in real time to naval units and combat aircraft
The Senit 8 CMS enables CIC officers and the OTC to monitor 2,000 tracks in real time and engage air, naval and shore targets in fully-integrated mode. As part of one of the most modern systems of its type ever deployed, Aster 15 hyper-agile anti-air missiles provide protection against attacking aircraft and missiles. The aircraft carrier acts as the hub of an extensive communications network exchanging data over 50 simultaneous links with naval and air units plus shore-based command centers

The Satrap stabilization system system offers exceptional performance. At 20 knots with the rudder at 30°, heel is just 1°. Reduced platform motion means the flight deck can handle 25-ton aircraft up to sea state 6.
In addition to state-of-the-art stabilization, communications and automation — including the Senit 8 CMS and the Shipmaster IPMS — all onboard facilities were designed and developed using the latest technologies, including CAD and virtual reality. All basic concepts correctly foreshadowed the design and construction of warships now at the proposal stage.
Safety is essential to the success of every naval mission. In peacetime, the crew's safety is the top priority. This depends not only on the inherent safety of the vessel's equipment and weapons, but also on how the crew handles the ship and how they respond to incidents and emergencies. As a result of long-term involvement in the design and development of powerplants for nuclear submarines and, more recently, the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier, safety awareness is a strong tradition at DCN. No other area of naval architecture demands stricter compliance with safety and environmental requirements, whether during normal operation or combat situations.
The procedures laid down in the DCN Reference System are based on lessons learned from the design and development of a wide range of warships. In addition to guidelines for naval architecture and design, the Reference System also details strict materials qualification processes and quality control procedures to be carried out during shipbuilding.

Dependability analyses are undertaken to check that each system's target failure rates comply with the allocated rates. The ship's Operations Manual is also based on these dependability analyses. This Manual details both normal operations and responses to failures and incidents

Nonetheless, the Charles de Gaulle has suffered from a variety of problems [see James Dunnigan's "How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier"]. The Charles de Gaulle took eleven years to build, with construction beginning in 1988 and entering service in late 2000. For comparison, constructino of the American CVN 77 began in 2001 with a projected delivery in 2008. The 40,000 ton ship is slower than the conventionally powered Foch, which she it replaced. The propellers on the CDG did not work properly, so she recycled those of the Foch. The nuclear reactor was problematic, with the engine crew receiving five times the allowable annual radiation dose. The flight deck layout has precluded operating the E-2 radar aircraft.

Specifications
Power Plant
2 Nuclear Power Plants;Two propellers with 4 blades each, 80,000 ch (56,000 kW);Electric power: 21,400 kW
Length, overall
262 meters
Flight Deck Width
65 meters
Total Height
75 meters
Displacement
35,500 tons40,600 tons (full load)
Speed
27 knots
Aircraft
35-40
Aircraft Elevators
2
Catapults
2
Runway Floor Space
12,000 m²
Hangar Area Floor Space
4,600 m²
Crew
Ship's Company: 1,950
Armament
2 Aster 15 missile systems (16 each)2 Sadral systems (6 each)8 Giat 20 F2
Combat Systems
2 Raccal-Decca1 DRBJ 11 B1 DRBV 26 D1 DRBV 15 C1 Arabel1 Vampir DIBV 1 system2 DIBC 2A (Vigy 105) systems
1 ARBR 21 radar detector2 ARBB 33 jammers4 Sagaie decoy-launchersSLAT systemSAIGON systemSENIT 8 systemTACAN : VRBP-20A
Launch Rate
1 aircraft/30 seconds
Munitions Storage
550 tons
Fuel Storage
3,400 tons
Endurance
45 days