The Charles de Gaulle is the pride of the French Navy and is the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world besides the U.S. Navy. However, because its displacement is not very large, its actual combat capabilities are not strong.
Of course, this is also embarrassing for the French. After all, the Charles de Gaulle was born in an era of tight budgets. The French have thought of many ways to save money. The use of nuclear submarine reactors for nuclear power is one of them. Facts have proved that they not only failed to save money
, but also left many flaws.
The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was completed and officially delivered to the Navy in 2001. The entire construction cost was 2 billion. In comparison, the US 100,000-ton Nimitz-class super aircraft carrier only cost 3.2 billion US dollars.
This is just an aircraft carrier, there are also a large number of carrier-based aircraft waiting for the French Navy to equip them, which is another huge sum of money.
In comparison, the aircraft carriers built by Dongfang are much cheaper. The price of an aircraft carrier with the same displacement built for customers is less than half of that of a French aircraft carrier. Coupled with carrier-based aircraft, the overall package price is even more shockingly cheap.
I can believe that, especially, customers don’t have to spend money. With that kind of package plan, they can get warships without spending money.
The French want to invite Easterners to visit the Charles de Gaulle. This news spread quickly throughout the world. Many people are curious, what is the intention of the French in doing this? Do the French want to ask the Easterners for advice?
The two sides have competed in many markets before, but now France is clearly at a disadvantage.
They sent out invitations, but the Orientals did not come immediately. Instead, they delayed the invitation until the Oriental Lunar New Year had passed. During this period, the French did not know how they felt.
On February 4, 2001, the beginning of spring, on this day, Qin Tao and his party arrived in France, and their special plane landed directly at the airport in the city of Brest.
The name Brest can easily make people think of Brest Fortress, but the French city of Brest is thousands of miles away from the Brest Fortress. It is located in the western part of the Brittany Peninsula in western France.
To the south is the famous Bay of Brest. Because of these excellent conditions, it became a French military port and an important base for the French navy in the 17th century, and shipyards were built.
Today, Brest is still one of the two most important military ports in France. Even the French Triumph-class nuclear submarine is docked here. Of course, there is also a commercial port here. Over the centuries, it has also carried a strong
With its Celtic cultural architecture and overlooking the city from the plane, you will feel the charming atmosphere here.
Zhao Ling had not been out for a long time, and now standing on the land of Brest, she felt that everything was very fresh.
Brest Shipyard was very enthusiastic about the arrival of Qin Tao and his party. They greeted him directly at the airport, and they were all old acquaintances. Cadina walked up and shook hands with Qin Tao cordially: "Mr. Qin, welcome to Brest
.”
"I'm honored to be back here again. I think of the last time I came here. Although it was ten years ago, it seems like just yesterday, the city here was still as beautiful as before."
There is not much construction in Europe, so the cities will not change for decades. The vehicles in Europe are mainly hatchbacks. This is because the roads in their cities used to be carried by horse-drawn carriages, and the cars were too big and inconvenient.
"Yes, we also miss her very much. We established a deep friendship with Qin back then." Kaidina continued to look at the people around Qin Tao: "Is this your wife? You are so beautiful."
With that said, Cadina planned to take Zhao Ling's hand and kiss it as a courtesy.
Qin Tao quickly stopped him: "Mr. Cadina, let me introduce to you the people I brought this time. They are all elites of our Mingzhou Group. They heard that they were going to visit the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, so they came with them.
"
Did you bring someone else with you?
Kaidina looked over and found that during the short exchange, more than 20 people had come down from behind. No, there were more than 30 people!
His brows suddenly wrinkled.
"Don't worry, we will stay in the hotel by ourselves and you won't need to entertain us," Qin Tao said.
Is this a matter of hospitality expenses? Is it appropriate for so many of you to come to visit the aircraft carrier we are about to deliver to the Navy?
"Why, Mr. Cadena, do you seem to mind their coming?"
Of course I mind, but this sentence was never uttered. He hesitated for a long time and finally said: "Welcome to them, Mr. Qin, can you introduce them to me one by one?"
"Of course, come on, this is Yang Dawei, the designer of our Mingzhou Group Design Department. Many warships are made by him."
Cadina's eyes lit up: "Your warship designer? Has Mr. Yang ever designed an aircraft carrier?"
Of course not, the aircraft carrier is the task of the Second Design Office, but Yang Dawei cannot say no at this time.
"Of course, our Mingzhou Group has built so many aircraft carriers, and he is also responsible for it." Qin Tao said, intending to continue the introduction. Who would have thought that Kaidina was interested in Yang Dawei and continued to ask: "So, you
You must have also designed a comprehensive power system for the entire ship?"
"This is the responsibility of other designers. As you know, a warship is composed of multiple parts and requires many designers to work together." Qin Tao said.
"So among the people coming this time, are there designers of 40-megawatt gas turbines?"
Qin Tao seemed to have realized something: "Of course there is. Does your aircraft carrier No. 2 want to purchase our gas turbines?"
When it comes to gas turbine technology, Britain and the United States are very good, but France is not good at it. Just look at the aero engines. The French Mirage 2000 fighter uses a single rotor. Although the Rafale uses a dual-rotor M88, it is said to be the mapping of the F404.
imitations.
They also have no technical reserves for gas turbines. Now that the construction of the Charles de Gaulle is completed, it has been confirmed that nuclear power is a pitfall. What about their No. 2 ship?
Historically, only one Charles de Gaulle was built, but this does not mean that the French do not want to build a second one.
The French Navy originally had two aircraft carriers, the Clemenceau and the Foch. According to the original arrangement of the French, the Charles de Gaulle was scheduled to enter service in 1996 to replace the Clemenceau, and the second ship used Richelieu.
Bishop Richelieu's name was planned to start construction in 1992 and enter service in 2004 to replace the aircraft carrier Foch. However, the Bishop Richelieu was never built because the Charles de Gaulle was seriously over budget and overdue.
What next? What do they do?
It must still be built. After all, it is really not possible to have only one aircraft carrier. If the aircraft carrier is overhauled or even the crew comes back from sea to repair, they will have no aircraft carrier available. Two aircraft carriers can be used interchangeably, but one aircraft carrier will definitely not work.
However, after being deceived by the Charles de Gaulle, the French Navy also knew that it could no longer mandate nuclear power. Conventional power was also good. In 2000, they changed the No. 2 ship to a conventional power solution.
Routine is routine, what to use next? Boiler or gas turbine?
Like the United States, after they built the two Clemenceau-class aircraft carriers, they never built naval boilers again. Over the years, the boiler industry chain has long been broken, and the companies that once built boilers have also closed down.
, they simply had no way to find a suitable company to produce boilers.
Moreover, boilers are too backward. Seeing that ship power around the world is transitioning to gas turbines, of course they also hope to use advanced gas turbines!
So, what type of gas turbine is used?
The most common gas turbine in the world is the LM2500. After upgrading, the power is increased. The Americans do use this gas turbine on the 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship. However, the amphibious assault ship has a low speed after all, and it only needs to exceed 20 knots.
But the aircraft carrier is not good enough. Their Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier only has 267 knots, so it already feels stretched and inconvenient in every aspect.
So, they need a forty megawatt gas turbine!
At this time, after hearing Qin Tao's words, Duquesne was a little embarrassed. It was embarrassing for the always arrogant French to say that they needed gas turbines from the East. However, this was indeed one of their ideas, which made him
He hesitated, a little embarrassed to say it.
Seeing his expression, Qin Tao understood: "I'm sorry, I'm overthinking it. Even if you want to purchase, you must purchase it from the UK. Our eastern technology is backward, how can you possibly be interested in it?"
When Qin Tao said this, Duquesne became even more embarrassed. Philip on the side said: "Mr. Qin, the British only brag. They say they want to build a 40-megawatt gas turbine, but they don't have three to five years to build it.
It definitely can’t be done by tinkering, and your gas turbine has completed the ignition test, so we are very interested in your gas turbine. Of course, the price of your gas turbine must also be cheap..."
When he said this, Philip felt that he seemed to have said too much. They were interested in Dongfang's gas turbines not only because Dongfang's development progress was more advanced, but also because it was cheaper!
The Charles de Gaulle cost too much, and they had long felt that they could no longer afford it. Their second ship planned to use conventional power, and they had already begun to search for a suitable power system around the world. After going around, they suddenly discovered that,
Dongfang’s gas turbines are actually the most suitable for them!
This kind of gas turbine has already been put into use. There is no need to wait for a long research and development process. The price of this kind of gas turbine is also cheap. Even if you purchase two units, the price is cheaper than one gas turbine in the UK!
Qin Tao nodded: "We are very happy that you are interested in our gas turbines. In fact, if you hand over all the construction of the aircraft carrier to us, the price will be cheaper. How much does your Charles de Gaulle cost? It cost twenty
Billion dollars, right? If we were to build it, with a gas turbine and a catapult, we would only need one billion dollars."
One billion dollars, a medium-sized aircraft carrier!
Qin Tao threw out a big bait. He knew that the French would definitely not let Ang build it by himself. After all, how could the proud Gauls give up their own shipyard? Such a large order for aircraft carriers is not only for the navy
It provides advanced equipment and can also provide a large number of jobs in the country. Even if it is more expensive, it must be built by its own shipyard.
But since Qin Tao has opened his mouth, he has to keep talking. It’s not bad to disgust the French.
"The displacement of your Charles de Gaulle is limited to 40,000 tons because the size of your shipyard's dock is too small. Although the deck area is half larger than that of the Clemenceau class, the dimensions below are almost the same.
, causing your aircraft carrier to be top-heavy, and you have to use an anti-roll system. If you leave it to us to build it, you can make the bottom bigger, and the aircraft carrier can still be stable without the anti-roll system. "
The deck area of the Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier is 8,000 square meters. When it comes to the Charles de Gaulle, the area reaches more than 12,000 square meters. Coupled with the Hawkeye early warning aircraft, the French claim that the combat effectiveness of the Charles de Gaulle is Clermont.
Three or four times the shuttle level.
But in fact, the dimensions of their lower parts are the same. After all, the dock of the Brest Shipyard is just that big. Because the lower part is smaller and the upper part is larger, the French specially designed an anti-rolling system. There are a lot of small cars in the cabin.
When the ship shakes, it moves in the opposite direction to increase the stability of the ship. This device was originally used by destroyers of several thousand tons. It is no longer used by 10,000-ton warships. However, the French use it on 40,000-ton aircraft carriers.
Yes, of course because their own aircraft carrier is defective.
If these were made by Mingzhou Group, this situation would never happen.
However, in front of the person in charge of the Brest Shipyard, saying that he helped build it was a bit inappropriate. For a moment, Cadina and others were speechless.
"You still want to arrange a catapult for us?" Philip opened his eyes wide. He is from the navy, so of course he doesn't care about the interests of the shipyard, but more about the performance of the aircraft carrier.
France does not have the ability to develop catapults, so on the Charles de Gaulle, they purchased C-13 catapults from the United States, and they were severely ripped off by the Americans. The construction cost was 2 billion, a large part of which was purchased from abroad.
cost of.
"Of course." Qin Tao nodded: "We have mature steam catapults, which can be installed by you. The performance is no worse than C-13."
Steam catapult?
Disappointment flashed in everyone's eyes. They thought the Orientals would install electromagnetic catapults for them, but they didn't expect it to be an old device like a steam catapult.
"With a gas turbine, how can we use a steam catapult without steam?" Philip couldn't help but ask.
"Specially burn the boiler, so that when ejecting the aircraft, you don't have to worry about the speed decreasing. Everyone can perform their duties. Everyone, are we talking too much here? We will visit your aircraft carrier and compare it with the Charles de Gaulle.
How about telling each part about our design philosophy?”
"Okay, okay, may I ask, who here is engaged in gas turbines?" Duquesne asked.
"Let's introduce them one by one."
After introducing more than thirty people, it was already noon, so the group of people first went to a restaurant in the city to have dinner. After dinner, in the afternoon, everyone finally arrived at the dock of the Brest Shipyard.
The Charles de Gaulle has completed all the outfitting work and is currently in the sea trial stage. It will be equipped to the Navy. Although the Navy has been impatient for a long time, it still has to wait for the completion of all processes.
Standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier, everyone feels that it is small. No matter how you expand the deck area of a 40,000-ton aircraft carrier, there is a limit. It is impossible to be like a 60,000-ton or even 80,000-ton aircraft carrier. The deck area of the 001 aircraft carrier is only
At 15,000 square meters, it is a quarter larger than the Charles de Gaulle.
Qin Tao walked to the front of the angled deck and lowered his head to look at the splicing section of the deck. The Frenchman's skills were quite good. There were no traces of the splicing. It had been polished and painted.
"Isn't the size of this angled deck larger than when I came last time?" Qin Tao asked.
Which pot won’t be opened?
Cadina nodded: "Yes, last year, we rented an E2 early warning aircraft from the United States and conducted takeoff and landing experiments on this aircraft carrier. We found that the Hawkeye early warning aircraft stopped after hooking the third arresting rope.
, there are only three meters left from the front end of the angled deck, the safety distance is seriously insufficient, and it is inconvenient to dispatch, so it was extended by 4.42 meters."
The main carrier-based aircraft on this aircraft carrier is Rafale. Fighters like Rafale have no problem. They can successfully go around even if the arresting cable is not hooked. However, the E2 early warning aircraft cannot do it. If it is not hooked, it will be difficult to go around. If it is hooked, it will be difficult to go around.
When it stops, it is also difficult to control. The remaining three meters of distance cannot make it turn around directly, and it has to fall again.
On an aircraft carrier, this kind of operation is not easy, and it is not like driving a car backward.
Therefore, the French Navy had to add another deck for safety and efficiency.
Now, the other party is honest. After all, the matter of adding another piece is already known to the whole world. In the field of shipbuilding, who doesn't know the pitfalls that Brest Shipyard has stepped on?
"The engine power of the Hawkeye early warning aircraft is too low, making it difficult to go around. To operate on such a small deck, you still need a high-horsepower aircraft. You can consider our Air Police 600, which has an engine of more than 10,000 horsepower. It is the Hawkeye
The engine power of the early warning aircraft is twice that of the early warning aircraft, so it is easy to go around." Qin Tao said casually.
"Are you willing to sell us this early warning aircraft?" Philip's eyes widened: "Can you give us a prototype for testing?"
"Of course, several customers have already chosen our early warning aircraft." Qin Tao said: "The American E2C still uses Yagi antennas, but our early warning aircraft already uses phased array radar, and its performance is ahead of the American early warning aircraft.
It is the first generation, and it can also be carried on a ship, and can even take off by ski jump. However, we do not have a prototype for you to test. If you need it, just place an order directly."
We cannot give you a prototype. Let the other party get a feel for the performance of the Air Police 600 and then don’t want it anymore?
If the other party wants to buy, then place an order directly, and we guarantee that we can meet your needs.
If you want to modify it, it must be done under our supervision. For example, if you want to install your Western data link, it will be completely operated by us. In this way, we can also get more information. As for leaking secrets
?The ones for personal use and those for export are definitely different, and the secrets will not be leaked.
When he heard that he was placing an order directly, Philip couldn't answer the call. After all, he didn't really want to buy it, but just wanted to get information from the East.
"Our carrier-based aircraft are the most advanced." Philip changed the topic: "Our Rafale fighter jet is the only carrier-based aircraft in the world with a canard layout!"
Because it has reached the final sea trial stage, there are also carrier-based aircraft on the Charles de Gaulle. They have to take off and land frequently to determine whether the aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft are compatible. After hearing Philip's words, Qin Tao pointed to one of them and said: "Then
Is this your Rafale fighter jet?"
Following Qin Tao's hand, Philip felt a little embarrassed: "That's the super military flag."
Mr. Qin, you did it on purpose, right? Even if you are not familiar with aircraft, you can know the duck layout and the conventional layout, right?
There are three aircraft parked on the deck, two of which are Super Etendards. They have mid-wings with a 45-degree sweep angle, and a more eye-catching tail: the vertical tail is not on both sides of the tail engine, but on both sides of the tail engine.
On the vertical tail.
As long as you see this layout, you can know that it has a tail fin, and it is definitely not a canard layout.
Moreover, in the East, this kind of tail layout has only been seen on the J-5, which is an outdated aircraft!
The Super Etendard is an improvement on the Etendard fighter aircraft, which was an aircraft developed in the 1950s and 1960s, which shows how old it is.
Since the Super Etendard is super, it has naturally been modified in many aspects. The biggest feature is that it can carry Exocet missiles. In 1982, the Super Etendard carried Exocet missiles and successfully sank the USS Sherfield, and it has become famous ever since.
However, no matter how famous it is, it cannot hide its age. By the time when the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was in service, the Super Ensign had long been outdated. The French Navy originally planned to use all Rafale fighter jets, but they had no choice: the Rafale fighter jets were too expensive and they had no money.
Therefore, we can only keep part of the super military flag and slowly change the costumes.
Therefore, there are also Super Ensigns on the Charles de Gaulle, and there are two of them. Only one of their Rafale fighter jets is currently being tested, which does seem a bit uncoordinated.
At this time, the French were very embarrassed after hearing Qin Tao's words. Philippe introduced: "Mr. Qin, these two are both super flags, and the one next to it is the Rafale."
"Super Etendard? Is it the one that sank the Sherfield? It's amazing! I didn't expect that this aircraft is still in service. You must have modernized and upgraded it, right?"
Modification? The small nose of this kind of aircraft cannot be modified even if it wants to be modified! Philip was very embarrassed and continued: "Mr. Qin, let's take a look at the Rafale fighter jet. This is a masterpiece of Dassault Company.
.”
Speaking of the Rafale fighter jets, it is indeed admirable. The French still have the backbone. When they joined the Eurofighter program, as a latecomer, they demanded to take the lead. They must use their own engines, avionics, and everything. When the British
When people don't agree, they leave the group and do it themselves, and they actually do it.
There are only a few countries in the world that can develop third-generation aircraft, and the only one in Europe that has independent development capabilities is the French.