Aircraft Carriers II (Closed to posting)

Jeff Head said:

Nice carrier group.

Click to expand...

IDK, its missing a FLF (Fregate Legere Furtive, Light Stealth Frigate) La Fayette class for some reason...

Plus French CVBG look like a joke compared to your typical US CVBG. But the French fleet is already stretched thin as it is with too much water to cover.

I believe the cats are a little different though, and though I am sure the US CVN can handle the Rafaels, I am not as sure about the Super Hornets on the CDG.

Click to expand...

This link has info about Hornets aboard R91.



I did find this on Rafael....

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (July 23, 2007) - A French Rafale M combat aircraft performs a catapult-assisted launch from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). The Rafale is the first French aircraft to both launch and recover on an American carrier. Enterprise and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 are currently underway on a scheduled six-month deployment. U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Morris (RELEASED)

Click to expand...

Just right click and select view image for hi-res.

Thanks popeye! That is a GREAT find.

So, in that May 2005 exercise...both occurred. Rafael Ms on the Ike and F-18s on the Charles de Gaulle. Very nice thing to see:

article said:

Lt. Cmdr. Jason Rimmer was one of three Ike crew members, in addition to eight Carrier Air Wing 7 representatives, who flew over to De Gaulle to experience how their French ally conducts carrier operations, and to offer assistance regarding the launching and recovery of several U.S. Navy aircraft, including an F/A-18 Hornet, E-2C Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound. This was the first time an F/A-18 landed aboard De Gaulle.

Click to expand...

So, that was the 1st time an F-18 had trapped on the French carrier...and if they trapped them, then they cat'ed them too. Very nice and glad to know. The UK will miss out on those particular activities with the Hornet and Super Hornet, but they will be able to cross deck F-35Bs.


And there is the Rafael coming down on the Ike.

article said:

“I was very impressed because there was so much activity,” said Petty Officer Sebastien Laurent of Charles De Gaulle from Normandy, France. “There is always aircraft flying, landing and launching — it never stops.”

Laurent said he and his French shipmates were amazed at the complexity of Ike, since De Gaulle is not as compartmentalized as U.S. aircraft carriers. De Gaulle has two catapults and holds 40 aircraft, so the French Sailors were amazed at Ike’s size.

“It’s very, very big. It’s three times bigger than the De Gaulle,” said Laurent. “I think it’s very great.”

Click to expand...

GREAT stuff!

navyreco said:

French and Russian buddy stores

Click to expand...

Yes, the French and Russians do this.

The Indians will do it quickly because the Mig-29K was already designed for it.

And, since we know that the SU-33 is able to do so off the Kuznetsov:


...we know that the Chinese will be able to also do so quickly.

I'm just looking to the day that the Chinese and the Indians do so.

Jeff Head said:

Thanks popeye! That is a GREAT find.

So, in that May 2005 exercise...both occurred. Rafael Ms on the Ike and F-18s on the Charles de Gaulle. Very nice thing to see:

......

GREAT stuff!

Click to expand...

thanks.. if you search

You may or may not find more photos. The new search feature at navy.mil ..well frankly is not up to par..

bd popeye said:

Exactly , All the ships I served on had to stop flight operations because of a heavy sea state at one time or another. On JFK we went through a storm in the North Atlantic for three days in October 1972.

Click to expand...

I concur. Never seen a bird launch with the waves hitting the bow like that before. In sea states like that the carrier as big as it is is also pitching and listing like crazy and it's a receipe for disaster! Either the entire photo was shopped or the launch is real but the author took extreme liberty in making waves look more menacing than they really were.

bd popeye said:

This link has info about Hornets aboard R91.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

I did find this on Rafael....

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Just right click and select view image for hi-res.

Click to expand...

hehehe I like seeing some of the shipmates whipping out their cameras and taking pictures of the rafale! She is a beautiful bird. Also I can't help but noticed the massive struts on the forward landing gear of the navalized rafale.!

Jeff Head said:

and conversely to see some Super Hornets doing so off of the CDG.

Click to expand...

AFAIK It remains to be seen if the shorter (60m instead of 90m ? to be confirmed) catapults on CdeG can launch the heavier Super Hornet.

As BD showed, (legacy) Hornets did cross deck on CdeG however, Rhino (Super Hornet) never did... again, as far as I know. (And I never seen a pic of Rhino on CdeG).

C-2: No problem

C2 Greyhound. The US Navy is using these planes to help freight transport between the CdG and the Hyeres naval base during operations in Lybia. The Greyhound is capable to take off the French aircraft carrier with 2 tons of load.

Click to expand...

E-2C: no problem (for obvious reasons)

At sea aboard Charles De Gaulle (R 91) Feb. 28, 2002 - A U.S. Navy E-2C "Hawkeye" from the "Golden Hawks" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron One One Two (VAW-112) prepares to take off from the flight deck of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The Hawkeye embarked with Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) made an arrested landing and catapult launch from the French carrier to demonstrate multinational capabilities between the two navies. John C. Stennis and coalition forces are conducting combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Kimara Scott. (RELEASED)

Click to expand...

And F-18


Regarding my original article:
According to the French Navy, operation Bois Belleau will enable the French and US navies to reach the highest level of cooperation to date.

They would not provide more info on this... however I can't wait to find out what they meant. A 5 weeks joint deployment for 2 allied CVBG, this sounds like a first indeed...

Wow French and Ameircan CVN battle groups! Good for both sides and just a taste of what will happen when the Royal Navy has its own carrier strike group made up of

The Queen Elizabeth carrier
Type 45 DDG
GCS post 2021
Astute Class
And a MARS tanker

They can work with France and USA plenty of learning to come