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Aircraft Carrier Charles de
Gaulle
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Given
its design and sophisticated systems, the Charles de Gaulle clearly outclasses
the performance characteristics of its predecessors. It will replace the Foch
in 2000. This latest french aircraft carrier fits perfectly into a defence strategy
tailored to contemporary geopolitical realities. At the request of the State,
the french Navy; the DGA (the french defence procurement agency) and the CEA
(the french atomic energy authority), prepared a specification allowing the
identified missions to be accomplished. Today, our era is characterised by series
of pinpoint crises in different parts of the world. This aircraft carrier, which
is both flexible in its deployment and capable of carrying signficant military
power, provides the ideal answer to the risks generated by this instability.
Indeed, given its high performance level, it is the heart of the naval air
defence system. The 40,000 ton Charles de Gaulle can carry long-range aircraft
on board, a capability which is currently only available on 90,000 ton US carriers.
The greater power of the carrier-based aircraft combined with the exceptional
endurance of the vessel mean that the Charles de Gaulle can carry through, in
an optimum manner, the defensive, offensive and deterrent missions for which
it was designed.
