WILL THEY BE BETTER THAN US CARRIERS? Personally, I dont think so.


PARIS: France and Britain looked set to work together on the construction of a new generation of aircraft carriers after Paris said Friday that it has chosen conventional rather than nuclear propulsion for its next flagship vessel.
The announcement from President Jacques Chirac's office confirmed speculation that France and Britain will pool resources to cut costs on their multi-billion euro naval refurbishment programmes -- though the extent of their cooperation remains to be determined.

"The choice brings a response that is perfectly adapted to the operational needs of the decades to come and opens better perspectives of cooperation with the United Kingdom," President Jacques Chirac's office said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke to Chirac by telephone to thank him for the decision, Chirac's office said.

Britain has made clear that the two new aircraft carriers it plans to have in service by 2015 will be conventionally-powered, and a decision by France to build a second nuclear vessel -- to match the three year-old Charles De Gaulle -- would have dashed any chance of cooperation.

In London a spokesman at the ministry of defence said the French decision "opens the way for cooperation between industries on either side of the channel in order to satisfy the respective needs of the two navies.

"The decision is particularly significant in this year marking the centenary of the Entente Cordiale and it will help reinforce the defence capabilities of Europe as well as Franco-British cooperation," he said.

In 2004 France and Britain are celebrating a hundred years since the signing of the Entente Cordiale -- the pact that led to their military alliance in World Wars I and II.

In its announcement Chirac's office said that, "following a proposal from the prime minister, the president of the republic has chosen classic propulsion for the second aircraft carrier which France is due to acquire." The ship is to start construction in 2005 and be completed by 2015.

Britain and France have for two years been speaking of ways of linking their separate carrier construction programmes, as a sign of their increasing military cooperation inside the EU.

A year ago the British government awarded the lead role in its 4.5 billion euro programme to the British company BAE Systems, but it gave the task of designing the two carriers to the French Thales.

There has been speculation that the three carriers could be built in the same dockyards, but analysts said it was more likely the cost savings would come in sharing designs and in-ship systems.

French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Chirac's decision was "a European choice. We will reinforce our cooperation with the British navy."

The president of the National Assembly's defence committee Guy Teissier said the decision was "first of all political -- because on the diplomatic level it opens up the possibility of Franco-British cooperation and supports the establishment of a European defence with Europe's foremost military power."

France to muscle defense capacities with 2nd aircraft carrier

www.chinaview.cn 2004-02-14 08:34:42

PARIS, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- France announced Friday that it will build a second aircraft carrier using conventional propulsion to reinforce its nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle by 2015.

"This development is particularly significant in the anniversary year of the Entente Cordiale and will contribute to the strengthening of both Europe's defense capabilities and Franco-British military cooperation," said French President Jacques Chirac when announcing the decision.

Entente Cordiale was a pact that France and Britain signed 100 years ago to form a military alliance in World Wars I and II.

Earlier in the day, Chirac's office said France has chosen to start building the sister ship of Charles de Gaulle in 2005 and have it completed by 2015 in cooperation with Britain.

"The choice brings a response that is perfectly adapted to the operational needs of the coming decades and opens better perspectives of cooperation with the United Kingdom," it said.

The office specified that the decision was made following a proposal from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has thanked France for the decision.

The second aircraft carrier is included in France's 2008-2013 military program, which envisions spending 88 billion euros (about100 billion US dollars) to build up military strength.

The choice of conventional power model means France could sharecost with Britain, which also plans to build two conventionally-powered aircraft carriers by 2015 with a budget of 4.4 billion euros (5.7 billion dollars).

Terming the decision "a European choice," French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said two aircraft carriers are "necessary to ensure the permanent operation of the (French) nation's Naval Air service. "

The second aircraft carrier is expected to go into service by 2015 when Charles de Gaulle is scheduled for maintenance, said thedefense ministry.

Denis Ranque, chairman of the French defense electronics company Thales, said the company would surely play a "central role" in the French carrier project.

France's naval ship builder DCN, French engineering giant Alstom and Britain's Rolls-Royce are also expected to play a role in the project, said Ranque.

The French carrier would cost less than 2 billion euros, and the final figure would vary according to how much equipment was shared between the French and British carriers, he added.

The French navy operates one nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and a helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc.

The Charles de Gaulle, weighing 38,000 tons and measuring 261.50 meters long, was built at the DCN Brest naval shipyard in Brittany and entered service in May 2001.

With a 12,000-square-meter landing deck, Charles de Gaulle can have a maximum speed of 27 knots due to its two nuclear boiler rooms.

The Jeanne d'Arc, helicopter carrier and naval school for the National Navy, will stay in service till 2010 and there is no planto replace it.