Page 23 - ADT JULY - AUGUST 2022 Online Magazine

Naval aviation is an exacting profession and combat aviation pilots 1.8 million for design engineering. Naval Group [ MARITIME ]
of the French Navy undertake a five-year apprenticeship before modernised the combat system and focused
they begin their operational career on board an aircraft carrier. This on the upgrade of the tactical system of the
includes 1-2 years spent in the United States, a period of training aircraft carrier, which is the brain that manages
at the Rafale Transformation Squadron in Landivisiau or Saint- the sensors and weapons. This involved instal-
Dizier. This training ends with training in simulated runway landings lation of new digital networks and renovation of
carried out at bases in Landivisiau and Lorient. These pilots then telecommunications systems, replacement of
transition to the Center de Navalization Rafale (CNR) carry out the air search and navigation radars and com-
their first day and night landings in the Rafale on the Charles de plete replacement of the Control Room. With
Gaulle. The nuclear-powered 38,000 tonne Charles De Gaulle was the French Navy now operating the Rafale as
commissioned into service in 2001 and completed an 18-month its sole combat type, all aviation installations
major refit costing €1.3 billion in October 2018, which will allow it on the aircraft carrier received the necessary
to remain operational till 2038. modifications to switch to an “all-Rafale” setup,
which involved modification and renovation of
According to Naval Group, in comparison, the major refit for an the aviation spaces, renovation, or replacement
American nuclear powered aircraft carrier would have taken four of deck-landing systems, etc. The third focus
years and cost €4.7 billion. The refit required over four million area of the refit was the modernisation of the
hours of work of which 2.5 million was for vessel refitting labour and vessel control PLCs, renovation of the auto-
matic stabilisation and steering control system,
replacement of two units of the vessel’s cooling
system and the refit of the control simulator
and one galley.

According to Martinot, the next two major
maintenance dates for the aircraft carrier are
a technical stop scheduled for summer 2022
and the Mid-Cycle Docking (MCD) scheduled
for 2023, during which time the aircraft carrier
will undergo extensive maintenance work on its
propulsion system, nuclear reactors, structures,
and flight deck. The technical stop this year,
will focus on the ship’s aviation installations,
machinery hoists and on improving living con-
ditions on board with the aim of reducing the
dry dock work needed next year.

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY July/August 2022 | 23