Putting economic and financial problems of purchasing and maintaining such a large ship, what would happen if Australia in the late 90's or early 2000s decide to buy the French aircraft carrier Foch?
Ugh you just had to be the boring guy didn't you lol.Sorry to be the boring guy, but the problems of maintaining the ship is going to massively affect how the Australians utilise it. As other posters have mentioned, buying an aircraft carrier isn’t just having a big, shiny new ship in your fleet. It’s all the aircraft to go on it, the support vessels for its group, the role envisaged for it to carry out and the implications of those actions further down the line. You use your Carrier to project your power, what is that power used for? Do you put boots on the ground? Do you have enough boots to go on the ground if you project that power?
The financial implications are very important.
The Australian Hornets had been partially denavalised, primarily by the deletion of any and all equipment needed to launch the aircraft from a carrier. Plus, I seriously doubt the RAAF would have willingly given up its front line fighter to the Navy.It seems the Foch can operate F18's which the Australians operate, modifications may be required.
When I said some modifications may be required I meant for both the Foch and the F18's.The Australian Hornets had been partially denavalised, primarily by the deletion of any and all equipment needed to launch the aircraft from a carrier. Plus, I seriously doubt the RAAF would have willingly given up its front line fighter to the Navy.
It of course depends what the point of departure from OTL is and how badly the Australian Government feels they need an aircraft carrier, and what they want to use it for whether they would want to take on the Foch.
If they did I had another idea for the air group. No 2 Squadron RNZAF which flew A4's from HMAS Albatross (Air Station) from 1991 to 2001 and provided Australian Defence Force (ADF), particularly the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), with Air Defence Support, participating in exercises with RAN warships. No 2 Squadron only flew 6 A-4Ks but it would be interesting to see a RNZAF Squadron operating off a RAN Carrier.
Yes the Foch could operate F/A-18’s, this was considered as an option by the French to fill a gap between the end of survive of the F8’s end of service and the delayed delivery of the Rafle.Is Foch capable of operating F/A-18’s or is it in the same akward middle ground that the 1960’s RN carriers were in?
Yes that is the role they were paid by the Australian Government to fill but they did their own training as well and had the Project Kahu upgrade which gave them new radar, and avionics giving them electronic eyes, and ears equivalent to that of the F/A-18. They were also received an armament up grade giving them the capability to fire AIM-9L sidewinders, AGM-65 Mavericks, and GBU-16 Paveway II laser guided bombs.The Kiwi Skyhawks were used in the 'fleet support' role that 724 sqn RAN did with Skyhawks. Basically they provided targets for RAN ships to train against, because RAAF Macchis were too slow and Hornests were too capable and expensive for this role.
Yes that is the role they were paid by the Australian Government to fill but they did their own training as well and had the Project Kahu upgrade which gave them new radar, and avionics giving them electronic eyes, and ears equivalent to that of the F/A-18. They were also received an armament up grade giving them the capability to fire AIM-9L sidewinders, AGM-65 Mavericks, and GBU-16 Paveway II laser guided bombs.
I agree the A4’s were used in the role because they were cheaper to operate than the F/A-18’s, but I wouldn’t think that them being too capable would be a concern, you want to train against the best you can to keep in top shape.
Of course it depends on the point of departure which we don’t have as to what role the Foch would be used in.
One possibility is that it is brought as a training ship while a new Carrier is being built for the RAN so they have their crews trained in operating a Carrier beforehand, in which case they just need aircraft for the deck crew to practice moving around servicing, launching, and recovering.
One possibility is that it is brought as a training ship while a new Carrier is being built for the RAN so they have their crews trained in operating a Carrier beforehand, in which case they just need aircraft for the deck crew to practice moving around servicing, launching, and recovering.
If they bought it between 80-82, they'd be fine. Because they could just cross-deck the crew from Melbourne. Once Melbourne is gone though, they're kinda screwed.Well manpower wise the ex-Foch probably becomes the only operational vessel in the RAN. Perhaps an exaggeration, but I don't see that the RAN could crew such a large and manpower intensive vessel.
If the RAN needed a fixed-wing carrier they'd be better off buying something new than a worn-out, crew intensive, money sink like Foch.
Yup. If you need to reestablish a fixed wing carrier capability, about your only viable option is to send your Aviators to someone who already has one. Or spend a decade plus developing it yourself like China.Better to do what the RN did in preperation for the QE class - seconding personnel to USN and MN carriers.