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French indigenous technology is highly questionable

Martian2

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[Note: I've been seriously trolled by a French guy named Armand2REP on the net. I just need a backup place to save my posts on France if he decides to troll me again. Thank you for understanding.]

We are examining the pinnacle of French technology, the most modern French aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle."

To wit:

1) It took the French 11 years (e.g. over a decade) to build a 40,000 ton ship. In comparison, it only took the United States 7 years to build a ship 2 1/2 times bigger, the 100,000 ton Nimitz-class supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush. To summarize, it takes the French four years longer to build a much smaller ship (e.g. 40,000 tons vs. 100,000 tons). Armand2REP, this is amazing French technology.

2) French nuclear-powered carrier is "slower than the diesel powered carrier it replaced." Incredible French technology! Use nuclear power to build a slower ship.

3) "Flaws in the "de Gaulle" have led it to using the propellers from it predecessor, the "Foch," because the ones built for "de Gaulle" never worked right and the propeller manufacturer went out of business in 1999." Isn't that impressive French ingenuity? France can't build new propellers; why not take the old propellers and put it on the new ship?! What will French engineers think of next?

4) "Worse, the nuclear reactor installation was done poorly, exposing the engine crew to five times the allowable annual dose of radiation." If you want to be a guinea pig in a French science experiment, why not join the French Navy? You, too, can experience the privilege of being irradiated by "five times the allowable annual dose of radiation." Look, ma, French technology makes me glow in the dark from absorbing dangerous levels of radiation!

5) "There were also problems with the design of the deck, making it impossible to operate the E-2 radar aircraft that are essential to defending the ship and controlling offensive operations." That's right, French carriers don't need "E-2 radar aircraft...to defend the ship and control offensive operations." This is French engineering, where the deck is designed to "make it impossible to operate E-2 radar aircraft."

6) "The cause of the problems can be traced to the decision to install nuclear reactors designed for French submarines, instead of spending more money and designing reactors specifically for the carrier." What will the French think of next?! Why didn't anyone else think of installing "nuclear reactors designed for French submarines" and putting them on aircraft carriers instead?! Those French engineers can't be beat!

Charles de Gaulle

"Nonetheless, the Charles de Gaulle has suffered from a variety of problems [see James Dunnigan's "How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier"]. The Charles de Gaulle took eleven years to build, with construction beginning in 1988 and entering service in late 2000. For comparison, construction of the American CVN 77 began in 2001 with a projected delivery in 2008. The 40,000 ton ship is slower than the conventionally powered Foch, which she it replaced. The propellers on the CDG did not work properly, so she recycled those of the Foch. The nuclear reactor was problematic, with the engine crew receiving five times the allowable annual radiation dose. The flight deck layout has precluded operating the E-2 radar aircraft."

How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier

" How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier
James Dunnigan 12/7/2003 8:07:02 PM

France is considering joining with Britain to buy a new carrier of British design. Actually, the French had planned to built a second nuclear powered carrier, but they are having so many problems with the first one that they are quite reluctant about building a second like the troubled "Charles de Gaulle". Britain is building two 50,000 ton conventionally powered carriers, at a cost of $2.5 billion each. Under the proposed plan, France would order a third of this class, and bring down the cost of all three a bit. This project might not come off, because France wants a lot of the work to be done in French shipyards.

The new French nuclear carrier "Charles de Gaulle" has suffered from a seemingly endless string of problems since it was first conceived in 1986. The 40,000 ton ship has cost over four billion dollars so far and is slower than the diesel powered carrier it replaced. Flaws in the "de Gaulle" have led it to using the propellers from it predecessor, the "Foch," because the ones built for "de Gaulle" never worked right and the propeller manufacturer went out of business in 1999. Worse, the nuclear reactor installation was done poorly, exposing the engine crew to five times the allowable annual dose of radiation. There were also problems with the design of the deck, making it impossible to operate the E-2 radar aircraft that are essential to defending the ship and controlling offensive operations. Many other key components of the ship did not work correctly, including several key electronic systems. The carrier has been under constant repair and modification. The "de Gaulle" took eleven years to build (1988-99) and was not ready for service until late 2000. It's been downhill ever since. The de Gaulle is undergoing still more repairs and modifications. The government is being sued for exposing crew members to dangerous levels of radiation.

The cause of the problems can be traced to the decision to install nuclear reactors designed for French submarines, instead of spending more money and designing reactors specifically for the carrier. Construction started and stopped several times because to cuts to the defense budget and when construction did resume, there was enormous pressure on the builders to get on with it quickly, and cheaply, before the project was killed. The result was a carrier with a lot of expensive problems.

So the plan is to buy into the new British carrier building program and keep the "de Gaulle" in port and out of trouble as much as possible. The British have a lot more experience building carriers, and if there are any problems with the British designed ship, the French can blame the British."
 
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Due to the obvious problems with French military technology, the French have resorted to stealing American military secrets and technology. The following article was published in yesterday's New York Times that accuse the French of being technology thieves.

Dispute Over France a Factor in Intelligence Rift - NYTimes.com

"Dispute Over France a Factor in Intelligence Rift
By MARK MAZZETTI
Published: May 21, 2010
...
Unlike America’s relationship with Britain and other close allies like Australia, the United States and France have a long history of spying on each other. For example, intelligence experts said the French had been particularly aggressive in trying to steal secrets about the American defense and technology industries. For its part, the United States has long been suspicious of French government and business ties to countries like Iran and Syria, and about North African militant groups whose operatives work inside France."
 
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If anyone wants more proof, there is more. Let's take an objective look at France's premier fighter, the Rafale.

Brazil Air Force prefers Swedish jets-report | Reuters

"Tue Jan 5, 2010 8:59am EST

Brazil Air Force prefers Swedish jets-report

BRASILIA, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The Brazilian Air Force would prefer to buy its next-generation fighter jets from Sweden, putting it at odds with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's preference for French planes, media reported on Tuesday.

The deal, which could initially be worth more than $4 billion, has sparked fierce competition among aircraft manufacturers.

An Air Force report presented to Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Sweden's Saab (SAABb.ST) had presented the best overall project among the three finalists, Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The U.S.-made Boeing (BA.N) F18 was runner-up in the report, and France's Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) placed last with its Rafale jet.

The Brazilian government said last year that it was in the final stages of talks to acquire the Rafale.

Accused by critics of cutting short the bidding process, the government insisted no final decision had been made. Lula said he would have the final word and that his decision would be political and strategic.

Brazil has signed a strategic defense agreement with France worth billions of dollars, including the local assembly of helicopters and conventional and nuclear-powered submarines.

Brazil is seeking a generous technology transfer offer and local assembly as part of a contract to buy 36 jet fighters. The deal could eventually rise to more than 100 aircraft.

Saab's Gripen NG jet had a lower purchase and maintenance cost and would allow for more technology to be transferred to Brazil, Folha cited the Air Force report as saying.

Unlike the Rafale, which is a finished product, the Gripen NG would be developed with Brazilian participation, the Air Force said according to Folha.

The Veja news magazine reported this week that Jobim told friends there might not be a decision on the deal before he steps down in April to run for public office in October general elections.

For more than a decade, Brazil has been studying how to replace its aging fleet of fighter jets.

The Air Force declined to comment, and the defense ministry was not immediately available to comment. (Reporting by Raymond Colitt; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)"
 
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Armand trolled my threads. He insisted that France is this great technological and military power, blah, blah, blah. Without providing any newslinks, he kept denigrating my posts on China's technological advancements. He dared me to examine French military power and technology. I am simply taking Armand up on his challenge.

Moving along, let's take a look at the "French military deliberately exposed enlisted men to nuclear radiation in the Sahara Desert in 1961 in order to study resulting physical and psychological effects."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/world/europe/17france.html

"France: Report Says Army Exposed Troops to Radiation

By SCOTT SAYARE
Published: February 17, 2010

PARIS — The French military deliberately exposed enlisted men to nuclear radiation in the Sahara Desert in 1961 in order to study resulting physical and psychological effects, according to a classified 1998 report published Tuesday by a French daily, Le Parisien.

While the exposure of French military personnel to nuclear radiation during weapons tests has been well documented, the 1998 report appears to represent the only concrete indication to date that military officials intentionally subjected soldiers to potentially dangerous conditions. The Defense Ministry commissioned the report in 1996, following the termination of France’s nuclear testing program.

The Defense Ministry on Tuesday maintained that France had never knowingly placed individuals in harm’s way.

“We do not use men as guinea pigs,” said a spokeswoman, Stéphanie Prunier, adding that the ministry had publicly acknowledged in a 2007 report the “military exercises” conducted at Algerian testing sites.

France for decades rejected links between its nuclear testing programs and health problems amongst the military and civilian personnel involved in them, but the government last year announced the creation of a victims’ compensation program. The program has drawn criticism from veterans, however, who call it too limited in scope.

The 1998 report was first obtained about a year ago by French Center for Documentation and Research on Peace and Conflicts, which waited for an opportune moment to release it, according to its president, Patrice Bouveret. That moment arrived with the debate over the compensation program.

The report details the atomic test known as Green Jerboa, the last of four French above-ground nuclear tests performed in the Algerian desert. The test, conducted on April 25, 1961, was accompanied by a series of “tactical experiments” involving some 300 army personnel, according to Le Parisien.

In the hours following the blast, at least one group was sent to within 275 meters of ground zero in order to “study attack possibilities in contaminated zones”; a corollary goal of the maneuvers was “to study the physiological and psychological effects produced on men by nuclear arms, in order to glean the elements necessary for the physical preparation and moral training of the modern combatant,” according to the document.

“You have to place it in the context of cold war priorities,” cautioned Dr. Bruno Tertrais, a senior research fellow at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research and a former Defense Ministry adviser. “Ground maneuvers in a nuclear environment were conducted by most, if not all, nuclear capable countries.”

“There was a widespread expectation,” he continued, “that the soldier of the future would have to fight in a nuclear atmosphere.”

According to the classified report published Tuesday, the “Green Jerboa” tests indicated that “special clothing would offer only relative protection” for infantry called to fight in a contaminated zone, and that “the time spent by units in such a zone would have to be reduced.”

Veterans said the documents confirmed what they long believed.

“For me, this is not a revelation,” said Alain Peyrot, a representative of the French Association of Veterans of Nuclear Tests, referring to the document published Tuesday. Mr. Peyrot, 64, served as a “decontaminator” in the French Navy during nuclear tests in the Sahara and French Polynesia in 1965 and 1966.

“We knew these things,” he said, but in the military “it was obey and shut up.”

France conducted 210 nuclear weapons tests in the Algerian Sahara and French Polynesia between 1960 and 1996. The Defense Ministry has estimated that a total 150,000 military personnel and civilians may have suffered adverse health consequences as a result."
 
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In my threads, Armand keeps bragging about the superior French military. However, is it true? Let's take a look at the facts uncovered by Britain's Telegraph newspaper.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...French-army-falling-apart-documents-show.html

"French army falling apart, documents show
Most of France's tanks, helicopters and jet fighters are unusable and its defence apparatus is on the verge of "falling apart", it has emerged.

By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 5:16PM BST 06 Jun 2008

french-army-404_677010c.jpg

France's military has been given a bleak prognosis

According to confidential defence documents leaked to the French press, less than half of France's Leclerc tanks – 142 out of 346 – are operational and even these regularly break down.

Less than half of its Puma helicopters, 37 per cent of its Lynx choppers and 33 per cent of its Super Frelon models – built 40 years ago – are in a fit state to fly, according to documents seen by Le Parisien newspaper.

Two thirds of France's Mirage F1 reconnaissance jets are unusable at present."
 
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Since you brought up Vietnam, let's take a look at the French military's performance at the famous battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Dien Bien Phu

"Dien Bien Phu was a crushing defeat for the French. Dien Bien Phu was a military and psychological defeat for the French in Vietnam."
 
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I think it is morally reprehensible and cowardly that the French lack the courage to apologize to the Algerians for the "massacre of thousands of pro-independence demonstrators by French forces."

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=85&art_id=nw20100508190723301C911579

"Algeria marks 65th anniversary of massacre
May 08 2010 at 08:15PM

Setif, Algeria - Thousands of people marched in the Algerian city of Setif on Saturday to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of pro-independence demonstrators by French forces.

They silently followed the route that ill-fated protesters took through the eastern city on May 8, 1945, to call for an end to French colonial rule in Algeria - the same day as Europe feted the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

French forces quickly stepped in to crack down on the Setif demonstration, leaving 45 000 people dead, according to Algerian historians. Western researchers put the death toll at between 8 000 and 18 000.
...
Begag, whose family originally comes from Setif, said it was 'necessary to admit that French forces committed atrocities, killings by the thousand.'"
 
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Let's take a look at the high moral standards of French peacekeepers in the Congo.

U.N. 'peacekeepers' rape women, children

"U.N. 'peacekeepers' rape women, children
Posted: December 24, 2004
1:00 am Eastern
...
In a new report referring to the widespread sex scandal as "the U.N.'s Abu Ghraib," the London Times provides some specific examples, including:

* A French U.N. logistics expert in the Congo shot pornographic videos in his home, in which he had converted his bedroom into a photo studio for videotaping his sexual abuse of young girls. When police raided his home, the man was allegedly about to rape a 12-year-old girl sent to him in a law enforcement sting operation. As the Times reported, a senior Congolese police officer confirmed the bed was surrounded by large mirrors on three sides, with a remote control camera on the fourth side."
 
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[Note: I've been seriously trolled by a French guy named Armand2REP on the net. I just need a backup place to save my posts on France if he decides to troll me again. Thank you for understanding.]

Or you can always save it to word :lol:
 
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Or you can always save it to word :lol:

Nobody likes to be trolled. Armand2REP wouldn't stop with his anti-China rhetoric. I don't mind if people can back up their claims with newslinks. However, a conspiracy nut that just won't leave your thread is a pain.

I'm uncertain about the compatibility of Microsoft Word with the bulletin board software. This makes more sense because it captures all of the passages in "bold" and "underline."
 
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Nobody likes to be trolled. Armand2REP wouldn't stop with the anti-China rhetoric. I don't mind if he people can back up their claims with newslinks. However, a conspiracy nut that just won't leave your thread is a pain.

I'm uncertain about the compatibility of Microsoft Word with the bulletin board software. This makes more sense because it captures all of the passages in "bold" and "underline."

I know Armand is he from India Defence? Anyways he does think France is superior but really, and be honest, who really started it?
 
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I never seen that French guy, but I always thought that France was one of the most China friendly nation in Europe. Jacque Chirac was a great man who never regarded China as a potential threat.
 
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French ? inviting Germen for a cake walk without even putting up a decent fight ?
1940
Nazis invade Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (May 10). Chamberlain resigns as Britain's prime minister; Churchill takes over (May 10). Germans cross French frontier (May 12) using air/tank/infantry “Blitzkrieg” tactics. Dunkerque evacuation > about 335,000 out of 400,000 Allied soldiers rescued from Belgium by British civilian and naval craft (May 26–June 3). Italy declares war on France and Britain; invades France (June 10). Germans enter Paris; city undefended (June 14). France and Germany sign armistice at Compiègne (June 22). Nazis bomb Coventry, England (Nov. 14).
World War II (1939–1945) — Infoplease.com
 
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French ? inviting Germen for a cake walk without even putting up a decent fight ?
1940
Nazis invade Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (May 10). Chamberlain resigns as Britain's prime minister; Churchill takes over (May 10). Germans cross French frontier (May 12) using air/tank/infantry “Blitzkrieg” tactics. Dunkerque evacuation > about 335,000 out of 400,000 Allied soldiers rescued from Belgium by British civilian and naval craft (May 26–June 3). Italy declares war on France and Britain; invades France (June 10). Germans enter Paris; city undefended (June 14). France and Germany sign armistice at Compiègne (June 22). Nazis bomb Coventry, England (Nov. 14).
World War II (1939–1945) — Infoplease.com

There is still one of the greatest military strategist in the history for French even though he was ethnically an Italian guy. :welcome:

napoleon_bonapartes_portrait.jpg


Too bad he has lost his last battle against the Great Russian, it proves that Russian was also great. :smitten:
 
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