French "nuclear toughness"
"A glimpse of the leopard in the tube"?
"Can not do the world's first, then do Europe's first", France has long pursued an independent defense policy in the construction of strategic nuclear deterrent force never ambiguous, following the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the fourth after the world's "nuclear club", and has always insisted on maintaining the military power to overwhelm the partner countries in Europe, in particular, "to the nuclear first", and even look down on the same nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom, that is, the U.S. The United States of America's "atomic bomb dolls".
Because of its own limited national strength, France abandoned its land-based nuclear missiles after the end of the Cold War, and retired most of the nuclear cruise missiles used by its air force, concentrating its nuclear weapons on the most covert nuclear submarines.
February 16, 2005, in France's three military defense academy of the Brazilian Navy Colonel Cahuvalo after a chartered visit to the Brest Long Island base in the "courageous", the reason for such a courtesy, all depends on France and Brazil's close military trade relations, such as the flagship of the Brazilian Navy under the command of the Brazilian Navy Cahuvalo "S?o Paulo" aircraft carrier is a second-hand ship from the French buy, but also the time of the In addition, the captain of the Bold, who received Cahuaro, Colonel Dupont, is also an alumnus of the Defense College of the Three Armies, and is eight years older than Cahuaro, so naturally, there are not many barriers to communication.
Entering the cabin, Cahuvello's feeling is actually "suffocated", to know that the space utilization rate of surface ships has been high enough, but if compared with the submarine, it is still "small to see a big witch", the cabin is covered with a wide range of valves, buttons, cables and piping, see the needle in every corner, but the Brazilian guests found anything placed in order, the space is reasonably utilized, the feeling is better than the Brazilian own conventional submarines or wide. Brazil's own conventional submarine or more spacious.
In the torpedo room, the first compartment of the Bold, four 533-millimeter torpedo/missile tubes are visible, but there are no weapons in storage because of maintenance. Dupont told the student that under normal circumstances, the F-17 dual-purpose active/passive acoustic self-guided torpedoes or SM39 Flying Fish submarine missiles, or a mix of torpedoes and submarine missiles, would be stored here, and that "all these weapons were sold to you Brazilians".
The second compartment is the living compartment, the French nuclear submarine is very attentive to the crew's working and living conditions, meeting rooms, large and small dining room, medical operating room, washroom and living room are available. After work, officers and sailors here to watch videos, drink coffee, play poker or chess, to bring a little joy to the boring life. When not at sea on weekdays, the crew does not live on the boats and only a few are on duty. There are two crew teams rotating on each boat, and crew members can ask to retire when they reach the age of 35, which allows submariners to have a good body when they serve or retire.
Through the cabin, Cahuvello came to the submarine's "nerve center" command cabin, in addition to the periscope in the middle of the boat and the crew chairs and tables, surrounded by the rudder, dense instrument panels, switches and buttons and radar sonar and communications equipment. In addition, the command module is equipped with a strategic data system (SAD), which is used to control the 16 ballistic missiles, data transmission processing and operational orders issued and other operational control functions.
And equipped with a tactical data system (SAT) and DLA-4A weapon control system, used to control the "Flying Fish" submarine missiles and torpedo weapons fire control system. Thanks to the use of advanced computer systems, the level of automatic control of the Bold has been greatly improved. Under the guidance of the officer on duty, Cahuaro experienced the use of the rudder and periscope, which is as easy to maneuver as a steering wheel in a car, and the periscope, which is fast and easy to turn.
The reactor compartment is the "heart" of a nuclear submarine, but Cahvalo was somehow afraid of nuclear radiation and rejected Mr. Dupont's offer to pass by without stopping, missing an opportunity that would never come again.
Deep sea "giant shark"
"Fierce" and "brave" belongs to the "Triumph" class nuclear submarine is the French 15 years to develop the success of the "masterpiece", the whole body is elongated teardrop-shaped, single-hulled boat structure, the hull of the pressure-resistant shell is made of high-strength steel with HLES-100, the smooth streamlined surface of the stealth function of the paint. Inside the pressure-resistant shell, there are seven compartments, including torpedo compartment, living compartment, command compartment, missile compartment, reactor compartment, main engine compartment and aft compartment. Boat middle missile launcher section is parallel to the body, slightly flat, command tower shell in the center slightly close to the head, eye-catching red buoy is located in the command tower shell and missile launcher between the front of the command tower shell with a horizontal shell rudder; aft horizontal rudder end of the fixed plate, so that its manipulation of the surface layout in the form of a H-shaped, noise reduction efficiency is very high.
It is reported that the "Triumph" class establishment of 110 people, 138 meters long, 12.5 meters wide, 12.5 meters draft; surface displacement of 12,600 tons, underwater displacement of 14,300 tons; surface speed of 20 knots, underwater speed of 25 knots, the maximum dive depth of 500 meters, endurance of 1 million nautical miles.
Power, "Triumph" class with the United States and the United Kingdom and other nuclear submarine technology is very different, it is installed in the main, auxiliary two systems, including auxiliary propulsion system for a set of diesel-electric device, the use of two sets of SEMT-Pierce Stick 8 PA 4V 200 SM diesel engine, used to guarantee the nuclear submarine in the main power plant failure or nuclear reactor out of service in the situation of navigation, as well as in the nuclear submarine in an emergency situation to sail. the nuclear submarine sails away from the base in case of an emergency.
The main propulsion system of the nuclear submarine is a nuclear-powered turbine-electric system, including the nuclear reactor, steam generator, guards, two steam turbines, the main condenser cabinet, two generators supplying power to the propeller motors and two generators supplying power to the ship's on-board systems, circulating pumps, propeller motors, a single-shaft propulsion unit to drive the propellers, and command and control equipment. At its core is a Kl5 integrated natural-cycle pressurized water reactor with a total power of 150 megawatts (MW) and a capacity of 30.50 MW of uranium power.
The French take the quiet performance of nuclear submarines as one of the most important design indicators, the goal is to "Triumph" class noise can not exceed the natural sound of the sea (in the sea state of 0), so in the "Triumph" class on top of the use of a lot of vibration reduction and noise reduction technology and equipment. K15 reactor is one of them, the French Navy experts have said that the reliability and safety of the K15 reactor is higher than the civilian reactor. K15 reactors are more reliable and safer than civilian reactors, with a core life of up to 25 years and no need for fuel replacement during the service life of a nuclear submarine.
Because of the reactor's natural cycling capacity of up to 49 percent, when the main circulation pump stops working, the reactor's own natural cycling capacity can still produce 30 percent of the power, so that the Triumph-class nuclear submarines can be in the medium and low-speed sailing without the main circulation pump, removing an important source of noise.
The nuclear-powered missile submarine is, after all, only an underwater delivery and launch platform, and its strike power is reflected in the submarine-to-ground missiles it carries. Three Triumph-class nuclear submarines have been deployed with 16 M45 submarine missiles each, supplied by Europe's EADS, and equipped with a SAD strategic data system for missile control.
The M45 strategic missile has a length of 11.05 meters, a diameter of 1.93 meters, a three-stage solid fuel rocket motor for the propulsion system, a launch weight of 35 tons, a launch depth of 40 meters, inertial navigation, a flight time of 20 minutes, a maximum range of 6,000 kilometers, and a circular probability error of 300 meters. Each missile carries six TN-71 nuclear warheads, each with a yield of 150,000 tons.
The TN-75 is a hardened and miniaturized thermonuclear warhead with new coatings to enhance stealth and surprise capabilities. According to the French retired submariners recall, "Triumph" class nuclear submarines, each M45 missile launcher tube diameter of about 3 meters, there is a round hatch cover like things in the middle of the hatch cover is very airtight, written with the missile number, open the missile can be seen, this is the submarine's largest cabin, the middle of the two sides of the corridor. Normally, the middle corridor is used to check the launch system and the missile, but it is forbidden to enter during the launch, so you can only observe the missile through the observation window in the corridor.
When the missiles are launched, each observation window is manned, "If the nuclear submarine wants to carry out a nuclear strike against the enemy, it needs a direct order from the president, who can give the launch order directly to the captain through satellite and long-wave communications, and no one else has this power."
Pinhead: French "nuclear strong"
As we all know, the European Union has always been within the "fight by France, sit on the river by Germany" argument, meaning that France's military strength, but economic strength is far inferior to the "manufacturing power" Germany, France and Germany "two carriages" go hand in hand, the European Union in order to glow a huge influence. Today, the EU countries have "clean up their own snow", even Europe's "three major economic pillars" of one of the United Kingdom simply withdrew from the EU, defense investment has become a deep economic crisis under the European countries to avoid the topic of fear.
Even if the French armament construction as a "necessary investment", how can "the situation is stronger than others", taking into account the needs of the war, the French government in 2008, "Triumph" class nuclear submarine orders from the original plan of 6 compressed into 2, which means that when the idea of ordinary 2 nuclear submarines in the ocean cruising on duty, 2 training in the harbor on standby, 2 normal maintenance of the "golden model" declared abortive! The French Navy is still able to cope with the Triumph class because it is in its prime, but given the passage of time, the French Navy will eventually have to face the problem of "overstretching" in terms of the use of force.
Of course, just because they refused to put their safety on others, also makes the French military industry in Europe, the full range of categories, the level of the high level of admiration. Triumph" class nuclear submarines, for example, the final cost of the entire project more than 26 billion U.S. dollars, but comprehensively promote the upgrading of the level of science and technology of the French defense industry, shipbuilding, nuclear, electronic information, missile manufacturing industry and many other aspects of the French have achieved a "high investment, high-tech, lean top use", which is the Western developed countries generally follow a road of military precision.
And the French army to "deterrence", "crisis prevention", "force projection and maneuvering operations", "defensive operations" as the army's four major military strategic functions, highlighting the role of nuclear deterrence, emphasizing the concentration of superior forces and firepower, with a strong offensive campaign to achieve a strategic and effective defense. Former French President Francois Mitterrand said, "The only force that France can withstand the enemy's attack is the nuclear missile submarine." Especially after the withdrawal of land-based missiles, missile nuclear submarines have 80% of France's nuclear warheads, becoming a key force in its independent and autonomous defense and defense strategy.