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Subject: Bridle launch techniques
DropBear    8/15/2005 1:59:11 AM
Can somebody explain to me why the CDG doesn't have protruding bridle launch bar pontoons similar to older USN carrier designs?

The French operate the Super Etendard in this way, whilst the newer Rafale uses conventional nose gear launch equipment.

I have noticed through pictures and models that the CDG has only a relatively small netting device and this doesn?t seem adequate. Or is it?

Older designs on USN carriers had both the fore and angled decks covered with pontoons that stuck out substantially, in order to collect the rather valuable bridle once it had fallen away from the plane/catapult.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this apparent lack, or why the French Navy can afford to lose/replace said bridle after every Super-E launch?
 
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DropBear    RE:Bridle launch techniques   8/17/2005 9:45:03 PM
Thoughts?
 
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DarthAmerica    RE:Bridle launch techniques   8/17/2005 10:23:08 PM
Sorry Drop, I dont know jack about this one!
 
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DropBear    Where are the French posters???   8/18/2005 2:56:31 AM
At least you answered. ;)
 
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gf0012-aust    RE:Where are the French posters???   8/18/2005 4:11:42 AM
why don't you chuck in a hook thread on armed forces or fighters? thats where they seem to go first.
 
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Francois    RE:Where are the French posters???   8/18/2005 5:10:23 AM
Yes, I agree, before the Rafale (SuEM p.e.), the bridle was thrown in the water when the plane is launched. So they had hundreds of them hung in the hangar. I am not sure of the reason though... Maybe wasn't worth to keep those.
 
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DropBear    gf - I have posted this on surface forces, naval air and Oz boards   8/18/2005 5:34:19 AM
What else must a Bear do? ;)
 
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DropBear    RE:Where are the French posters??? - Francois   8/18/2005 5:36:56 AM
But with a high operational tempo, surely they would run out of bridles if they are just flung into the ocean and not retrieved? If you run out of launch equipment, then you are in serious trouble and possibly unable to launch an entire compliment of one type of aircraft, in this case the Super-E. Sounds a rather iffy situation to find your carrier in, unable to launch a jet due to a bit of metal.
 
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Hibou    RE:Bridle launch techniques   8/18/2005 5:40:24 PM
I may have a part of answer for you Dropbear. First, the CDG will never run out of bridles becaouse there are thousends of them onboard. Even with 100 cat shots daily, the CDG stay at sea several months without problems. Bridles can also be resupplied easily during a mission, even at sea. More, I'm not 100% sure of this info but I heard Bridles for Super-E are designed to be safe for only one shot, so it's not useful to keep them after a launch. Hope it will answer your question ?
 
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Francois    RE:Bridle launch techniques   8/18/2005 7:37:27 PM
Ok, Hibou took my words... Beside this, I get that they are using "off the shelf" (if I may say) bridles. They do not have anything really special and are rather common in some industry (dunno which though). So the loss is not that heavy. Yes, respl ships are carrying more bridles if needed. Foch and Clem never ran out of them in their whole life.
 
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DropBear    RE:Bridle launch techniques - Thanks guys   8/19/2005 1:37:32 AM
:)
 
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violentnuke    no more 100 launches, then back to portRE:Bridle launch techniques - Thanks guys   8/29/2005 12:04:32 PM
IT were a scandal in the 80s that they could not do more than 100 launches and had to go back to port to get bridles and repair the equipment!
 
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Hibou    RE:no more 100 launches, then back to portBridle launch techniques - Thanks guys   8/29/2005 3:10:11 PM
Once again Violentnuke I cannot let you write this bull. In the 80's, all the aircraft were launched by bridle (etendard and Alize), so about 50 cat shots a day. Do you really thing the carrier was going back to port every 2 days??? It's true there was a limited cat shot number before a regular check-up of the catapult but it was a lot more than 100. But why do you really think they would take bridles onboard only 100 by 100 ???? That make no sense, there is room for thousands !!! Hope you are a bit enlighted now ?
 
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DropBear    Why stock so many???   9/2/2005 1:00:25 AM
Why not just have a couple of dozen that can be reused more than once and have appropriate netting pontoons like older USN boats? Surely the French Navy could employ one of their crew to collect the bridles in between launch/recovery slots? Doesn't seem cost effective to just lose good metal into the ocean. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
 
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nominoe    RE:Why stock so many???   9/5/2005 5:40:01 AM
i can answer, though i'm not a specialist i saw on TV that the bridle is actually lost after each launch. in fact, they explained that the bridle is not safe for more thant one launch, it's a matter of security. bridles are cheaper than planes after all :) about the stock, bridles are not very large, i don't think it's a problem to have many of them onboard. i think you will go out of kerosene before going out of bridles.
 
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violentnuke    RE:Why stock so many???   9/5/2005 3:26:34 PM
I dunno, what I remember is launches were in the hundreds, not thousands order. or was it a rumor within the French Navy to make for more funding? It certainly were a criticism amongst circles. It had to do with catapults and the bridle technique limitation.
 
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