French Bretagne class Aircraft Carrier:

In the mid 2050s the French Navy was in need of replacements for the two Charles de Gaulle class aircraft carriers. The French military had given up its strategic forces with the retirement of the last of its Le Triomphant ballistic missile submarines, and there was some consideration to simply retiring the Charles de Gaulle (R91) and Richelieu (R92) without replacements. The French government was more concerned with expending the necessary funding for any new designs and was slowly scaling back its military forces. Ironically, it was the British who caused the French to build what would turn out to be a pair of very fine aircraft carriers. The French people were not satisfied that the Royal Navy still retained three full-sized carriers. If France lost its carrier force, it would be a slap in the face as far as the French people were concerned; the two countries had maintained a rivalry for over one thousand years. In 2055, Guyana became a British colony again to avoid being conquered by neighboring states. Then in 2056, Belize became a British protectorate after the HMS Audacious drove back an attack by a neighboring communist dictatorship. Those two events closed the door on this issue. France could not afford to lose its prestige in world affairs by not being able to show the French flag around the world. Plans were immediately begun on a pair of carriers to replace the Charles de Gaulle and Richelieu.

From the opening sketches, the French wanted their new design to be visibly bigger then their British counterparts. They were a full 10 meters longer then the Ark Royal and rivaled the American Ranger and Soviet Arkhangelsk classes. In order to have more commonality with the U.S. and British carriers, the French admiralty opted for a conventional carrier design with catapults and arrester gear instead of a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing design. This also allowed the aircraft of the time to be used without the immediate need to design and build new STOVL aircraft. The ships sported an angled flight deck for arrested landings, and three electromagnetic catapults were used for launching planes. Also like the Ark Royal, there were three outboard elevators to a huge hangar which ran for more than two-thirds of the ships length. It is split into two sections with a large fire-proof door. The hangar could only house about 80% of the standard air wing. The island structure is similar to that of the American Ranger class and has angled flat surfaces with the primary radar integrated into the structure. The arrangement of the ship is nearly identical to the Charles de Gaulle class carriers. The island is more forward then in American and British designs with one elevator fore and one aft of it. The third elevator is on the port side in the same style as on their American counterparts. Two of the catapults are forward with the third on the angled section of the flight deck.

The design of the ship included more automation, reducing the crew to less than that of the Charles de Gaulle class despite them being larger ships. Of course, the newer super-strong, anti-corrosive were used from the start, allowing the ships to be immune to natural weathering and therefore more available for active duty. The French had been designing and building their own nuclear reactors for almost a century when the new carriers were designed. As such, they incorporated a quartet of small powerful fusion reactors to power the ships. The reactors are also connected to four electrical motors which powered twin shafts. This gave the carriers an excellent top speed of 34 knots. Stability and handling was improved thanks to four fin stabilizers. The greater length of theses ships over the Charles de Gaulle class resulted in much greater stability, and there was no need to install the SATRAP (Systeme Automatique de Tranquillisation de la Plaste-forme) automatic stabilization system developed for the older class of carriers.

For self-defense, the new carriers mounted four 16-cell Sylver VLS launchers and four Creusot-Loire railgun CIWS. One VLS mount and CIWS turret are on sponsons just below the flight deck on each corner of the ship. To properly control its armament, the carrier also featured an extensive sensor suite. A Thompson-CS DRBW 15D Phased Array Radar was built into the superstructure of the island with a Thompson-CS DRBJ 19C Air Search Radar backing it up. For passive defense the ship carried an ECM suite, chaff launchers, and a towed torpedo decoy. Of course the carriers' main weaponry consisted of its sixty-five plane air wing. When the ships were first constructed, the air wings were composed primarily of Super Rafales, EV-22 Ospreys, and Merlin FR.3 helicopters. At the time of the Great Cataclysm, the air wings consisted of three squadrons of Mirage VIII-N Fighter/Bombers, two squadrons of Épée Fighters, two squadrons of Aigle support craft, and one squadron of Panthère NH110 helicopters. Two companies of Lafayette class power armor were included as well for ship defense and boarding parties.

The first ship, Bretagne, was laid down in 2058 at DCN International in Brest. Her sister-ship, Provence, was laid down in 2061. They joined the fleet in 2065 and 2069 respectively. The served through the Second Falklands War, the beginning of the second Cold War, Battle of Guada Marta, and the opening battles that caused what would become known as the Great Cataclysm. The Provence was at sea in the North Atlantic, and was sunk by a strike by Soviet Backfire bombers before the Rifts came. The Bretagne was scrambling to get underway from her port in Brest when the Rifts overtook her. As the continent of Atlantis returned to Rifts Earth, an enormous title wave struck her as she was leaving the port city. The ship capsized and ran aground with a lose of all hands. There was no one left on the coast of France to care about the ship and she was not salvaged. As the Gargoyle Empire began to expand, they used the materials of the ship to forge MDC weapons and armor in their was with the New German Republic. When the NGR captured the area where the remains of the Bretagne were, the Germans believed there was enough of the ship left to salvage the vessel. Her hulk was towed carefully to a secure port for evaluation. It was finally deemed that the newer Poseidon class submersible carriers would be a better investment then trying to salvage the Bretagne. The hulk was scrapped, and the materials used in the construction of the eighth Poseidon carrier.

Model Type: Bretagne class Aircraft Carrier
Vehicle Type: Ocean, Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Crew:
Ship's Complement: 1050 (105 officers, 125 chief petty officers, 820 enlisted) plus Flagship Staff 50 (when acting as a flagship)
Air Crew: 850 (200 pilots, 80 flight deck officers, 570 enlisted)
Troops: 115 Marines

Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:
Power Armors:

90

Lafayette Power Armor

Fighter/Aircraft Compliment:

	33	Mirage VIII-N VSTOL Fighter/Bomber
	22	Épée VSTOL Fighter
	4	Aigle Airborne Radar Support VSTOL Aircraft
	6	Aigle ASW Support VSTOL Aircraft
	4	Panthère NH110 ASW Helicopter
	2	Panthère NH110 General Purpose Helicopter

M.D.C. by location:

	[1] Electromagnetic Catapults (3):	100 each
	[1] Arrester Cables (4):	50 each
	[2] Inboard Elevators (3):	400 each
	[3] Flight Deck:	3,300
	Hanger Doors (3):	400 each
	Creusot-Loire Railgun CIWS (4):	150 each
	16-cell Sylver VLS launchers (4):	250 each
	Chaff launchers (4):	10 each
	[4] Thompson-CS DRBW 15D Phased Array Radar Panels (4):	250 each
	[4] Thompson-CS DRBJ 19C Air Search Radar:	350
	[5] Bridge / Command Tower:	2,400
	Outer Hull (per 40 ft area):	75
	[6] Main Body:	10,000

Notes:
[1] If all three catapults are destroyed, non VTOL or STOL aircraft cannot be launched. If Arrester Cables are destroyed, non VTOL or STOL aircraft cannot land until arrester cables are replaced.
[2] If all three elevators are destroyed, no aircraft can be moved from the hangers to the flight deck, meaning that they cannot be launched unless already on the flight deck.
[3] If the flight deck is destroyed, only Helicopters and other VTOL aircraft can be launched or land. VTOL aircraft are at -15% to piloting.
[4] Destroying both DRBW 15D and DRBJ 19C Air Search System radar systems will eliminate the ship's long range air search ability but weapon systems have backup fire control systems. Both air search systems are separate so both systems are not likely to be disabled from a single hit.
[5] If command tower/bridge is destroyed, the Radars and most communication will be lost. Ship can still be piloted from engineering with a -15% to piloting rolls.
[6] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body destroys the ship's structural integrity, causing it to sink. Because of superior compartmentalization the ship will take six hours to sink. This may give the ships crew time to patch the damage to an extent that the ship will float but all propulsion will be destroyed but the ship may be repairable. There are enough flotation devices and inflatable life rafts to accommodate everyone aboard.

Speed:
On Water: 34 knots (39.2 mph /63.0 kph)
Range: Effectively Unlimited (must refuel about every twenty years). Ship carries six months of supplies and consumables on board.

Statistical Data:
Length: 1023 feet (310 meters) overall
Draft: 38 feet (11.5 meters)
Width: 246 feet (75 meters)
Displacement: 80,500 tons standard and 102,500 tons fully loaded
Cargo: 10,000 tons of nonessential equipment and supplies. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship's spaces are taken up by extra ammo, armor, troops, weapons, and engines.
Power System: 4 Fusion Reactors, average life span is 20 years
Market Cost: Not for Sale.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. Four (4) Creusot-Loire Railgun Close-In-Weapon Systems: Designed from the United States as a replacement for aging CIWS, this is a close copy of the MK 15 Phalanx weapon system but the tracking system has been improved and refined to have better hit probability against missiles. One CIWS turret is on sponsons just below the flight deck on each corner of the ship. The most obvious modification is that the auto cannon has been replaced by a six-barrel rapid fire rail gun that fires 20 mm special discarding sabot rounds. Like the original MK 15 Phalanx, the system is unmanned and fully automated. It is designed to have a much greater payload than the original auto cannon CIWS system. The weapons can be used on surface targets as well as against missiles and aircraft. Each rail gun can fire on automatic at up to six targets per melee (Has +4 to strike missiles and +2 to strike aircraft). The system has a 360 degree rotation and can elevate up to 90 degrees to fire at targets directly overhead.
   Maximum Effective Range: 11,000 feet (2 miles/ 3.2 km).
   Mega-Damage: 3D4x10 MD per burst of 40 rounds (Can only fire burst).
   Rate of Fire: 6 attacks per melee.
   Payload: 8000 rounds (200 burst) each.
2. Sylver LTR 16-cell VLS launchers (4): Unlike most vertical launch systems, these launchers fire the missiles on an 8 degree angle to the side. This is to prevent a missile that fails on its launch from crashing into aircraft on the flight deck. The missiles are arranged in an 2 by 8 pattern, and each launch cell has two reloads. One VLS mount is a on sponson just below the flight deck on each corner of the ship. Each system can launch up to 16 missiles simultaneously each and the launcher is automatically reloaded. These launchers act as the ships middle point defense and are normally used to engage incoming air targets and missiles. Outer point defense is performed by the air compliment or escorting vessels.
   Maximum Effective Range: As per medium range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Mega Damage: As per medium range missile type (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
   Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of two, four, eight, twelve, or sixteen (Each launcher operates independently)
   Payload: 16 missiles in each launcher, with 32 missiles in each magazine for automatic reloads, for a total of 192 Medium Range Missiles including missiles in launcher.
3. CSEE Sagaie AMBL-7G Chaff Launcher (4): Located on the superstructure of the ship, they are designed to confuse incoming missiles. Rifts Earth decoys systems are assumed to not operate on Phase World missiles due to technological difference. Reduce effects by 20% against smart missiles (Add +20% to rolls for smart missiles.)
   Range: Around Ship
   Mega Damage: None
   01-35 Missile or Missile volley detonates in chaff
   36-60 Missile or Missile volley loses track of target, may lock onto another target
   61-00 No Effect; Missile Still on target
   Payload: 6 each for a total of 24. 192 reloads are carried, reloading takes two melees.
4. Dassault FRN-6F LAT Towed torpedo decoy (1): A decoy which is towed behind the ship. It generates a sound like the ships propellers in order to confuse incoming torpedoes. Only effective at speeds below 18 knots. Otherwise the noise of the ships systems and propellers is too powerful to mask. This decoy can only be used when the Towed Sonar Array is not in operation. Rifts Earth decoys systems are assumed to not operate on Phase World missiles due to technological difference.
   M.D.C.: 10
   Effects: The decoy has an 65% chance of fooling ordinary non military sonars and non smart guided torpedoes, the decoy has a 35% chance of fooling military level sonars (like those of the Coalition), and the decoy has a 10% chance of fooling advanced military sonars (Like those of the New Navy and Triax) and smart torpedoes.
   Range: Not Applicable
   Payload: 1, with five more as reloads. It takes three minutes (twelve melees) to reel out another decoy.

Special Systems:
The ship has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the following special features:

• Thompson-CS DRBJ 19C Air Search Radar: Long range air search radar system. Radar system has a range of 360 nautical miles (414.3 miles /666.7 km). Radar system can track up to 128 targets simultaneously.
• Thompson-CS DRBW 15D Phased Array Radar Panels: Powerful and flexible radar system that is comprised of a single array on top of the main mast. It is controlled by a powerful computer. If allowed by the horizon, the system can track out to 175 nautical miles (201.4 miles / 324.1 km) and can simultaneously track and identify up to 320 targets at one time. The system controls missiles launched from the VLS launchers and the system tracks and guides each individual missile to an individual target for up to 120 targets. If a target is eliminated, missiles are automatically guided to a new target. The system can also control missiles launched from other linked vessels as well and can also act as fire control for gun mounts.
• Command and Control Facilities: The carrier carries extra communications equipment and command facilities, to enable the ship to operate as the flagship for a flotilla. When operating in a flotilla, all ships get a +1 on sensor rolls, +1 to strike on all weapons, and +10 % on communications.
• Radar Defeating Profile: The ship superstructure is designed so that the radar profile of the ship is reduced. Because of this, attempts to detect the ship using radar are made with a -10% penalty to read sensor rolls when attempting to detect this ship. Go to General Detection Penalties for more information on penalties and bonuses to use with stealth.
• Combination Radar Detectors and Active Jamming System: Combination of radar detection system (ESM) and an active jamming system. The system can detect another radar system at 125% of the range of the transmitting radar. In jamming mode, causes -25% to detection but when it is active, other vehicles/ bases can detect that it is jamming, and some missiles will home in on jamming signals. Jamming also causes a -4 penalty to all radar guided weapons.

[Golden Age Weaponsmiths and Triax are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

By Kamikazi (kamikazi_gm@hotmail.com).

Copyright © 2004, Kamikazi. All rights reserved.