PH 75 was a military development program in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

aimed at designing a nuclear-powered amphibious assault ship during the 1970s. Design work was never completed by the time the project was cancelled in 1981.

History

The role of providing air support for amphibious operations in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

was left to the aging ''Arromanches'' (R 95), a World War II-era light carrier. PH 75 was envisioned as the replacement for the ''Arromanches''. Nuclear propulsion was selected to allow the vessel to operate with fewer support vessels and at longer ranges. Other roles were added to the program including command, rescue, and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

. Early plans were for completion of the first unit by 1981, but this proved unobtainable, and after several delays, the project was finally cancelled. France instead chose to pursue a conventionally powered vessel to fulfill this role, termed a power projection ship, resulting in the development of the ''Mistral'' class which entered service in 2005. Meanwhile, France also developed a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the ''Charles de Gaulle''.

References

Proposed aircraft carriers Amphibious warfare vessel classes Helicopter carrier classes Amphibious warfare vessels of France Aircraft carriers of France Nuclear ships of the French Navy Abandoned military projects of France 1981 disestablishments in France {{France-mil-ship-stub

History

See also

References