On aircraft carriers, catapult is used to launch
aircrafts. It gets the planes up to high speeds in a very short distance.
From Foch to São Paulo
Sistership of the Clémenceau, the aircraft
carrier Foch entered the dry-dock stage in Saint-Nazaire in 1957 and
was launched three years later. It was towed to the Brest arsenal
for completion. It entered active service in 1963 and ceased to be
armed by the French Navy in 2000, when the Charles de Gaulle CVN came
into service.
After a long period of maintenance and upgrade, the
Foch was transferred to the Brazilian Navy. On 15 November 2000, it
officially became the Brazilian aircraft carrier São Paulo.
With a length of 265 metres and a displacement of
close to 33,000 tonnes when fully laden, the São Paulo is able
to take on board 18 Sky Hawks. On the São Paulo, two steam
catapults propulse an aircraft from 0 to 270 km/h in 2 seconds.
