Aeronavale fighter competition...

[Archibald]

When the Foch and Clemenceau were decided (around 1955) their air component was to be Etendard IVP for attack and recon. It was tought that the aircraft could also assume air defence duty, but the time of transonic fighters was over.
First move was to ask for a French product, but neither the Mirage III nor the durandal could be navalised due to their high landing speed (around 190 kt or so).
So foreign naval fighters were assessed for various years.

Starting in 1956, there was strong interest in the Grumman Super Tiger and Douglas Skylancer. Lt Jean Bonot (he was the son of a famous flying boat pilot of the 20's) went to Edwards AFB and flew onboard of the prototypes. The SuperTiger was found to be be superior in overall performances, but Douglas mentionned that the Skylancer still had the old J-57 engine.
In everycase, none of the fighters was produced for the USN. The Crusader F8U-1 was also tested but judged inferior to the two others fighters (he had no AW radar at the time).

In 1958 Aeronavale had strong interest in the SARO SR-177 (despite the rocket engine, judged quite dangerous on a carrier) but the program was cancelled.
The same year, Jean Bonot returned to Edwards where a flyoff was on the way between the Crusader-III and Phantom-II. Thje Phantom-II was judged superior by the USN, but it was too heavy for the Foch and Clemenceau catapults.

Jean Bonot made four flight at the controls of the Crusader-III and was astonished by its performances.

In the end an agrement was secured between Vought, Short and Sud Aviation to produce the Crusader-III for the European navies medium-sized carriers.
British aircrafts later received the Blue dolphin, and the French type received R-530.
The canopy was improved to resist mach 3 speeds, the J-75 was licence-build by SNECMA (the french also needed it for their Mirage IVB).
Two seats and recon variants were also produced.

In 1983, the Foch was patrolling near the Lybian coast when the E-1B Tracer radar noticed a MiG-25 flying high and quick. This was obviously a MiG-25R monitoring the french carrier.
Crusader-III were catapulted, locked their radar and R-530 to the MiG, which eventually fled at full throttle...

[Phnx28]

Very believable. I especially like how you put Lt. Bonot's opinion of the original Crusader in the development context of when the Aeronavale evaluation occurred, leaving it in the oddly familiar position of having the old performace vs. avionics fight against the F-5D-1 Skylancer and F-11F-1F Super Tiger.
So how badly does Qaddafi come to regret his mistake? Not trying to drag France back into the casbah or anything here, but I bet Muammar would hardly just leave the matter there, given that he's got all those fighter Foxbats too and there's a distinct dangling ellipsis at the end...

[Archibald]

I especially like how you put Lt. Bonot's opinion of the original Crusader in the development context of when the Aeronavale evaluation occurred, leaving it in the oddly familiar position of having the old performace vs. avionics fight against the F-5D-1 Skylancer and F-11F-1F Super Tiger.

Dear Phnx, I have difficulties understanding your english :dum: . don't ask me why!!!

[Phnx28]

I especially like how you put Lt. Bonot's opinion of the original Crusader in the development context of when the Aeronavale evaluation occurred, leaving it in the oddly familiar position of having the old performace vs. avionics fight against the F-5D-1 Skylancer and F-11F-1F Super Tiger.

Dear Phnx, I have difficulties understanding your english :dum: . don't ask me why!!!

Sorry, I can run on. Essentially, I like how you kept Lt. Bonot's perspective on the Crusader within the limits of the time period he tested it; his concerns about the original F-8U-1 not having an all-weather radar were quite appropriate. It's very easy to write alternate history from the hindsight perspective without realizing it, and you avoided that well in this case.

[Archibald]

It's very easy to write alternate history from the hindsight perspective without realizing it

That's a REAL problem

In 1983 French Vulcans bombed Ouadidoum lybian airfield in Tchad , destroying Sukhois, MiGs and... Mirages  :dum:
At the same time, Khadafi aviation also started to harass the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean. Various times, Phatoms, Hornets and Tomcats had to repeal some insisting Tupolevs, MiGs and Sukhoi... same thing for the French carriers.

On this 16th May 1983, the Foch was patrolling along the Lybian coast with an american escort (both navies had agree to cooperate, fighting the same agressions by Muhamar's aviation).

At 9 o'clock, a E-1B was catapulted and started to scan the sky. 25 minutes later, one of the operators noticed a high flying spot aiming at full speed towards the fleet. Vessels were put on alert, the Foch turned, facing the wind to ease the launch of its aircrafts.
Two "Supercrouze" (as the French pilots named the plane) were scrambled towards the intruder.
Cpt Laverdure narrate what happened after.

"From some days now, Lybian aircrafts had been very agressive towards our fleet. At one time, a Tu-22 had managed to have a radar lock on on our carrier, he was really in the position to fire an ASM in our direction but we had quickly scared him.
This time, it was a different aircraft we have to chase...the E-1B quickly informed us that it was a MiG-25R. He was flying at mach 1.8, at 40 000 ft. We positioned behind him, and lighted the reheat. My Crouze jumped literally over the thrust of the J-75 and we accelerate quickly toward the MiG. He was aparently aware of nothing...
Distance between us and the target was diminishing rapidly, and suddendly I saw it. what a plane! I remember thinking that it was really two engines flying together rather than a fighter... in the end it seemed that the guy understood what its  RWH shouted. Panick striken, the MiG pilot started to climb and accelerate, but still in the direction of the carrier. We accelerated too, and a pursuit I would never forget started, 50 000 ft over the Mediterranean!
The MiG passed the 60 000ft and mach 2.5 and I said to my wingman "ready to fire ?" I managed to lock a R-530 on the Target. We were very close of the carrier now, and this guy would not carry photos of the Foch to his Tupolev friends.!!!

The E-1B was still monitoring the situation and 20 seconds after I received the clearance to open fire. The R-530 left it rack below the wing and aimed at the MiG which was at 70 000 ft and mach 2.83. 1 minut after I saw a huge ball of fire -the MiG felt in the sea, and the pilot was killed".

[Archibald]

In June 1958, Lt Bonot went to Edwards AFB to test the F8U-3 Super Crusader. The plane received Aeronavale roundels and markings... this photo was taken from a
T-33 chase aircraft  

[elmayerle]

One little problem with this scenario, while the prototype XF5D-1 Skylancers flew with the same J57 that the F4D-1 used, the production F5D-2 aircraft was always intended, per the Ginter book, to fly with the J79 instead.  If you want to do something different, do an alternate F5D evolution where the airframe grew to take a J75 with Fieri inlets, higher performance, and a greater weapons loadout.

[Archibald]

Your magazine is on the way. Hope it arrived soon (and the French mail service wont lose it, or sending it to Katanga... )