O SP pode operar sim F-18s, conforme matéria abaixo:
The French Navy openly pronounced itself. "Only the F/A-18 would be able, as soon as 1993, to give carrier aviation defence strong capabilities, that today are decreasing every day"(interview of vice-admiral Goupil, Navy chief-of-staff, to Cols Bleus magazine in 1989). It is also hard to believe "that the purchase of several second-hand aircraft would endanger a new program of at least 400 planes".
A Northrop delegation came to Paris in September 1988, to back its offer of 40+ F-18(FN) for the French Navy. It was taken by CV Robert Feuilloy (officer in charge of the nuclear carrier program in 1988-1989 for the Navy headquarters) aboard the Foch aircraft carrier docked at Toulon, and visited the ships aviation infrastructures.
Experts and engineers from both the French Navy and Northrop concluded that only a few minor modifications (worth as much of a F-18 at the time) would be necessary on the carriers, mainly concerning the catapults and jet blast deflectors. Furthermore, the elevators were entirely compatible with the Hornet.
Compatibility tests were planned with two US Navy F/A-18C Hornets (VI Fleet) aboard the Foch (R99) during the month of August 1989, but the carrier docked for the Mediterranean Sea on August 19th and mission Capselle.
The Foch returned on September 25th, but no Hornet ever did land on its deck or that of the Clemenceau, because the government abandoned the program
The killing of the French Hornet program was partly compensated by the three fold decision to upgrade the F-8E Crusader to the F-8P (P for Prolongé) standard, to allot the first Rafales to the Navy and not the Air Force, and finally to readjust the budgetary balance of the program in favour of the Navy.
http://frenchnavy.free.fr/projects/hornet/hornet.htm
Lembrando que um F-18A/C em missões de defesa aérea pode decolar com no máximo (carga de misseis e combustivel) 16,651kgs e para missões de ataque o máximo chegaria a 25,000kgs e as catapultas do Nae-12 podem lançar aeronaves pensando entre 15 e 20.000 kgs, dá-se uma idéia de que para missões de defesa aérea isto poderia ser completamente viável.
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