[2022] Trying To Understand The New French " Cruisers "

The new French Cruisers are ships that rely on their stealth and speed to be in the proper position to WHACK other cruisers with AP that show them broadside.
In Coop, the bots tend to move forward, always forward and not turn to kite away. This means the new French Cruisers don't get their chances to punish broadsides as often.

My suggestion for Coop players is to use the insane speed of the FR CA's to hit a flank asap and start whacking away at the bots that start moving towrads the center

Fair enough - compared to Light Cruisers they are not that stealthy - but they are stealthier than a lot of actual battleships while carrying nearly battleship-caliber guns.
You still need to make use of speed and stealth to make full use of these ships, regardless.