Russia May Order Amphibious Assault Ship From France

[vector7]

Russia demands total technology transfer for warship deal

By Michael Cosgrove


2010-07-25 15:37:12
A Mistral Class French amphibious assault ship in 2005

In a move that may well anger Washington, Russia insists on French agreement to a full technology transfer before signing a contract for two French-designed warships. Russia wants to construct more of the ships in Russia in the future.

The demand was made on Saturday in a statement issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Vissotski, according to Le Point. The statement was broadcast on Moscow’s Echo Radio station. Part of the statement reads; “What is important here is that we obtain the possibility of a transfer of fundamental key technologies {…} not only in the field of naval construction but in other areas too. There is no doubt that that is the principal condition for this transaction to go ahead.

If it doesn’t happen, well, there will be no reason to go any further.” Apart from the two ships concerned by the deal, negotiations are ongoing for two more as well as the possibility of transferring the construction of further ships in Russia starting from 2011.

His words come the day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that France would build the two ships, which are scheduled to be built in the French STX Shipyards in Saint-Nazaire. Addressing workers at the shipyards he said “You are going to build the two ships with our Russian friends. We are still negotiating the contract, but the decision to go ahead is certain.”

He made no mention of the technology transfer demanded by Moscow.

The ship in question is the Mistral Class amphibious assault ship, variously known as a helicopter carrier, projection and command unit, or landing platform carrier. A state-of-the-art warship, it was designed to be a part of France, Europe and NATO’s Response Force capability and can carry 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 vehicles or a battalion of 40 tanks. It can also carry 400 troops or 900 for short-range emergency deployments and it has a 70-bed hospital.

The United States has been following the deal closely from the beginning, and the New York Times reported in February that Defense Secretary Robert Gates had informed French officials that he was concerned about the deal, although he acknowledged that little or nothing could be done to stop it.

American concerns are said to be centered upon issues of the possible military and strategic ramifications of the sale as well as technology transfers.

The Baltic States and Georgia are also unhappy with the deal which, if it went ahead, would represent the first sale of military equipment of this nature and scale to Russia by a NATO country.

[Ryan Ruck]

France OKs carrier sale to Russia

July 16, 2010

France has agreed to sell the Mistral helicopter carrier to Russia. The Russian Navy also has its eyes on three more similar vessels in the future.

The approval of the defense deal was announced Monday by Jacques de Lajugie, the international development director of France’s armaments board Delegation Generale pour l’Armement (DGA). He added the possible addition of three more helicopter carriers has only been discussed on the technical level, not on the political.

Read more

In a brief meeting on Monday, French president Nicolas Sarkozy told US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the deal will not pose a military problem, stressing that Russia should be viewed as an equal partner.

"One cannot expect Russia to behave as a partner if we don't treat them as one," the French president said.

Meanwhile, a source in the Russian government told RIA Novosti that the decision on purchasing the Mistral carrier would be made in the near future. The source added that in Russia there is still not a single opinion on the matter. “There are both those who favor the decision and those who oppose it,” the source told the agency.

Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolay Patrushev told journalists on Tuesday that at this point it is too early to talk about the purchase of the carrier.

“All points of view that are being voiced have a right to exist,” Patrushev said. “We, in fact, can build such a ship in our country but this will take time. We can surely buy it abroad, but we need money for it.”

He added that the matter is being analyzed at the moment so that the final decision will be well thought out.

Russia’s Navy voiced its intention to buy a helicopter carrier last year. The goal is to study the technology and tactical advantages of such a ship.

The French warship Mistral is the main candidate for the purchase, and she even paid a three-day visit to St. Petersburg in November so that top brass could examine it personally. However, the final decision has not yet been made and Russia is considering alternatives.

France currently has two vessels of this class deployed, which means additional warships will have to be commissioned if Russia wants an extra three. Some Russian Navy officials also speculated that the Mistral can go with a license to build similar vessels in Russian shipyards.

“For the first time since World War II, Russia buys such a big piece of armament abroad, so indeed it is unprecedented, but I believe it is the beginning of military imports,” Aleksandr Pikaev from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations told RT. “Sometimes it is easier to buy a ready product than develop it from a scratch. Russia accounts for maybe 2.5% of international GDP and spends very little money for its military, around 3% of Russia’s own GDP. Under these circumstances, it is very difficult for Russia to develop the full spectrum of weaponry Moscow might need, and therefore in some non-crucial areas, Russia has to enter the international military market.”

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia Set To Buy Mistral With Transfer Of French Technologies

7/5/2010

Russia will buy French Mistral class helicopter carriers with the complete set of navigational equipment and technical documentation, but equip the ships with its own weaponry and helicopters, a defense industry source said Monday.

Russia is negotiating the purchase of at least one French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ship and plans to build two or three more vessels of the same class in partnership with the French naval shipbuilder DCNS.

"I would like to stress the point that we are buying the Mistral with all proper navigational and technological equipment, including the fire control systems," a source close to the negotiations said.

"We will use our own helicopters on the Mistral, but we will have to raise the deck for that purpose," he said.

According to other defense industry sources, the Russian Air Force plans to buy up to 100 Ka-class helicopters, including some 70 Ka-27Ms, to equip the Mistral ships.

The Mistral class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 armored vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 personnel.

"We are also planning to use this helicopter carrier in northern latitudes, in ice floe. For that we will need to reinforce the hull of the ship, but it will not seriously change its structure or technical equipment," the source said.

The Russian military has said it plans to use Mistral ships in its Northern and Pacific fleets.

Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.

In April, the head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev, said the Mistral deal would be concluded by the end of the year.

[vector7]

French warships for Russia to be armed with Ka-52 helicopters

Topic: Russia's purchase of French Mistral-class warship


Ka-52 helicopter

16:07 14/08/2010
© RIA Novosti. Anton Denisov

Related News

• Russia to define Mistral purchase scheme - Navy
• Russia set to buy Mistral with transfer of French technologies
• Russian Air Force to get dozens of helicopters if Mistral deal agreed
• PTC seeks role in adapting Mistral for Russian Navy

Multimedia

• France’s Mistral amphibious assault ship visits St. Petersburg
• France's Mistral amphibious assault ship
• Putin says purchase of Mistral warship is a good deal for France

Mistral-class helicopter carriers, which Russia plans to buy from France, will be armed with Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopters, Air Force Commander Colonel General Alexander Zelin told the Ekho Moskvy FM station on Saturday.

He emphasized that the Ka-52 Alligator helicopters are very advanced and are equal to best foreign models.

The Ka-52 is armed with 30-mm cannon, Vikhr (Whirlwind) laser guided missiles, rockets, including S-24s, as well as bombs.

The Ka-52 is a modification of the basic Ka-50 Hokum model. The development of the Ka-52 started in 1994 in Russia, but its serial production began only in 2008.

The helicopter is also equipped with two radars, one for ground and one for aerial targets and a Samshite nighttime-daytime thermal sighting system.

Russia is negotiating the purchase of at least one French-built Mistral-class amphibious assault ship and plans to build three more vessels of the same class in partnership with the French naval shipbuilder DCNS.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 armored vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 personnel.

The Russian military has said it plans to use Mistral ships in its Northern and Pacific fleets.

Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.

In April, the head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriev, said the Mistral deal would be concluded by the end of the year.

MOSCOW, August 14 (RIA Novosti)

[American Patriot]

There is nothing to worry about... the ships will be equipped with the Ka-50 Hokum model.

hehehehe

Sounds like Hokum to me.

[Ryan Ruck]

"US Concerned Over French Ship For Russia"

November 29, 2010

The United States voiced concern to France earlier this year over the possible sale of a French warship to Russia, saying it sent a "mixed signal" to both Moscow and Eastern European allies, according to a leaked US document published.

In a meeting on February 8 in Paris, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his French counterpart at the time, Herve Morin, disagreed over missile defense for Europe and over France's plans to sell the Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia, a secret diplomatic cable posted by the WikiLeaks website showed Sunday.

Gates, a former CIA director who closely followed the former Soviet Union, also offered a severe critique of Russia, saying democracy had "disappeared" there and that the government was essentially an oligarchy dominated by the security services.

In a meeting that touched on an array of issues, Gates "raised US concerns over the sale of a Mistral-class helicopter carrier to Russia as sending a mixed signal to both Russia and our Central and East European Allies," the cable said.

Morin disagreed, saying the warship would not alter Russia's overall military power.

"Morin told SecDef (secretary of defense) pointedly that he had pushed hard for the sale. He conceded that it was indeed a warship for power projection," the document said.

"But Morin asked rhetorically how we can tell Russia we desire partnership but then not trust them."

Morin expressed understanding of the US view that Central and East European states saw Russia as a potential threat, but argued "that this single ship would not make any difference with respect to Russian capabilities, as Russia's naval production ability was severely degraded."

Gates pointed to France's efforts in brokering a ceasefire in Georgia, saying that Moscow was not fully honouring the agreement and that the sale of the carrier would send the wrong message to Moscow as well as former Soviet satellites in Europe, it said.

The former CIA intelligence analyst also described Russia's government in blunt terms.

"SecDef observed that Russian democracy has disappeared and the government was an oligarchy run by the security services.

"President (Dmitry) Medvedev has a more pragmatic vision for Russia than PM (Vladimir) Putin, but there has been little real change," it said, referring to Gates' comments.

The cable recounted Morin questioning President Barack Obama's decision to set a date of July 2011 for the start of a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, saying it could encourage Taliban insurgents to merely "wait it out," the document said.

Gates acknowledged that the target date had set off a "protracted" debate in Washington but said he "had come to the conclusion, however, that the Afghans needed to be put on notice that they would need to take responsibility for their own security," it said.

The account of the February meeting showed Morin strongly opposing US plans for a missile defense system in Europe tied to NATO allies.

The alliance, however, approved the proposal at a summit in Lisbon a week ago.

Morin argued the US plan would "give publics a false sense of security," and said European countries lacked the funds to spend on missile defense weaponry, it said.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia To Buy Two Warships In Deal With France

December 25, 2010

After a long hesitation and arduous negotiations, Russia has decided to buy at least two of France's advanced Mistral-class amphibious warships in an unprecedented military deal between Moscow and the West, the two nations said Friday.

The multimillion-dollar sale, announced jointly by the Elysee Palace and the Kremlin, marks the first time in modern history that Russia has made such a major defense acquisition abroad, illuminating a fast-evolving relationship with former Cold War enemies. The swift changes were dramatized at last month's NATO summit in Lisbon, when President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to work with NATO on ways to cooperate with the U.S.-led alliance in erecting a missile defense system for Europe.

The Mistral sale, whose financial terms were not disclosed, also signaled a triumph for French President Nicolas Sarkozy's relentless salesmanship and a boost for France's sagging defense industry and 10 percent unemployment rate. It will, the Elysee declaration noted, provide the equivalent of 5 million hours of work over four years for 1,000 qualified French employees at the STX shipyards at St. Nazaire on the Atlantic Coast. And it might lead to the purchase of two more vessels.

"Presidents Medvedev and Sarkozy hail the concretization of this unprecedented cooperation, which will benefit industry and employment in our two countries, and which illustrates the will and capacity in France and Russia to develop large-scale partnerships in all areas, including defense and security," the Elysee said.

The sale was strongly opposed in Georgia, whose leaders said it would be interpreted as a benediction of Russia's role there during a brief war in the summer of 2008 and the stationing of Russian troops on territory still considered part of Georgia by NATO nations, including France.

Six Republican U.S. senators objected to the proposed sale a year ago, arguing it would suggest that France approved of Russian actions in Georgia, which they said are aggressive and illegal and violate a cease-fire negotiated by Sarkozy himself.

But the Obama administration has been publicly silent on the sale. At the Lisbon summit, President Obama noted that Russia was no longer NATO's enemy but its partner, despite the differences over Georgia.

In any case, the news, in a Christmas Eve telephone call from Medvedev to Sarkozy, was particularly welcome here in light of an embarrassing setback recently in France's efforts to sell its Rafale multi-role warplane. So far, only the French military has bought the delta-winged jet, despite aggressive marketing by Sarkozy in Europe and the Middle East. The lack of buyers raises questions about whether the country can continue a nationally based military aviation industry.

During a visit to Brazil last year, Sarkozy declared confidently that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had made the political decision to buy the Rafale as soon as technical and financial details were ironed out among military specialists. But the approval never came. Lula, who leaves office next week, said recently that he was turning the file over to his successor, in effect reopening the competition for what promises to be a lucrative multiplane contract.

The 600-foot ship - a boxy helicopter carrier, command center and hospital - was designed for power projection and landing operations, which Russian naval officers said would have made it perfect for the Georgia operation in 2008.

In public discussion of the talks with Russia, the 23,700-ton vessel has been estimated to cost $750 million a copy.

But French officials have said the ship's most advanced electronic equipment will not be included in the package negotiated with Moscow. In addition, Russian defense officials insisted on having large parts of the construction done in Russian shipyards. The division of labor ultimately agreed upon was not disclosed.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia, France Sign Warship Agreement

January 25, 2011

Moscow and Paris on Tuesday signed an agreement to jointly build Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.

The agreement was signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and French Defense Minister Allain Juppe in the presence of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In all, four warships are to be built, Sechin said.

Russia's input to the construction of the first Mistral-class warship will be 20% and 40% in the second, he said.

The third and fourth ships are to be built in Russia, whose share of labor input will subsequently rise to 80%, he added.

Anatoly Saikin, head of Russia's arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport, said the agreement is only a framework and stipulates neither deadlines, nor the cost of the future contract.

"A contract is still a long way off. Only an intergovernmental general agreement has been signed," he said.

Russia and France in December announced they would jointly build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

A Russian Defense Ministry source said in December the first Mistral-class ship, with a price tag of 720 million euros, is expected to be built in late 2013-early 2014 and the second in late 2014-early 2015.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

A number of Russia's neighbors have expressed concern over the upcoming deal, in particular Georgia and Lithuania.

[Ryan Ruck]

France Transfers Sensitive Warship Technology To Russia

June 20, 2011
France has transferred to Russia all the technology it asked for under a $1.7-billion deal for two French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy, a Russian arms exporter said on Monday.

Under the deal signed on Friday, the first warship will be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015.

"The French side has transferred all technologies, including the SENIT 9 [command and control] system, as well as two other systems," said Anatoly Isaikin, head of the Rosoboronexport state-controlled arms exporter.

A formal contract for the construction of the two Mistral class ships will be signed separately at a later date, he said, adding it could take up to three months to compile.

The warships will be equipped with Russian-built Ka-52 Alligator multirole helicopters, Isaikin said.

Navy chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said on Friday, the warships will be provided with Russian weapon systems, including amphibious landing assets and carrier aviation.

The use of Mistral class ships will significantly increase the effectiveness of humanitarian operations, he said, adding that they could be used both in peacetime and in wartime for a variety of missions.

The program has alarmed Russia's neighbors, especially Georgia.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to build two Mistral class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later in Russia.

Contract talks stumbled over Russia's demand for the transfer of sensitive electronic systems.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

France has two Mistral class amphibious assault ships in service and is building a third.

[Ryan Ruck]

U.S. Congresswoman Says Russian-French Mistral Deal Threatens U.S. Security

June 18, 2011

A purchase of French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ships by Russia poses a threat to U.S. security and is aimed against Washington's allies, the chairwoman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee has said.

"It is deeply troubling that France, a NATO ally, has decided to ignore the clear danger of selling advanced warships to Russia even as Moscow is taking an increasingly hostile approach toward the U.S., its neighbors, and Europe itself," Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement.

Russia and France signed a $1.7 billion (1.2 bln euro) contract on two Mistral class ships for the Russian Navy in St. Petersburg on Friday.

In line with the contract, the first warship is to be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015. The warships will be equipped with Russian weapon systems, Navy chief Adm.Vladimir Vysotsky said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the contract as a sign of strategic partnership between the two countries.

The deal has alarmed Russia's neighbors, especially Georgia, whose relations with Russia remain very tense since the August 2008 five-day war between the countries over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia, which Russia subsequently recognized as independent.

"Many of our allies in the region, such as Georgia and the Baltic states, have experienced cyber attacks, severe economic pressure, and even invasion by Russia," Ros-Lehtinen's statement reads.

Russia and France in January signed an intergovernmental agreement to build two Mistral class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be built later in Russia.

Contract talks stumbled over Russia's demand for the transfer of sensitive electronic systems.

A Mistral class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

[vector7]

France refuses to block Mistral warship deal with Russia

Published time: May 12, 2014 17:17
Edited time: May 13, 2014 22:17 Get short URL

France's Mistral amphibious helicopter carrier ship docks on the Neva River in St. Petersburg November 23, 2009. (Reuters/Alexander Demianchuk)

The French government has said that it will go ahead with 1.2 billion euro ($1.6 billion) contract to supply Russia with two Mistral helicopter carriers because cancelling the deal would harm Paris more than Moscow.

In the wake of the crisis in Ukraine, the United States had been pressing France as well as Britain and Germany to take a tougher line against Russia and cancel the Mistral contract.

But France refuses to link the helicopter carrier deal to the US/EU debate over tougher sanctions against Russia.

A French government official travelling with President Francoise Hollande in Azerbaijan Sunday, who asked not be named, told reporters that the contract was too big to cancel and that if France didn’t fulfill the order it would be hit with penalties.

"The Mistrals are not part of the third level of sanctions. They will be delivered. The contract has been paid and there would be financial penalties for not delivering it.

"It would be France that is penalized. It's too easy to say France has to give up on the sale of the ships. We have done our part," the official said.

President Hollande also said earlier on Saturday that the contract will go ahead.

“This contract was signed in 2011, it will be carried out. For the moment it is not in question,” President Hollande said on Saturday during a visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s electoral district.

The Russian defense ministry warned Paris in March that it would have to repay the cost of the contract plus additional penalties if it cancelled the deal.

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels Monday and expanded their sanctions over Russia's stance on the Ukrainian crisis, adding two Crimean companies and 13 people to the bloc's blacklist, EU diplomats said.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on May 10, 2014.(AFP Photo / Odd Andersen)

They have threatened a further widening of sanction if the Ukrainian presidential elections do not go ahead on May 25.

US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland expressed concern over the deal on May 8 after US lawmakers had demanded more pressure be put on France to stop the contract.

“We have regularly and consistently expressed our concerns about this sale, even before we had the latest Russian actions, and we will continue to do so,” Nuland told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Washington Tuesday and President Barak Obama is expected to raise the issue during a visit to France next month to commemorate the D-Day Normandy landings.

US officials have suggested France could sell the ships to another buyer or sell them without the advanced technology, although it is not at all clear at this late stage who the other buyer could be.

The French deal was Moscow’s first foreign arms purchase since the end of the Cold War and was hailed by then President Nicholas Sarkozy has an important step forward in French-Russian relations. The contract has created some 1,000 jobs in French shipyards.

The first of the two ships, the Vladivostok, is due to be delivered by November this year and the second, called Sevastopol, will arrive in St Petersburg for further fitting out with Russian weapons systems in November 2015 and will join the Pacific fleet in the second half of 2016.

The Mistral can carry up to 16 attack helicopters such as Russia’s Kamov Ka-50/52, more than 40 tanks or 70 motor vehicles and up to 700 troops. The ships for Russia have been modified from the version used by the French navy to operate in northern altitudes and ice covered seas.

The Russian navy will fit the ships with air defense systems and rapid fire artillery guns to allow them to go on combat missions with fewer escort vessels.

[Ryan Ruck]

We're now past the end of November but I haven't heard anything else on this.

Moscow Gives France Until End Of November To Deliver Warship

November 14, 2014


The first of two mammoth Mistral helicopter carriers was supposed to be delivered on Friday according to the original deal signed in 2011

Russia on Friday warned France of "serious" consequences unless Paris delivers by the end of this month a Mistral-class assault warship whose handover has been delayed by concerns over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, a report said.

"We are preparing for different scenarios. We are waiting until the end of the month, then we will lodge serious claims," the state news agency RIA Novosti quoted an anonymous high-ranking Moscow source as saying.

The first of two mammoth Mistral helicopter carriers was supposed to be delivered on Friday according to the original deal signed in 2011 and worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) for both vessels.

Russia's state-run arms dealer had been widely expected to attend a ceremony on Friday for the hand-over.

But amid this year's Ukraine crisis and the rapid decline in the West's relations with Russia, France has come under intense pressure from its allies, particularly the United States, and in September postponed the delivery.

The Moscow soure said on Friday experts were currently gauging the damage sustained by Russia and it would be made public.

"This amount will not be secret," the source was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

[vector7]

Rumors of China Buying Russian Mistrals Could be US' Worst Nightmare

© AFP 2015/ JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD
Military & Intelligence15:11 20.05.2015(updated 19:20 21.05.2015) Get short URL
Topic:

Russia-France Mistral Deal (81)

The United States is sure to be alarmed by the circulating but as of yet unconfirmed rumors that China could be thinking about buying the two Mistral ships built in France for Russia, according to the Diplomat.

Purchasing the assault ships makes sense, the news magazine noted. "China has both the use scenarios and the military infrastructure necessary to make effective use of the ships," the Diplomat said.

Some say the United States could "pluck these ships off the market, lest China add two capable ships to its growing and increasingly modern navy," the media outlet added.


© Sputnik/ Grigoriy Sisoev
‘Agony of Blackmail’: Russian Lawmaker Slams Mistrals’ Possible Sale to China

Even if Beijing is interested in the purchase, the sale itself is not an easy feat. Firstly, members of the European Union are to a certain extent limited in their ability to sell weapons to China due to an arms embargo the EU imposed on Beijing in 1989. However, the ban is not strictly enforced and is open to interpretation. As a result, China enjoys limited access to European technologies and weapons, including aircraft, warships, ammunition, etc.

But this is not the only impediment. France cannot sell the helicopter carriers to anyone without Russia's explicit permission and Paris has been repeatedly made aware of that. At least until both sides reach an agreement on the future of the $1.3 billion deal. At the moment it is still hanging in the balance.


© REUTERS/ Stephane Mahe
The Mistral-class helicopter carrier Vladivostok is seen at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire

Selling the two Mistral ships, the Vladivostok and the Sevastopol, to a third party is an option French authorities are considering, Gilles Le Breton, a member of the European Parliament from the National Front, told Sputnik. But there is no reason not to hand the Mistrals over to Russia. The deliveries were put on hold in late 2014 over Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian civil war. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied these groundless claims and pushed for peace in the war-torn nation.

Ukraine should not have been used as a pretext not to deliver Mistrals, Le Breton said.

[Ryan Ruck]

It Is Even Bigger: Russia's New Helicopter Carrier To Replace Mistrals

Russia's projected helicopter carrier Lavina is even larger than France's Mistral

June 19, 2015

The Russian Krylov State Research Center has developed a helicopter carrier project to replace the Mistral-class warships that were not delivered by France, a high-ranking official in the Russian military industrial complex said Friday.

“The Russian Krylov State Research Center has developed an alternative to the Mistral project of a helicopter carrier, called the Lavina, with a water displacement of 24,000 tons, which is even larger than the French-made ship [of 21,000 tons],” the official said at the Army-2015 military expo outside Moscow.

According to the official, the new warship is a semi-trimaran with capabilities to sail 5,000 miles at 18 knots without service calls and a maximum speed of 22 knots. The vessel will carry 320 crewmembers and can take on an additional 500 troops or 50 armored vehicles.

Under the $1.5 billion warship contract, signed in 2011, France agreed to sell two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia but the handover was suspended as Paris expressed disapproval of Moscow's alleged interference in the Ukrainian crisis. Russia has repeatedly denied its involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.

In late May, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Military Industrial Complex Oleg Bochkaryov said that Russia planned to build its own Mistral-class helicopter carriers.

On Thursday, the director of the department of military technical cooperation, Alexei Diky, said France had handed over to Russia some technology in large-block assembly for the construction of Mistral-class helicopter carriers.

[Ryan Ruck]

Egypt Takes Delivery of Second Mistral Warship

September 16, 2016


The two Mistral-class helicopter carriers Sevastopol (L) and Vladivostok are seen at the STX Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, western France, in this May 25, 2015 file photo.

Egypt took delivery of a second French Mistral helicopter carrier on Friday, part of a $1 billion deal signed last year.

Egypt took over the ship at a ceremony in the Atlantic coast port of Saint-Nazaire. It was the second of two France agreed last year to sell to Egypt.

The two ships were originally built for sale to Russia, but that sale was canceled after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

“It has been a very complicated, uncertain period to manage, but thanks to the French government’s support, we were able to find a navy that needed it,” a spokesman for the state-backed shipbuilder DCNS told Reuters.

The French naval contractor had to strip out all the ship’s information systems and instructions written in Cyrillic script and replace them with Arabic and English lettering.

The “Anwar El-Sadat” will sail from Saint-Nazaire early next week for joint exercises with the French navy before setting off for Alexandria.

The Mistral is known as the “Swiss army knife” of the French navy for its versatility. Capable of carrying vessels and tanks, the will serve as command centers for the Egyptian fleet.

Cairo has tried to boost its military power in the face of a two-year insurgency in northern Sinai and fears that civil war in neighboring Libya could spill over.

Egypt has also ordered four corvettes, 100-meters long, that will be built in two years, and negotiations are under way to order two more, the spokesman for DCNS told Reuters.