Russia has completed its design studies and is able to build its own fleet Mistral. This is what Viktor Bursuk, deputy commander of the Russian Navy at TASS said.
The projects of the national version of the French helicopter carrier Mistral, are in the technical assignment phase. From the United Shipbuilding Corporation they claim to be able to develop the domestic version of the class Mistral, even if the Kremlin has not yet revealed this intention.
The contract for the two French class helicopter carriers Mistral (photo) was signed in 2011. The Kremlin wrote a check for 1,6 billion dollars, but the deal was questioned after the economic sanctions imposed by the West against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine. The delivery to the Russians of the first boat, the Vladivostok, was initially set for November 15 last year, the term was then postponed and finally canceled. The West, in reality, feared the rapid attack capability that a rearmament Russia could acquire with the two French helicopter carriers.
La Vladivostok, was built at the DCNS shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, and was launched on October 15 last year. Every Mistral Russian, was supposed to carry sixteen attack helicopters Kamov Ka-52K, fourteen Ka-29 transport helicopters, four assault ships or seventy armored vehicles and 450 troops. The flight deck can accommodate up to a maximum of active rotor aircraft.
The second class ship Mistral, Sevastopol, the second contract should have entered service with the Black Sea Fleet by 2015. After having proposed them to Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, China and the United States, the French reached an agreement with Egypt. As compensation, France paid just under a billion euros to Russia for the non-delivery of carriers. A class helicopter carrier Mistral, has a displacement of 21 thousand tons, with 210 meters in length. It is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 18 knots with an estimated range of 20.000 miles.
The Kremlin, in view of Putin's majestic Russian army rearmament plan, is currently allocating huge resources to class missile cruisers Lider and for the Russian helicopter carrier class Avalanche, a platform of 24 thousand tons. Both classes should be put into production next year with the completion of the fleets (eight Lider and two Avalanche) set for 2023.
Finally, the 23000E project, a super-aircraft carrier capable of carrying ninety aircraft, is confirmed, but the Kremlin has postponed production for six years, setting it to 2025. Starting from that year, both the submarine and the Russian area, should be 90% completed. If everything goes smoothly, Moscow could then focus on the classroom Shtorm the cost of which for the leader alone, including research and development, could reach 12 billion dollars. Most likely, the mammoth Russian project will be revised, reducing the size to 60/65 thousand tons, like the new British carriers Queen Elizabeth e Prince of Wales.
(photo: DCNS)
