Mistral and Tonnerre BPC (bâtiment de projection et de commandment) are the new French 21,300-ton amphibious assault ships for command and control.
The ships were built by DCN in partnership with Thales and Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
Each ship has the capacity and versatility to carry up to 16 heavy helicopters and one third of a mechanized regiment, as well as two LCAC hovercraft or up to four landing craft.
In April 2007, DCN became DCNS. This became possible after an agreement in which Thales became the owner of 25% of the shares of the new company, and DCN acquired Thales' naval business in France (excluding naval equipment).
Mistral is equipped with a high-performance communications center, which allows it to be used as a command ship. The ship is also capable of accommodating combined (multinational) multipurpose forces.
Orders and deliveries of ships of the Mistral class
The contract for two ships was awarded in January 2001. Keel FS Mistral (L9013) was laid in July 2003, it was launched at the Brest shipyard in October 2004. Mistral was commissioned into the French Navy in February 2006. Tonnerre (L 9014) was laid down in August 2003 and launched in July 2005, and was commissioned into the Navy in February 2007.
The French Navy placed an order for a third ship, Dixmude, in April 2009. The keel of the ship was laid in January 2010. It was launched at the end of 2010 and is due to enter service in 2012.
In June 2011, the Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport signed a contract with DCNS for the supply of two Mistral / BPC class ships and related services. The deal is part of an intergovernmental agreement between France and Russia for the supply of four Mistral-class ships.
Delivery of the first and second ships is planned for 2014 and 2015, respectively. The conclusion of the contract for the third and fourth ships is expected by the end of 2011.
In July 2006, Mistral took part off the coast of Lebanon in an operation by the French fleet to evacuate French citizens during a conflict involving Israel and Lebanon.
Mistral and Tonnerre replaced the L9021 Ouragan and L9022 Orage, which were built at the Brest Naval Dockyard and entered service in 1965 and 1968.
French amphibious assault ship design and force projection
The hull was built in three main sections. DCN built the center and aft hull sections at St Nazaire, Brest. The Alstom Marine-Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire built the bow section of the hull, which was delivered to the DCN shipyard in Brest for further assembly. DCN engaged Stocznia Remontowa in Gdańsk as a subcontractor for the construction and equipping of the center and aft sections.
Management and control
The Mistral class is equipped with the DCN Senit 8 Combat Processing System and will be compatible with the French Navy's Joint Operations Command System SIC 21, which was developed by Thales. The high performance communications center includes the Thales Syracuse III satellite communications system.
Aircraft capabilities and hangars
The ship has the ability to carry up to 16 medium or heavy helicopters below deck, such as NH90, SA 330 Puma, AS 532 U2 Cougar AS 665 or AS 665 Tiger helicopters. The flight deck has six landing sites and a 1800 m² hangar. The 5,000-meter² flight deck can accommodate up to six helicopters at a time.
Amphibious capabilities of Mistral-class ships
The Mistral will carry either four landing craft (LCU) or two air cushion landing craft (LCACs). The French Navy has ordered new high-speed landing craft, engins de débarquement amphibie rapide (EDA-R), which can be deployed on the Mistral.
The ship's crew consists of 160 sailors, including 20 officers. An operational campaign involving the transport of troops and equipment, as a rule, takes from two to three weeks. Mistral and Tonnerre carry enough supplies to support the crew and 450 troops for 45 days. The maximum speed is 19 knots, the range at a speed of 14 knots is 11,000 miles. The 750 m2 hospital with 69 beds is equipped with two operating theaters. If an additional hospital or additional sanitary facilities are required, the hangar can be converted into a modular field hospital.
Armament
Mistral is armed with two launchers of French MBDA Simbad air defense missiles with infrared guidance and a range of up to 6 km.
The ship also has two 30mm Breda Mauser naval cannons and four 12.7mm machine guns.
The ship's electronic support facilities include a Thales ARBR 21 radar receiver, a multipurpose G-band MMR-3D NG surveillance radar from Thales Naval France. MRT-3D has a light phased array antenna and works as a radar surveillance radar and as a self-defense system sensor with automatic mode switching.
In the surface observation mode, the MRT-3D NG can detect targets at low and medium altitudes at a distance of up to 140 km and in the long-range 3D observation mode, air targets up to 180 km. In self-defense mode, it can detect and track any threats within a 60 km radius. The Sperry Marine Bridgemaster navigation radar operates in the I-band.
The Mistral is the first French ship to be equipped with two 7 MW electric slewing drives. The power generating system consists of three 16V32 and one 18V200 Wartsila diesel generators providing 20.8 MW.
