In early August, Russia and France put an end to the sensational story with the delivery of two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships. After several months of negotiations, the parties found a common language and decided to terminate the contract signed in early 2011. In accordance with the new agreement, France retains its position and does not transfer the ships to the customer due to disagreements over the Ukrainian crisis, and Russia, in turn, receives all the money previously paid to the Mistral manufacturer.
Recall that the first of the two ordered landing ships, French shipbuilders were supposed to transfer to Russia in the fall of last year. However, a few months before the deadline, French President François Hollande announced the impossibility of transferring the ships due to the current difficult situation in the international arena. In the fall of 2015, the Russian military department was supposed to receive a second ship, but its delivery has now been finally canceled.
Soon after the first information about the completion of the negotiations appeared, it was announced that France had paid compensation to Russia for the refusal to supply two ships, but the exact amount was not disclosed. The amount that had to be paid to the French side became known only at the beginning of September. According to foreign and domestic media reports, the break of the contract cost France 949,754,859 euros. At the same time, other figures were given in some domestic publications. Thus, the newspaper "Kommersant", citing unnamed sources, reported that Russia has already received compensation in the amount of 950 million euros for two ships and 67, 5 million euros for their stern parts built in our country.
Landing ship "Sevastopol" in Saint-Nazaire. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The press cites different figures, but the real situation is most likely reflected in the data on 949, 75 million euros. According to reports, it is this amount that appears in the text of the agreement to break the contract for the supply of ships, submitted for approval to the French National Assembly. On September 15, the lower house of the French parliament is to consider and approve the document. It should be noted that the contract has already been signed, and compensation for the ships has already been paid in full.
A few days after the information about the amount of compensation, data appeared on the further joint work of the two countries. In accordance with the new agreement, French shipbuilders will have to dismantle Russian-made equipment from two landing ships. According to media reports, work on dismantling should begin in September. In addition, it was argued that the dismantling would be carried out by French specialists under the supervision of Russian colleagues.
According to the updated project, the landing ships for Russia were to receive a number of Russian-made equipment. It was supposed to use Russian communication and control systems, weapons, etc. As far as is known, most of these systems were transferred to the contractor company, which installed them on the ships. After the transfer to Russia, the two ships were to be docked to mount the remaining weapons. For obvious reasons, this stage of the project will never be implemented.
In the near future, two ships are to lose part of the onboard equipment, which the French side is obliged to return to Russia. According to some reports, the total cost of this equipment is estimated at about 50 million euros. This amount, with certain reservations, can be added to the basic compensation when calculating the total losses of France.
There is no official information on the list of systems that will be dismantled from the two ships in the near future. Nevertheless, attempts are being made to define this list and draw some conclusions. For example, the FlotProm edition on September 8 published the material "Fragments of Mistrals: Which Russian Equipment France Will Return", in which it tried to determine which ship systems would be removed from ships, packed and sent to Russian warehouses.
According to Flotprom, ships of the Mistral type were to receive 67R radar identification equipment manufactured by the Kazan Electrotechnical Plant. It is noted that this system, designed to determine the nationality of aviation equipment or ships, is suitable for installation on boats and ships of various projects.
The tasks of the combat control of the ship and the tactical formation on the Mistrals were to be carried out by the Sigma-E combat information and control system. This equipment, produced by NPO Mars, can be installed on ships of various designs and ranks, including French-made landing ships.
To detect and attack targets, the new ships had to use the MTK-201ME optoelectronic and thermal imaging complex. Such equipment is used on Russian project 20380 corvettes and allows monitoring the situation within a radius of up to 20 km.
Also FlotProm provides a list of communications equipment delivered to France for installation on the Mistral. So, for satellite radio communication, the R-793-M "Trailer-M" station was proposed, with the help of which ships could maintain communication with other ships and the shore. In addition, the landing ships were to carry a second satellite communications station, R-794-1 "Centaur-NM1". The company also purchased a R-774SD1.1 ultra-long range radio receiver and a R-693 16-channel receiver.
It was planned to include Russian-made anti-aircraft artillery and missile systems in the armament complex of the two ships. In accordance with the contract for the construction and supply of ships, the French contractor had to prepare places for the installation of weapons. The actual installation of weapons and some auxiliary systems was supposed to be carried out at Russian enterprises after the transfer of the ships. Due to the disruption of the supply, the ships did not receive weapons. According to reports, for self-defense, two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships were to use AK-630 anti-aircraft guns and 3M47 Gibka missile systems.
Currently, French specialists should begin preparations for the dismantling of Russian-made systems to be returned. France Presse, citing its sources, reports that it will take several months to dismantle the Russian equipment - this work will be completed only in January next year.
Just a few days ago it became known that in the current situation, the shipbuilding company DCNS, the former main contractor for the Russian-French contract, will receive. French Secretary General for Defense and Security Louis Gaultier, during his speech in parliament, said that shipbuilders will receive insurance payments in the amount of 1.1 billion euros. This amount includes the cost of the ships themselves, as well as the costs of their maintenance pending a decision on their future fate. At the same time, insurance payments do not take into account the costs of dismantling systems returned to Russia.
At the moment, the further fate of the two landing ships built for Russia is a topic of controversy and discussion. According to various media reports, several countries are now showing interest in French ships and may even purchase them. The list of potential buyers now contains both expected and unexpected positions.
Earlier, the possibility of selling ships of the Mistral type to Canada was actively discussed. In favor of the version about the possibility of the appearance of a French-Canadian contract, an argument was made in the form of numerous modifications to the design of ships aimed at ensuring effective work in the northern latitudes. However, the Canadian military cannot afford such large and expensive purchases. For this reason, the possibility of selling two Mistrals to Canada is no longer being seriously considered.
In early September, Defense News added the United Arab Emirates to the list of potential buyers. According to an unnamed representative of the UAE government, who was quoted by the publication, his country is interested in buying one of the ready-made landing ships.
A little later, French journalists from Intelligence Online considered several versions of the possible sale of two ships and came to the conclusion that the best option is to transfer equipment to Egypt. Nevertheless, official Cairo cannot provide the necessary funding. In this regard, payment under the contract can be made by Saudi Arabia, which has already ordered a certain amount of military equipment for the Egyptian military at its own expense. At the same time, the French edition mentions some negotiations in Riyadh. Perhaps French and Arabian officials have already begun discussing a possible contract.
It should be noted that other "candidates" for buyers of the built ships are now being discussed in the press of different countries. According to various publications, two "Mistrals" can replenish the navies of India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, etc. However, so far none of the countries mentioned in the context of the latest news and rumors have officially expressed their readiness to acquire French ships.
In the current situation, Russia, apparently, does not want to lose its benefits and therefore intends to make lucrative offers. So, according to the newspaper "Kommersant", the Russian side can offer a potential buyer of "Mistrals" deck helicopters Ka-52K. This modification of the "land" attack helicopter was developed specifically for basing on amphibious assault ships, and now its further fate was in question. At the same time, the Russian export offer can be beneficial for potential customers, since the Ka-52K helicopters were developed for a specific type of ships and are adapted to work on them.
Against the background of discussions on the possible sale of ships to third countries, new rumors appeared in the foreign press regarding the further role of Russia in this story. According to some reports, the Russian side may abandon the requirement to return the equipment of its own production. Such a condition, according to some publications, concerns the possible sale of ships to Egypt and India. In other words, if two Mistrals are sold to a friendly Russian state, it will not insist on the return of its systems.
As we can see, despite the emergence of an agreement annulling the Russian-French contract for the supply of two landing ships and the payment of compensation, the situation continues to raise a lot of questions. The main one is the further fate of the two built ships. By the end of the year, the two Mistrals are to lose a number of Russian-made systems, after which French shipbuilders will be able to begin preparing ships for further sale.
It is not yet clear who will express the desire to acquire the two ships built for Russia. Various assumptions are expressed in the domestic and foreign press, but all of them, apparently, do not fully correspond to the real state of affairs. At the moment, only one fact is known for sure about the fate of the amphibious assault ships - they will no longer be handed over to the original customer. The new buyer, in turn, has not yet been determined.
In this situation, one can only make predictions and try to predict the further development of the fate of the two Mistral-class ships. In addition, you should follow the news. What exactly will happen to the ships in the future - time will tell.
