The French side is pleased with the contract with the Russian Federation for the supply of Mistral helicopter carriers, therefore, it is ready to continue cooperation in the field of military equipment. In particular, France promises to sign contracts for the construction of two more helicopter carriers in 2012.
"Our country, after the sale of Mistral, is ready to offer the Russian Federation the most modern military equipment and weapons, in addition to NATO codes, electronic warfare (electronic warfare), ballistic missiles, as well as a number of automated combat control systems," - quotes Arno Kalik, a member of the military section "Valdai Club", RIA "Novosti".
As a reminder, within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held in June 2011, an agreement was signed between Russia and France for the supply of two French-made helicopter carriers to the Russian Navy in 2014 and 2015. At the end of last year, the French company state. military shipbuilding DCNS announced the receipt of an advance from Russia in the amount of 1.2 billion euros. The company is now starting to build the first vessel for Russia.
An agreement was also reached on the production of two more ships at the shipyard of the Baltic Shipyard with the participation of USC (United Shipbuilding Corporation). However, later Anatoly Serdyukov, the Minister of Defense, announced that the buildings for the two Mistrals would probably be built in Severodvinsk by Sevmash. These Russian courts will cost 2.5 billion euros.
The versatile helicopter carrier Mistral has a displacement of 21 thousand tons and a maximum hull length of 210 m. It can reach speeds in excess of 18 knots. The maximum cruising range is 20 thousand miles. To service the ship, 160 crew members are required, in addition to them, 450 people can be on board the helicopter carrier.
The air group of the vessel consists of 16 helicopters, of which six can be simultaneously accommodated on the take-off deck. It is planned to carry eight Ka-29 and Ka-52K helicopters on these ships. The signing of the final contract for the construction of the next two Mistral helicopter carriers was supposed to take place at the end of 2011, but negotiations are ongoing.
Sarkozy's opponents and the French military exclaimed: "Horror! Horror!"
"According to my information, the negotiations are going well, both sides are close to concluding this agreement. The contract, I think, will be signed during this year," said Arno Calica. He also said that the topic of the sale of Mistral helicopter carriers in French society received a certain resonance.
"If we talk about the approach of the French military, it is necessary to clearly understand that the French Ministry of Defense continues to maintain a deep distrust of the Russian Federation, with which, as they believe, it is necessary to remain on the alert," the French expert said. He also said that there were opinions about the more preferable sale of such vessels to Georgia.
"Say, it would be in French, right. And so there is a certain feeling of discomfort: they sold to the wrong people, Mistral goes into the wrong hands.: The generosity of the Russians when buying Mistral knew no bounds, and in negotiations on value they were truly generous, "the expert said frankly.
If we consider the reaction of the media, the pragmatic approach prevailed in the local business publications. The coverage of this topic was quite objective. The publications interpreted this deal as a personal victory for President Nicolas Sarkozy.
There is an ideological approach to this issue.“First, the sale of these large warships to the Russian Federation means the final end of the Cold War.” Another approach can be characterized by the word “tragic.” For the most part, it is characteristic of the political opponents of the French president: “Horror, horror, horror, - wrote the newspapers, voicing their opinions. - Look how low our president has fallen! He followed the lead of these insidious Russians, and they can use the Mistral, attacking the friends of France."
“As for the general public, the non-politicized part of French citizens, the deal on Mistral, as they say in Russia, was deeply on the drum from the very beginning., - noted the expert.
The "defense" of Russia is deeply offended, while the Ministry of Defense accuses her of short-sightedness
It should be reminded that Dmitry Medvedev gave the go-ahead for the purchase of foreign military equipment to the Defense Ministry. The President allowed the Minister of Defense to purchase foreign equipment, if this option is profitable, against the backdrop of a scandal with the disruption of the state defense order. Financing of the state defense order for 2012 is determined at the level of 1.769 trillion. rubles.
This decision in Russia caused a sharp reaction. The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia and the Association of Russian Trade Unions of the Defense Industries last summer appealed to the Russian President, Prime Minister, and the Security Council and Parliament to ban the permanent purchase of foreign equipment at the legislative level.
Trade union representatives accused the Defense Ministry of deliberately lowering the wages of defense industry workers when purchasing their products. For comparison, an example is given: the average salary of workers at shipyards in Russia, which produce military equipment, in the price of the State Defense Order is approximately 30 thousand rubles. At the same time, the average salary at the French shipyards involved in the production of Mistral helicopter carriers is 160 thousand rubles.
In their opinion, such a practice in relation to enterprises and workers of Russia is "criminal", and also contradicts Art. 7 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the General Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and all-Russian associations of trade unions and employers for 2011-2013.
However, in the Ministry of Defense, trade unions are accused of short-sightedness. The military department said that the acquisition of Mistral helicopter carriers will fully justify itself. "Such purchases create a reserve for the future, since we are buying Mistral not only for its navigation. We are acquiring technologies that can be used in our own production in the future," sources in the military department say.
