Moscow presented Paris with a truly royal gift
By the evening of the Catholic-Protestant Christmas Eve, that is, December 24, 2010, the news came about the results of the tender for the acquisition of the Russian Navy universal landing ships. There was no sensation. The winner was the French UDC Mistral, which, according to the Parisian newspaper La Tribune, was the Kremlin's Christmas present to the Elysee Palace.
True, the French were not allowed to achieve an absolutely clear victory. The order will receive a consortium, which includes the French state-owned company DCNS and the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC). Thanks to the persistent efforts of the USC, it was possible to recapture 20% of its participation in the construction of the first corps, which the French side had previously stubbornly opposed. According to the contract being prepared, as the head of the USC press service Igor Ryabov told RIAK Novosti, Russia will receive technologies for the production of a combat information and control system, as well as communication systems. The share of localization, that is, participation, of Russian enterprises will grow from body to body. The third and fourth UDC are planned to be assembled entirely at the Admiralty Shipyards. However, it is not clear if this will happen at all. Indeed, in September of last year, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that the budget of the department headed by him did not include expenses for these purposes until 2020.
"UNPRECEDENTED" TRANSACTION
A statement from the Elysee Palace called the deal "unprecedented." Still would! For many years DCNS tried to sell the Mistral UDC abroad. And all to no avail. And here the first corps will go for 720 million euros, and the second - for 650 million. While the French Navy two such ships cost 1 billion euros. Of course, everything rises in price! In addition, the Russian version of the French "North Wind" will require a fairly serious revision of the project. And it costs money.
The contract, yet to be concluded, will employ 1,000 French shipbuilders over four years at the South Korean-owned STX-France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire. The Franco-Russian deal more than compensates for the reduction of 1 billion euros in the military budget of the Fifth Republic in 2011 under the item “Purchases of military equipment”.
That is, for the French side, the merits of the upcoming deal are obvious. And for the Russian one? "Independent Military Review" has repeatedly addressed this topic. As has been noted more than once, the Russian Navy does not need ships of this class at all. They meet neither the provisions of the country's defense doctrine, nor the norms established by the domestic military shipbuilding. It is possible to assess the intellectual abilities of modern domestic naval commanders in different ways, but the fact that in two years they have not been able to come up with anything sensible regarding the tasks that these ships will perform is evidence of a lot.
Talk that the Mistrals will bring us some unprecedented shipbuilding technology should not be taken seriously. All these technologies, and many more advanced ones, can be freely purchased on the world market, including through foreign firms operating in Russia.
Therefore, the deal with Paris cannot be regarded otherwise than as a kind of revenge on France for the defeat in the Patriotic War of 1812, the bicentennial of which will be celebrated next year. And there is almost no irony in this. The current president of the Fifth Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, associates himself with Napoleon Bonaparte. No more and no less! No wonder the artist of the site FreakingNews.com, in imitation of the canvas of David's brush, depicted Sarkozy in the clothes of the emperor, galloping on a dashing horse. And whoever he had the honor of beating the Russians. It is he who is the main driving force of the upcoming contract. French voters should know that "Sarco", as the citizens of the republic call their head of state, can not only raise the retirement age, but also sell unnecessary ships to Moscow for a lot of money. True, even the closest allies of Paris, the Americans, as it is clear from the correspondence of the US State Department officials published on the WikiLeaks website, assess the owner of the Elysee Palace as nothing more than a “naked king”.
But as German Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle remarked, "you never know what will happen when Sarkozy is involved." It is obvious that the Russian head of state, Dmitry Medvedev, somehow fell under the "enchanting" biofield of the French president. Because without his "good" this kind of deal simply cannot take place.
A lot of speculation is being built on this topic. So French publicist and founder of the Internet project Reseau Voltaire Thierry Meissant claims that “Medvedev agreed with Sarkozy on substantial commissions (about 8% of the total contract value), thanks to which Medvedev could pay for his election campaign against his“old friend”Putin, and Sarkozy would be able to finance his re-election. This seems unlikely, since 8% of 1.37 billion euros is an insignificant amount for the presidential campaign, at least in Russia. Other sources say the purchase of the Mistrals is a form of gratitude to the French president for helping to resolve the conflict over South Ossetia. But even without that, Sarkozy acquired unprecedented political capital by “pacifying” the parties that had already ceased fire. That is, this motive does not fit either. But there is certainly a motive. We do not know him yet, so we will not guess.
IN A CAPTURE OF ILLUSIONS?
However, it would be unfair to blame the "insidious" French for everything. Many of the threads that led to the controversial deal, to put it mildly, are of Russian origin. In recent years, naval construction in the Russian Federation has acquired a virtual-fantastic character. For example, the President's Address to the Federal Assembly in November 2009 said that the fleet in 2010 will be replenished with three nuclear submarines and a corvette. But even then it was clear that the Russian Navy, due to a number of objective reasons, would not receive anything of the kind. Alas, this is what happened. Last year, only the diesel-electric submarine Saint Petersburg, which had been under construction since December 1997, entered the Navy. And the combat surface forces were strengthened only by the anti-sabotage boat "Grachonok" with a displacement of about 140 tons. The president of such a huge country as Russia is not obliged to know all the nuances of the implementation of this or that state program, including shipbuilding. For this, he has appropriate assistants and advisers who are called upon to objectively inform the head of state. But, apparently, the level of training of these experts is much lower than the permissible level. Or they are guided by other considerations unknown to us. The story with the Mistral is proof of this.
On the Internet, it is not difficult to get acquainted with the ship composition of the Russian Navy. On different sites, the payroll is somewhat different from each other, but it invariably leaves a sad impression. And if we consider that not all ships on the lists can break away from the piers, since they have not been repaired for a long time, then the picture emerges and is completely gloomy. In fact, the Russian fleet is carrying out ships built in the era of Sergei Gorshkov. And at this time …
Let's say a Russian family needs to replace an old, breathing "Moskvich" with a new car. And suddenly this family decides to buy instead of a Ford Focus, a modest Renault, a Patriot or, at worst, a new Lada, a double-decker - a double-decker city bus that runs through the streets of London. It is clear what the neighbors will think of this family. It is clear what they think of us with the "mistrals" in other countries. Some even rub their hands with pleasure. This means that these Russians will become even weaker! Indeed, we were born to make Kafka come true.
And it is not for nothing that in negotiations with the Americans, who at first vigorously objected to the deal, French dignitaries emphasized the "complete security" of the Mistral-type UDC for NATO. Thus, according to WikiLeaks, French Assistant Foreign Minister for Continental European Affairs Roland Galyaraj convinced his overseas colleagues that the landing ship was "a cross between a truck and an oil tanker with some useful navigation tools." French Defense Minister Hervé Morin spoke in the same spirit during negotiations with Pentagon chief Robert Gates. Say, "Mistral" will not have any effect on increasing the combat potential of the Russian fleet. However, all this has long been known without Roland Galyarazh and Hervé Moren, who is now retired.
NOT ARMED BUT VERY DANGEROUS
But these ships will bring a lot of trouble to Russia. Let us briefly list the problems that will have to be solved in the implementation of the program for the construction of "mistrals". Let's start from the top, that is, from the flight deck. It will need to be raised by more than a meter compared to the base project. This need is due to the fact that the Russian helicopters, which will be based on the UDC, have a greater height than those that are now "inhabited" by French ships. The already high-board Mistral has excess windage. Now it will increase even more. In addition, the "growth" of the side will inevitably entail a decrease in the metacentric height. All this in stormy conditions and with icing threatens to overturn.
Let's go down to the floor below - into the helicopter hangar. He has already been raised a meter. But the problems don't stop there. Helicopter fuel is supplied from two tanks located below the waterline at the stern of the ship. That is, fuel lines stretch from afar. This is permissible for French helicopters, since fuel with a higher flash point is used to refuel them than on domestic rotorcraft. In other words, the ship will have to burn out, or it will be necessary to redo the entire fueling and storage system to meet domestic requirements. The third solution to this problem is the purchase of Eurocopter helicopters, and the fuel for them - from Western energy companies.
The elevators that lift helicopters from hangars to the flight deck will also have to be redone, since the existing ones are unsuitable for transporting domestic vehicles with suspended weapons.
Let's go down even lower - to the deck where the armored vehicles are located. With her, too. The weight of each combat unit should not exceed 30–32 tons. This means that there will be no tanks there. In total, the ship will fit five T-90 tanks: three on the platform in front of the dock chamber, that is, closer to the bottom, and two on two Project 11770 Serna landing boats. More than two such DKA in the docking chamber of the French UDC will not fit. Air-cushion landing boats of projects 1206 "Kalmar" and 12061 "Murena" do not pass through the gates of the dock chamber at all in height. Therefore, it will be necessary to create new amphibious assault vehicles for the Mistral. Of course, this task is for the Almaz Central Design Bureau, the Central Design Bureau for the SPK im. R. E. Alekseeva or KB "Vympel" feasible. But it will take time and money.
Now about the sides of the Mistral. They have wide "windows" that provide natural ventilation on the helideck and on the one where the vehicle is located. It is very convenient in temperate and tropical latitudes, but in the northern and polar waters from them, apart from harm, nothing, since they guarantee icing to equipment. Representatives of French firms have already announced that the "windows" will be closed. But then you will have to create a very ramified forced ventilation system. And this will entail a significant alteration of the structure and the corresponding considerable costs.
According to the Central Naval Portal, Russian specialists who had a chance to get acquainted with the technical documentation of the Mistral indicate that the ship's hull does not have ice reinforcement, and this, given the conditions in which the Russian Navy has to operate, practically excludes the basing of the UDC of this type in the Baltic, Pacific Ocean and even more so in the North. The ship's hull in the waterline area has clearly defined S-shaped contours, which will lead to a significant increase in loads when overcoming the ice field. In addition, the presence of a nose bulb designed to improve ride performance also does not contribute to ice strength. And it will not be possible to get off with a simple thickening of the side. The experts conclude that a substantial revision of the theoretical drawing is necessary. And this actually means the development of a ship of a new project. One of the recognized authorities in the field of military shipbuilding, captain of the 1st rank (retired), Doctor of Technical Sciences, specialist in systems analysis and design of complex systems Vladislav Nikolsky, who is a co-author (together with Vladimir Kuzin) of a fundamental and already classic work - the encyclopedia "The Navy USSR 1945-1991 ", after a careful study of the" Mistral "during a call to St. Petersburg, he told ARMS-TASS that" many of the technical solutions adopted on this ship are so risky that they are not used even on the latest amphibious assault ships of the Navy USA". In particular, we are talking about a single electric power plant using submerged main electric motors located in propeller-driven steering columns (Azipod type). Such a motor-propulsion system provides ease and speed of maneuvering. But it also has serious drawbacks. First of all, this is a low speed (18 knots compared to 22-24 knots for the universal amphibious assault ships of the US and Spanish Navy) and high cost. Finally, the operation of such an installation will require frequent docking to inspect the main electric motors. And there are a very limited number of docks for such ships in Russia, especially in the Pacific Ocean. That is why it is required to replace the power plant and propellers with more powerful and simple ones.
It is unlikely that French firms will be able to eliminate these far from all of the listed shortcomings of the basic design. Therefore, we will have to be content with cosmetic alterations.
We are not even talking about the fact that the Mistral is not capable of withstanding the load under the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons. And in general, "something between a truck and an oil tanker", created according to the standards of civil shipbuilding, is not able to withstand a hydrodynamic shock in a close underwater explosion. Meanwhile, both of these regulatory requirements are mandatory when designing ships for the Russian Navy.
Much has already been said about the weak armament of the French helicopter carrier, or rather, about its almost complete absence. In the basic version, it consists of two twin turrets with Simbad MANPADS with a maximum firing range of 4, 5-5 km, two 30-mm Breda-Mauser automatic cannons and four 12, 7-mm Browning machine guns, designed to scare off terrorists in ports and harbors. … That is, even the means of self-defense on the mistrals are very modest, if not conditional. It is explainable. The French fleet is capable of providing helicopter carriers with a reliable escort of missile destroyers and frigates. By the time the Russian Mistrals enter service, there will be almost no ships of such classes in the Russian Navy. And you will have to collect UDC from the world on a string to accompany it.
The planned increase in the armament of helicopter carriers is self-deception. What can be placed on them? One or two 100-millimeter cannons, one or two launchers of the close-range air defense missile systems and three or four "duos". This is the maximum, which will inevitably result in a decrease in the metacentric height and lead to a deterioration in stability. Meanwhile, Mistrals are excellent targets for both missile boats and submarines, not to mention aviation.
A few words about what changes the Russian UDC of French origin will undergo. According to Vedomosti, two-three-bed cabins for the crew and marines will be replaced by less comfortable cabins. After all, ordinary sailors do not need more!
So, the Mistrals are unarmed, but very dangerous for the crews serving them. Given the high risks of sailing on them, contract sailors hiring in the fleet should, when drawing up the relevant documents, require the inclusion of a clause on refusal to serve on these UDCs or receive special insurance policies that guarantee high payments in case of accidents, fires and other damage to the servicemen themselves, and in the event of their death, family members of those who were burnt or drowned. And activists from the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers should take care of the fate of the conscripts in advance.
AS PLYWOOD OVER PARIS
On the night of July 29 last year, the 18-meter Peace Tower, which was donated by France to the city on the Neva on the occasion of its 300th anniversary, was slowly dismantled on Sennaya Square in St. Petersburg. The original architectural structure made of glass, stainless steel and concrete, having stood for seven years in conditions of sudden temperature changes, began to crumble, posing a threat to citizens. That is why the St. Petersburg authorities considered it good to demolish it.
The seas surrounding Russia differ from the Northern capital in even more unfavorable weather conditions. There are severe frosts with impassable ice, and severe storms. This was once again confirmed by the recent rescue operation in the Sakhalin Bay, where several ships were stuck in ice captivity. And it is possible that the UDC will suffer the same fate as the Tower of Peace. Only this architectural monument is a gift, but you will have to pay for the "mistrals". And a lot. And Russia with French ships will fly over like plywood over Paris.
Of course, competent fleet commanders will find a way out. They will put the "mistrals" in some quiet coves. And when the Moscow authorities visit them, they will drive the painted "overseas miracle" to the road, build crews along the side with shouts of "hurray", lift the helicopters into the sky. And here it is, a celebration of the strength and power of the Russian fleet! And then these UDCs, you see, will rusty and they will be scrapped.
