The 22nd international exhibition Euronaval-2010 is taking place in Paris these days. Initially, this naval exhibition was purely national. In 1994 it expanded to a European format, and in 1996 it became international. At the moment, the theme of the salon has expanded significantly. Not only equipment for the naval forces is on display, but also many civilian areas. Considerable attention is paid to the topic "Safety and Defense at Sea". However, despite the fact that Russia is represented at the exhibition in the French capital quite well, the main event associated with Euronaval-2010 for our country is the final agreement on the terms of the contract for the purchase of Mistral helicopter carriers.
Pierre Legros, director of the French state-owned military shipbuilding company DCNS, told RIA Novosti that the winner of the tender for the supply of universal helicopter carriers to Russia will be announced after November 4, and, apparently, the French have no doubts about the victory of their application. “We are ready, starting November 4, to receive a contract, start construction and complete it in 36 months,” Legros said.
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The versatile Mistral helicopter carrier with a displacement of 21,000 tons and a maximum hull length of 210 m is capable of a speed of over 18 knots. The cruising range is up to 20,000 miles. The number of the crew is 160 people, in addition, the helicopter carrier can take on board 450 people. The air group includes 16 helicopters, of which 6 can be simultaneously deployed on the take-off deck. The cargo deck of the ship can accommodate more than 40 tanks or 70 vehicles.
According to a representative of the French state-owned company, Russia will be able to build not two helicopter carriers, but more at domestic shipyards. “According to the contract for the supply of helicopter carriers to Russia, which is supposed to be concluded by the end of 2010, the first two ships should be built in France. After the transfer of technology, the Russian shipyard could build two or four ships. Russia will take this decision on its own,”Legros said. He expressed hope that the Russian side "will appreciate the advantages of the Mistral and will not stop at the construction of two ships." Earlier it was reported that Russia intends to purchase four Mistral-class ships from France, provided that two ships will be built in France and two in Russia.
Moreover, according to Legros, DCNS is not limited in technology transfer to Russia. “It will be a ship with the same systems that are installed on ships for the French Navy. There are no restrictions,”said Legros. Thus, he denied reports from a number of Russian and foreign media that the Mistral-class ships would be sold to Russia without the latest control systems. At the same time, he stressed that the ships will differ from their French counterparts. “In particular, the Russian side has already asked the French manufacturer to increase the thickness of the take-off deck for landing heavy Russian helicopters and to ensure anti-ice safety by strengthening the ship's hull,” said the director of DCNS. In turn, the press secretary of the French Navy Yugues D'Argentere told RIA Novosti that all the systems installed on board the Mistral-class ships were made in France, and not in the United States or other NATO countries.
It turns out that the French are behaving as if the contract for the supply of Mistrals has already been signed. Meanwhile, formally, this issue should be resolved through an international tender, but it is still unclear whether it has been announced or not. Back in mid-September, a high-ranking source in the Russian military-industrial complex told RIA Novosti that the tender should be announced by the end of September. However, in mid-October, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General of the Army Nikolai Makarov, who participated in a meeting of the State Duma Defense Committee, said that the Defense Ministry had not yet announced a tender for the purchase of Mistral-class universal amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy. “All documentation is being prepared. The competition will be announced in the near future, RIA Novosti quoted the commander on October 14 as saying.
According to the Chief of the General Staff, “at least four countries” will participate in the tender - France, the Netherlands, Spain and Russia. “Whoever offers the highest quality ship, shorter time frame and lower price will be the winner,” Nikolai Makarov emphasized. According to him, "the contract can be concluded at the end of the year." However, as we can see, the French call completely different dates - not “the end of the year”, but “after November 4”. And at the same time, as of October 14, the competition has not been announced.
The situation is more than strange. Maybe the French know something that the Chief of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces does not know? Unlikely. It is possible, of course, that DCNS representatives are wishful thinking, and no decision has been made yet. It is also possible that they want to put pressure on the Russian side with their statements - they say, decide quickly. But it may also be that this whole story with the "tender" is a fiction: the decision has actually been made a long time ago, and all interested parties know about it. Therefore, perhaps, the competition is not announced at all - no one wants to participate in the performance … One way or another, I would very much like to hear the official explanations of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
