The tender for the supply of "Mistral" - a fiction?

October 27 2010 4

On these days, the 22 International Exhibition Euronaval-2010 is taking place in Paris. Initially, this naval exhibition was purely national. In 1994, it expanded to a European format, and from 1996, it became international. At the moment, the theme of the salon has expanded significantly. Demonstrated not only equipment for the naval forces, but also many civil areas. Considerable attention is paid to the topic “Security and Defense at Sea”. However, despite the fact that Russia is represented at the exhibition in the French capital quite adequately, 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 “News”That the winner of the tender for the supply of Russia of universal helicopter carriers will be announced after 4 November, and, apparently, the French have no doubt about the victory of their bid. “We’re ready, starting from November 4, to get a contract, start construction and complete it in 36 months,” said Legros.

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The Mistral universal helicopter carrier with a displacement of 21 tons and a maximum hull length of 000 m is capable of speeds of more than 210 knots. Cruising range - up to 18 miles. The crew is 20 people, in addition, a helicopter carrier can take on board 000 people. The air group includes 160 helicopters, of which 450 can simultaneously be placed on the take-off deck. The cargo deck of the ship can accommodate more than 16 tanks or 70 cars.

According to the representative of the French state-owned company, Russia will be able to build more than two helicopter carriers at domestic shipyards. “According to the contract for the supply of helicopter carriers to Russia, which is supposed to be concluded before the end of 2010, the first two ships should be built in France. After technology transfer, the Russian shipyard can build two or four ships. Russia will make this decision on its own, ”said Legros. He expressed the hope that the Russian side "will appreciate the advantages of the Mistral and will not stop building two ships." Earlier it was reported that Russia intends to purchase four Mistral ships in France, provided that two ships will be built in France and two in Russia.

Moreover, according to Legros, DCNS is not limited in the transfer of technology 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 by a number of Russian and foreign media that Mistral-type ships would be sold to Russia without the latest control systems. At the same time, he stressed that the ships will be different from their French counterparts. “In particular, the Russian side has already requested the French manufacturer to increase the thickness of the take-off deck for landing heavy Russian helicopters and to ensure anti-icing safety by strengthening the ship’s hull,” said the director of DCNS. In turn, a spokesman for the French Navy, South D'Argantre, told RIA Novosti that all the systems installed onboard Mistral-type 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 "Mistral" has already been signed. Meanwhile, formally this issue should be resolved by an international tender, but it is still not clear whether it was announced or not. Back in mid-September, a high-ranking source in the defense industry complex of the Russian Federation informed RIA Novosti that the tender should be announced before the end of September. However, in mid-October, General of the Army Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, who participated in a meeting of the State Duma Defense Committee, announced that the Defense Ministry had not yet announced a tender for the purchase of universal amphibious assault ships of the Mistral type for the Russian Navy. “All documentation is being prepared. The contest will be announced soon, ”the words of the commander of RIA“ Novosti ”quoted 14 in October.

According to the Chief of the General Staff, “at least four countries” will take part in the tender - France, the Netherlands, Spain and Russia. “Whoever offers the best quality ship, shorter terms and lower price, will be the winner,” Nikolai Makarov stressed. According to him, "the contract may be concluded at the end of the year." However, as we see, the French call a completely different time - not the “end of the year”, but “after November 4”. And at the same time, as of October 14, the competition was never announced.

The situation is more than strange. Maybe the French know something that the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces does not know? Hardly. It is possible, of course, that the DCNS representatives wishful thinking, and no decision has yet been taken. It is also possible that they want to put pressure on the Russian side with their statements - say, decide faster. But it may be that all this story “tender” is a fiction: the decision has actually been made long ago, and all interested parties know about it. Therefore, perhaps, the competition does not announce everything - no one wants to participate in the performance ... One way or another, I would very much like to hear the official explanations of the Russian Ministry of Defense.