DVKD "Dokdo" as an alternative to "Mistral": USC defends the interests of the Russian shipbuilding industry to the Ministry of Defense
As is known, the French side, in negotiations with Russia, insists on the production in France of two Mistral DCACs and the transfer of a license to build two more ships of this class in Russia. And the main subcontractors for the licensed program will also be French companies. In this scenario, the lion's share of the funds will go to French manufacturers, and this is huge money.
Moreover, according to TsAMTO, the Ministry of Defense would ideally prefer even the option of building all four ships in France. According to representatives of the Ministry of Defense, this will significantly speed up the terms of work and make the program cheaper. That is, the Russian industry in this project is initially assigned a secondary role.
The subtext of the USC proposal clearly shows a firm intention to obtain from the Ministry of Defense an open tender for the purchase of ships of this class, including with the participation of Russian developers.
“We expect that the Ministry of Defense, in view of the alternative that has appeared, will hold a clear and open tender for the construction of ships of this specification for the Russian Navy. Moreover, the assurances that such a competition will be announced by the Ministry of Defense previously sounded, "- said in the message of USC.
The USC report says that the Dokdo type DVKD can be built on USC capacities for 36 months.
At the same time, and this is a key element of the USC proposal, “in the case of the design of the Russian analogue, the total work period will increase by only 18 months. At the same time, the USK is ready to design a fully Russian ship of this type with long-term planning for the rearmament of the Russian Navy. ”
That is, the USC offers the Ministry of Defense two options - either licensed production of DVKD of the “Dokdo” type at USC capacities, if the urgency of the work is in the foreground, or designing and building a ship of this class in Russia, if we are talking about a long-term program for purchasing the Russian Navy of ships of this class .
The USC reasonably justifies its position, in particular, on the obvious advantage of the choice of “Dokdo” compared to “Mistral”. It emphasizes that the choice in any case should be made based on the results of the tender.
As noted in the message, “the main advantage of this option is that USC, within the framework of a joint venture with the Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marin Engineering” (Zvezda-DSME), has the opportunity to purchase a license for this ship and its construction in Russia. Production of "Mistral" in France at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaré will actually be an order from the same Korea, since the French shipyard is owned by the Korean company STX. But it is more profitable for Russia to produce such a ship in the framework of a joint venture created under control from the Russian state.
According to USC, the cost of building Dokdo in Russia is estimated at 450 million dollars. The cost of "Mistral" according to data voiced by the Ministry of Defense, will be 600 million euros. “We consider it reasonable to consider a more financially advantageous proposal,” they say in the USC.
In addition, the DVKD Dokdo is a more modern ship of this class, and surpasses the French DVKD Mistral in a number of basic tactical and technical characteristics, the ICC reports.
That is why USC offers to build ships of this class at Russian shipyards belonging to the United Shipbuilding Corporation. OSK guarantees high quality of work and their execution in the required period.
According to the USC report, the proposal on behalf of the USC President Roman Trotsenko addressed to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Anatoly Serdyukov received 3 March 2010 of the year. 25 February 2010, a similar proposal was sent to the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Vladimir Vysotsky.
The USC’s appeal was the second “open” expression of protest by Russian shipbuilders against the Ministry of Defense’s non-alternative intention to purchase a Mistral-type DVKD.
Last week, Yantar PSZ addressed the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) with a request to clarify the legitimacy of the planned purchase of Mistral helicopter carriers by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In accordance with the general procedure for public procurement, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation should announce a tender for the purchase of DVKD. In this case, France, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea (together with USC) and, possibly, a number of Russian enterprises may also become potential bidders.
The Defense Ministry still does not have a clear answer to the question of why the French project was given preference. For example, the French project DVKD "Mistral" in 2007, lost to the Spanish company "Navantia" tender for the supply of two DVKD for the Australian Navy. Obviously, the reason for the loss of the Mistral DVKD in the tender of the Australian Navy must be carefully analyzed before making a final decision on the purchase of DVKD from one manufacturer or another, especially without a formal announcement of the tender, and direct purchase.
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South Korea
The South Korean Navy launched the first Dokdo amphibious helicopter ship in the 2005 year and put it into service in the 2007 year. By 2016, the Navy plans to adopt two more ships of this class.
DVKD class "Dokdo" is a ship with a length of 199 m, a width of 31 m and a maximum displacement of 19 thousand tons, speed - 23 knots (43 km / h). The ship is equipped with modern radar equipment and an air defense system. DVKD can carry up to 700 people, 10 tanks, an air group of 10-12 helicopters and two hovercraft.
DVKD "Dokdo" after a small modification of the deck can also be used as a light aircraft carrier with a small air group.
France
On service the French Navy has two Mistral DVKD. The contract for their construction was signed with DCNS in January 2001. The total cost of the agreement was 428,5 million dollars (in 2001 prices of the year).
The lead ship of the Mistral series (w / n L9013) was laid on July 10 2003 of the year, launched on October 6 on 2004 of the year, and transferred to the French Navy on December 15 of 2006. The construction of Tonner began in December 2004. 25 June 2006, the ship was launched, and in March 2007 was transferred to the French Navy.
In April 2009, as part of the defense government incentive plan implemented by the French government, construction contracts for the French Navy for the third Mistral FCV were signed with the companies of STX France and DCNS. The estimated cost of the agreement is 420 million euros (554 million dollars). The ceremony of laying the DVKD, known as “Dixmund”, took place on January 20 2010 at the Cruise company of STX France in Saint-Nazaire. Predictably, trials of the third Mistral class ship will begin in May 2011. Adoption DVKD armed with the French Navy is scheduled for 2012 year. In the future, two more DVKDs can be built for the French Navy.
The Mistral class DVKD is a ship of length 199 m, width 32 m, displacement 21600 t and draft 6,2 m. The main propulsion system of the ship consists of four Varsila diesel generators with a total power of 20,8 MW that provide two rotary propeller motors for electric power " Alstom-Mermaid. The electric propulsion system of the vessel allows it to reach speeds of 19 nodes. The distance of the sea crossing at 15 speed is 11 thousand nautical miles. The high level of automation has made it possible to reduce the crew to a 160 permanent man.
The design of the vessel includes the possibility of installing two Sibbad launchers with Mistral missiles, two Breda-Mauser artillery systems and four 30-mm MN-12,7B guns.
On deck area 5200 square. m are placed 6 helicopters weighing up to 16 t type NH-90 or "Tiger". Even before 10 helicopters can be in the cargo hangar.
DVKD can transport 450 fully equipped military, 60 light armored vehicles, or 13 MBT "Leclerc." The ship is equipped with an internal dock in which two amphibious assault boats on an air cushion of LCAC type or four tank landing craft of the STM type are placed.
Mistral-type ships can be used as a helicopter landing ship dock, a floating hospital, an evacuation ship for humanitarian missions, and also as a command and control ship. The equipment includes a three-coordinate radar, satellite communications station "Syracuse-3", "Inmarsat" and "Fletsatkom", an automated combat control system "Zenit-9", information and command system SIC-21.
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