France, Russia, and the Mistral Saga

cobra commando · May 30, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

U.S. Lawmakers Want France to Sell Russian-Ordered Warships to NATO | News | The Moscow Times

cobra commando · Jun 4, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Poland Against France-Russia Warship Sale

WARSAW — Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has urged France to pull the plug on a â‚¬1.2 billiondeal to sell two warships to Russia due to the Ukraine crisis, according to an interview published Tuesday. Russia would use the two Mistral- class helicopter carriers to threaten its Black Sea neighbors, Sikorski told French newspaper Le Monde. France agreed to sell the warships to Russia under a 2011 contract worth â‚¬1.2 billion ($1.6 billion), with the first due in October and the second in 2015. Other allies have expressed concern over the deal, including the United States, which said last month that it was not an appropriate time to move forward on such military sales given Russia's actions in the region, including the annexation of Crimea. Reacting to Sikorski's comments, French foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal told reporters that "a contract was signed. It must be honored." French President Francois Hollande for his part said last month the sale would continue "for now." The Mistral, the second-largest ship in the French navy, is a high- seas military base that can transport up to 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 60 armed vehicles and some 700 troops.
Poland Against France-Russia Warship Sale | Defense News | defensenews.com

cobra commando · Jun 6, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

EUobserver / Germany backs France on Russia warship contract

cobra commando · Jun 13, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Russian Sailors To Begin
Mistral Training June 22

PARIS — Some 400 Russian sailors are expected on June 22 to start training on the Mistral-class helicopter carrier, marking a slight delay from an induction planned to start earlier in the month, media reports said. The personnel had been due to arrive in France June 1 but the Russian training ship, the Smolny, which was transporting them suffered damage at the Kronstadt military naval base and needed repairs, public service broadcaster France Television 3 and Agence France-Presse have reported. The Smolny is due to sail on June 18 and will head for Saint- Nazaire, northwest France, the media reports said. A French Navy officer said it took years of experience for French crews to operate the Mistral to its full capacity. France sent the Mistral to the Lebanon crisis in 2006 to bring back French and foreign nationals when the first- of-class ship had just been handed over to the service. The combat operations in the 2011 Serval campaign against Libya took the crews to a high level of complexity, with 20 helicopters on board rather than the 16 units planned for the ship, the officer said. The naval-air mission included day and night operation, made possible by the personnel working the onboard systems to an advanced standard. Initial training on the first Russian Mistral, named Vladivostock, will consist of familiarization with the ship and its equipment in the Saint-Nazaire dockyard. The French authorities are due to decide in October whether to hand over the helicopter carrier to Russia. Moscow has insisted on Paris observing the contract for two ships, worth â‚¬1.2 billion (US $ 1.6 billion), and held out prospects for further business, or pay a hefty compensation if the vessels are withheld.
Russian Sailors To Begin Mistral Training June 22 | Defense News | defensenews.com

cobra commando · Jun 25, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Russian Defense Ministry plans to buy 32 Ka-52K helicopters for Mistral ships - News - Russia - The Voice of Russia: News, Breaking news, Politics, Economics, Business, Russia, International current events, Expert opinion, podcasts, Video

cobra commando · Jun 27, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA — A controversial French- Russian warship project that has been decried by NATO came a step closer to completion on Thursday when the stern of the helicopter carrier was dispatched to France. The Baltiysky shipyard in Russia said it had begun towing the stern of the Mistral-class carrier to the STX shipyard in St. Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast. The French shipyard will weld the stern to the hull before delivering the finished warship to the Russian navy at the end of next year. A second carrier has already been completed and is due to be delivered to Russia later this year. With the Ukraine crisis plunging relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War, the timing of the project has been heavily criticized by Washington and NATO. Adding to the awkward symbolism, the 22,000-tonne carrier will be named Sevastopol, after the port city in Crimea which Moscow annexed in March. President Barack Obama urged Paris to "press the pause button" on the project earlier this month. Other NATO allies worry Moscow will use the carriers to threaten its Black Sea neighbors. But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius argued France cannot renege on the contract, which was signed in 2011, without incurring penalties of $1.6 billion (â‚¬1.2 billion). It will take three weeks for the hull to arrive in France. The ship is due to be completed and put to sea in October, and delivered to Russia in late 2015. "Construction of the Mistrals has been a good experience of working with French shipbuilders which we will surely need in the future," Baltiysky's director Alexei Kadilov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Controversial France-Russia Warship Step Closer To Completion | Defense News | defensenews.com

cobra commando · Jun 30, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Russian sailors in France for warship training

SAINT-NAZAIRE, France: A Russian naval ship carrying 400 sailors has docked at a French harbor to start weeks of training aboard a warship France is selling to Russia despite widespread criticism from its allies. The warship is part of a 1.2- billion-euro ($1.6-billion) deal that marked the biggest sale ever of Nato weaponry to Moscow, raising questions both within Russia's military circles and among France's Western allies when it was struck in 2011. Despite French condemnation of Russian actions in Ukraine — and pressure from the United States — the deal is going forward as planned. The sailors docked on Monday near the warship Vladivostock, which the French will teach them to operate in coming weeks. France says the ship can carry 700 troops, 16 helicopter gunships, and as many as 50 armored vehicles.
Russian sailors in France for warship training - The Times of India

pmaitra · Jul 1, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Russian Navy sailors dock in France for Mistral warship training

The Russian navy frigate Smolny arrives at the Saint-Nazaire STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in western France, June 30, 2014.(Reuters / Julie Louise)

[HR][/HR]

"Oh yeah, they say business goes on;
Long after the thrill, of bickering is gone!"

Adapted from this song:

JACK AND DIANE john mellencamp [Lyrics!!] - YouTube

cobra commando · Jul 4, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

Russian Shipbuilders to Service Mistral Warships on Their Own – Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian shipbuilders are capable of servicing Mistral-class helicopter carriers, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Thursday. "I believe shipbuilders and engineers will be able to organize the full servicing and maintenance of these docking-ships," Borisov said. According to the deputy minister, guaranteed maintenance should be provided under the warship supply contracts, and all construction documentation should be handed over to Russia. "Moreover, about 30 percent of the future Mistrals are produced at Russian plants – deck and armaments," Borisov said. The US has opposed the sale of Mistral warships to Russia, saying it would boost Russia's military power, and has repeatedly urged France to back out of the deal. In June, however, the French authorities confirmed France would meet its obligations under the contract with Russia despite pressure from the US and other EU countries. Following the announcement US President Barack Obama expressed concern about France's decision. Russia and France signed a contract for two Mistral-class helicopter carriers for $1.6 billion in June 2011. Under the contract, the first French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, the Vladivostok, is to be delivered to Russia by the end of the year, while the second ship, the Sevastopol, is due to arrive next year. The ships are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 70 armored vehicles and 450 soldiers, and are expected to be deployed with Russia's Pacific Fleet.
Russian Shipbuilders to Service Mistral Warships on Their Own – Defense Ministry | Russia | RIA Novosti

cobra commando · Jul 23, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

France Must Adhere to Mistral Contract Instead of Blackmailing Moscow - Russian Lawmaker

MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti) – Paris has to comply with its obligations under the Mistral helicopter carrier contract, signed with Russia, instead of blackmailing Moscow with sanctions and actions for nondelivery, Adm. Vladimir Komoedov, chairman of the defense committee of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, said on Tuesday. "[France] must follow the agreements instead of 'poking' Russia. Marx's formula 'commodity-money-commodity' has not been refuted," Komoedov, a former Black Sea Fleet commander, said. Eventually, Russia will be able to build its own helicopter carriers ships, Komoedov said, adding that such projects already exist. "The West didn't like Russia as an empire or a socialist state, it doesn't like Russia as a capitalist democracy either," the admiral said. "Russia has its own position, its own opinion, and it will defend its interests," Komoedov stressed. French President Francois Hollande said earlier that France, under new sanctions against Russia, might suspend the delivery of the second Mistral warship to the Russian Navy. Russia and France signed a $1.6 billion deal for two Mistral-class helicopter carriers in June 2011. Under the contract, the first ship, the Vladivostok, is to be delivered to Russia by the end of the year, while the second, the Sevastopol, is due in 2015. The ships are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 70 armored vehicles and 450 soldiers, and are expected to be deployed in Russia's Pacific Fleet.
France Must Adhere to Mistral Contract Instead of Blackmailing Moscow - Russian Lawmaker | Business | RIA Novosti

cobra commando · Jul 28, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

2nd Mistral Warship Looks Set For Mediterranean Role

The Russian navy said during Sunday's Navy Day celebrations that a French-made Mistral-class carrier will become the flagship of its budding Mediterranean Fleet, while Western leaders continue to pressure Paris into withholding the delivery of the warships. Russia ordered two Mistral ships from France in 2011 in a deal worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.7 billion), but events in Ukraine have elicited Western calls for the contract to be torn up amid fears that Moscow has designs on reforging its lost empire. The calls intensified following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, which several Western leaders have pinned on Russian-backed separatists in the region. France has so far stood its ground on the delivery of the first ship, the Sevastopol, which is set to be handed over by the end of 2014. However, Paris has said that the delivery of a second Mistral warship, the Vladivostok, in 2016 depends on Russia's future behavior regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
What's in a Name?
The Soviet Union maintained a permanent presence in the Mediterranean Sea toward the end of the Cold War. Known as the Fifth Squadron, the unit there drew many of its vessels from the Black Sea Fleet, whose base at the Crimean city of Sevastopol put it closer to the Mediterranean Sea than any other Russian fleet.
Some Western analysts have said the first ship will be stationed in Sevastopol, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March. Given that the ship is called the Sevastopol, that assertion seemed logical.

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2nd Mistral Warship Looks Set For Mediterranean Role

cobra commando · Jul 30, 2014

Re: France Floats Out First Russian Mistral Warship

PARIS, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - The new sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia will not impact the delivery of Mistral warships to Russia, according to the director of corporate media relations at DCNS, a French naval defense company. "The first ship is almost constructed, the second one is half-ready. As any normal industry, we seek to satisfy our client and to execute the contract at our best," Emmanuel Gaudez told RIA Novosti, commenting on the introduction of new US sanctions against Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation. Last week, the United States once again spoke against France fulfilling the terms of the Mistral contract it signed with Russia. US State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters it would be "completely inappropriate" in light of recent events in Ukraine. British Prime Minister David Cameron also criticized Paris for its plan to sell Mistral ships to Russia and called the deal "unthinkable." French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, however, said that Paris has not questioned complying with the obligations of the Mistral helicopter carrier deal signed with Russia. Russia and France signed a $1.6 billion deal for two Mistral-class helicopter carriers in June 2011. Under the contract, the first ship, the Vladivostok, is to be delivered to Russia by the end of the year, while the second, the Sevastopol, is due in 2015. The vessels, which are expected to be deployed in Russia's Pacific Fleet, are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 70 armored vehicles and 450 soldiers each. Russia is also planning to complete the construction of a Mistral-class carrier base in Russia's Far East port of Vladivostok by next year's fall. The base would be a complex with garrisons, service support and fueling facilities.
Mistral Deal With Russia Unaffected by Sanctions – French Shipbuilders | News | RIA Novosti

Zebra · Aug 3, 2014