France to Build Two Mistral LHDs for Russia

[nrj]

Naah the Russian are not going design and construct a ship like that, actually the russian builders were angry that why they are giving out the money to some other country when they design and build it for themself but the Russian government decided that they are going to buy one and construct other ships in their dock with TOT so ya the russian builders are going to construct minstral disign in their own facility is the deals goes through

Yes, Russian Shipbuilders are against buying LHDs from France. Although what they are missing is Russia-France deal has even political intentions of Moscow to maintain close relations with Paris.

 

[pmaitra]

Russia is acting smartly! With this, it will achieve two things:

• Make it difficult for France to criticize Russia if and when she decides to undertake military operations like in Georgia. This will make NATO's antagonism with Russia less vociferous. Germany and Italy have already been muted.
• Get access to advanced western technology in naval defense hardware.

N.B.: Renault has already tied up with AutoVAZ (Togliatti) for manufacturing LADA cars.

 

[nrj]

Russia Awaiting Info on French Ship Bid: Minister

MOSCOW - Russia on Sept. 8 said it was awaiting from France the financial details of a French bid to supply helicopter carriers to the Russian navy, after Moscow threw open the contract to an international tender.

Moscow had been negotiating with Paris for months to buy the Mistral-class ships, in its first-ever purchase of military hardware from a NATO member state. But talks have been mired by disputes over technology transfer.

"We are expecting the detailed financial conditions" from France, said Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency.

"We will examine them and then refer to experts, not just in Russia but also abroad," he added.

Serdyukov was returning from a visit to Paris alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov where he had held talks with President Nicolas Sarkozy.

After the talks, Sarkozy's office said it was still "confident" to win the deal.

Serdyukov has said the international tender will take place in September, for two ships and the producer of the Mistral - France's STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire - would be allowed to bid.

The deal is reportedly worth about 600 million euros ($765 million) and would secure jobs in French yards, but France's NATO allies have expressed concern about arming Russia with modern Western weaponry.

The throwing open of the tender came after the umbrella organization of public Russian shipbuilders complained that handing the contract to France without a tender could be illegal.

Other candidates could include Russia's Zvezda shipbuilder in the Far East which has a joint venture with South Korea's Daewoo Marine Shipbuilding and Engineering.

Russia Awaiting Info on French Ship Bid: Minister - Defense News

 

[nrj]

Russia Agrees To Buy France's Mistral Ship: Report

MOSCOW - Russia has in principal agreed to a deal to buy a Mistral helicopter carrier from France and the forthcoming tender will be a formality, a senior Navy official was quoted as saying on Sept. 21.

Russia has been negotiating with France for months to buy the Mistral-class ships, in its first ever purchase of military hardware from a member of NATO.

But talks have been mired by disputes over technology transfer.

In August, Russia said it had thrown open its planned purchase of the vessel to an international tender, ending France's status as the exclusive bidder.

But the Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified senior Navy official as saying the tender would be a mere formality as Russia and France had already agreed on the parameters of the deal.

"The tender to purchase the helicopter carrier, which will be announced before the end of September, will be of a formal character," he said, Interfax reported.

The tender's primary purpose would be to lower the price to a maximum low, he was quoted as saying.

"The tender is formed in such a way as to practically predetermine the victory of the French ship," Interfax quoted the official as saying.

The deal is reportedly worth around 600 million euros ($765 million) and would secure jobs in the French yards, but France's NATO allies have expressed concern about arming Russia with modern Western weaponry.

 

[nrj]

Georgia Warns Of 'Threat' From French Warship Sale To Russia

Georgia said Sept. 20 that French plans to supply Mistral-class helicopter carriers to the Russian navy posed a threat to regional security.

Nino Kalandadze, the former Soviet republic's deputy foreign minister, said the proposed sale "threatens the security not only of Georgia, but the entire region."

"This is not a desirable step. For us, the Mistral sale definitely represents a threat," she told a press briefing.

Moscow has been negotiating with Paris for months to buy the ships, in its first-ever attempted purchase of military hardware from a NATO member state, but talks have been mired by disputes over technology transfer.

Russia last month threw open the planned purchase to an international tender, ending France's status as the exclusive bidder, but President Nicolas Sarkozy said he remained confident France would win the deal.

Georgia, which hopes to join NATO and fought a brief war with Russia in August 2008, has warned the ships could be used against it in a fresh conflict and urged France to reconsider the sale.

The deal is reportedly worth about 600 million euros ($785 million) and would secure jobs in French shipyards, but France's NATO allies have expressed concern about arming Russia with modern Western weaponry.

 

[nrj]

Russia To Pay Almost $2B For French Warships

Russia will pay France 1.37 billion euros ($1.81 billion) for two Mistral-class assault warships that Moscow agreed to purchase from the NATO member last week, news reports said.

"The first ship will cost 720 million euros and the second 650 million euros," the RIA Novosti news agencies cited a source close to the negotiations as saying.

The deal, which involves joint construction of the vessels, is the first sale to Russia of such naval high-tech by a NATO country.

It has been condemned by Alliance members from the three Baltic nations, with leaked cables showing that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also raised the issue while on a visit to Paris this year.

The helicopter carrier costs about 500 million euros ($650 million) and it was not immediately clear why Russia was paying a premium.

Moscow had sought to purchase the craft together with their sensitive equipment and the December 24 announcement in Paris made no mention of whether Russia had got its way.

The source close to the negotiation said Moscow was paying a higher price for the first craft because most of it would be produced in France, with Russia's share in the project growing by the second vessel.

"If Russia's share of construction on the first ship is 20 percent, it may reach up to 40 percent for the second ship," the source told RIA Novosti.

The source said the third and fourth ships would be fully manufactured in Russia as per agreement, but gave no time frame of when the craft would be built.

A Mistral-class ship can carry up to 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 13 battle tanks, around 100 other vehicles and a 450-strong force. It has facilities for a full command staff and is equipped with a 69-bed hospital.

SourceefenseNews

 

[Armand2REP]

Have to love Russia, they are not afraid to spend money on quality ships. Now we can trust them to buy more sensitive equipment than unarmed command ships.

 

[nrj]

Russia, France sign warship agreement

Moscow and Paris on Tuesday signed an agreement to jointly build Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.

The agreement was signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and French Defense Minister Allain Juppe in the presence of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

In all, four warships are to be built, Sechin said.

Russia's input to the construction of the first Mistral-class warship will be 20% and 40% in the second, he said.

The third and fourth ships are to be built in Russia, whose share of labor input will subsequently rise to 80%, he added.

Anatoly Saikin, head of Russia's arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport, said the agreement is only a framework and stipulates neither deadlines, nor the cost of the future contract.

"A contract is still a long way off. Only an intergovernmental general agreement has been signed," he said.

Russia and France in December announced they would jointly build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. Another two are planned to be constructed later at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg.

A Russian Defense Ministry source said in December the first Mistral-class ship, with a price tag of 720 million euros, is expected to be built in late 2013-early 2014 and the second in late 2014-early 2015.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

A number of Russia's neighbors have expressed concern over the upcoming deal, in particular Georgia and Lithuania.

 

[nrj]

Neither Russia nor France are transparent about sale details, but published estimates of the sale price revolve around RIA Novosti's report of around EUR 1.37 billion euros ($1.9 billion) for the first 2 ships. One of the reasons for that vagueness may involve the nature of the deal. Rosoboronexport head Anatoly Saikin says the agreement is only a framework, without firm deadlines or costs.

Noted cruise ship builder STX Europe estimates its Saint-Nazaire yard's work share at 2.5 million man-hours.

In America, meanwhile, Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] said:

"I strongly oppose France's sale of the Mistral to Russia"¦. This ship is a threat to some of America's friends and NATO allies, and I worry that this decision could set a troubling precedent within NATO of advanced weapons sales to the Russian government."


DefenseIndustryDaily

 

[p2prada]

American can't do anything about it. The French will sell to Russia and Russia is quite powerful in Europe.

 

[Armand2REP]

Neither Russia nor France are transparent about sale details, but published estimates of the sale price revolve around RIA Novosti's report of around EUR 1.37 billion euros ($1.9 billion) for the first 2 ships. One of the reasons for that vagueness may involve the nature of the deal. Rosoboronexport head Anatoly Saikin says the agreement is only a framework, without firm deadlines or costs.

Noted cruise ship builder STX Europe estimates its Saint-Nazaire yard's work share at 2.5 million man-hours.

In America, meanwhile, Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] said:

"I strongly oppose France's sale of the Mistral to Russia"¦. This ship is a threat to some of America's friends and NATO allies, and I worry that this decision could set a troubling precedent within NATO of advanced weapons sales to the Russian government."


DefenseIndustryDaily

Considering Australia paid $3 billion for 2 Spanish LHDs, Russia is getting off cheap.

 

[nrj]

Considering Australia paid $3 billion for 2 Spanish LHDs, Russia is getting off cheap.

Probably France is looking for more deals from Russia so bargain in price was obvious. Also Russia will be putting 20% & later 40% input share in construction of first 2 ships.

 

[Armand2REP]

Probably France is looking for more deals from Russia so bargain in price was obvious. Also Russia will be putting 20% & later 40% input share in construction of first 2 ships.

The first ship is going to be a complete build without the NATO command kit and weapons, the second is going to be sending modules to Russia for assembly.

 

[nrj]

The first ship is going to be a complete build without the NATO command kit and weapons, the second is going to be sending modules to Russia for assembly.

Is missing module SENIT 9?

I'll not be surprised if France & Russia work out some hidden deal for this Command Info System. Russia is in desperate need for advanced Network system.

 

[Armand2REP]

Is missing module SENIT 9?

It is missing Link 11/16/22. Russia has not yet decided if they want Thales Link Y Mk2. We can't offer NATO links out of the alliance.

I'll not be surprised if France & Russia work out some hidden deal for this Command Info System. Russia is in desperate need for advanced Network system.

Doesn't do any good if the rest of the military isn't linked to it. You are talking billions of dollars to network all that. Russia is working on their own network called Constellation but it is experiencing major difficulties.

 

[nrj]

Russian shipbuilders, military in conflict over Mistral deal

MOSCOW | Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has been taken out of the contractual talks with France on the purchase of Mistral class amphibious assault ships, a Russian business daily said Tuesday.

The Kommersant newspaper cited anonymous defense industry sources as saying state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport will represent Russia in direct talks with France's DCNS from now on.

Kommersant speculates that the removal of the USC from the talks could be the result of the company's aspirations to acquire a status of an "independent dealer" on the lucrative arms exports market.

Rosoboronexport, backed by the Russian Defense Ministry, has almost monopolized Russia's arms exports and apparently does not want new players to bite into its share in enormous profits from growing arms sales, which totaled $10 billion in 2010.

Moscow and Paris signed on January 25 an intergovernmental agreement to jointly build four Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy.

Russia's input to the construction of the first Mistral-class warship will be 20% and 40% in the second.

The third and fourth ships are to be built in Russia, whose share of labor input will subsequently rise to 80%.

The talks on the actual contract to build Mistral ships are still underway. The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said the contract could be signed in April-march this year.

Under the Russian-French agreement the first Mistral-class ship, with a price tag of 720 million euros, is expected to be built in late 2013-early 2014 and the second in late 2014-early 2015.

A Mistral-class ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

A number of Russia's neighbors have expressed concern over the upcoming deal, in particular Georgia and Lithuania.

However, the first two Mistral class ships will most likely join Russia's Pacific Fleet with an obvious task to protect the disputed Kuril Islands.

(RIA Novosti)

 

[nrj]

Russia-France Mistral Talks Hit Snag On Price

Russia and France have hit deadlock in talks over a deal for Moscow to buy Mistral helicopter carriers, with the two sides unable to agree on a price, according to a Match 3 report that cited Russian sources.

Russia insists it will pay no more than $980 million (706 million euros) for two Mistral-class ships, while France insists on a contract worth at least $1.15 billion, the Kommersant business daily reported.

"The two sides have a number of issues where they disagree in principle, primarily on the price of the ships that are being bought," Kommersant cited a source involved in the long-running negotiations as saying.

The Russian leadership may have to hold fresh talks on the deal with French President Nicolas Sarkozy after talks in Paris last week ended in an impasse, sources said.

The Russian agencies that sent delegates to the talks, including the arms export monopoly, Rosoboronexpert, and the industry and trade ministry, declined to comment to Kommersant.

Russia and France signed a landmark agreement in January on equipping the navy with four of the helicopter carriers, two of which would be largely built in France and two of which would be built in Russia.

Russia's top general said last month that Moscow could deploy the ships, which can also carry tanks, in the disputed Kuril islands, which are claimed by Japan.

The deal to build the Mistral for Russia would secure jobs in the French shipyards, but France's NATO allies have expressed concern about arming Russia with modern Western weaponry

DefenseNews

 

[nrj]

France, Russia Reach Agreement on Warship Deal

DEAUVILLE, France - France and Russia have finalized an unprecedented deal for Paris to sell four powerful modern warships to Moscow, President Nicolas Sarkozy and his counterpart Dmitry Medvedev said May 26.

"All talks have been completed. The contract will be signed shortly," Medvedev told reporters after holding bilateral talks with his host Sarkozy ahead of the G8 summit in the northern French resort of Deauville.

"The elements of the signing have been resolved. The signature will take place within a fortnight," Sarkozy said.

Under the plan, two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships will be built in France and two in Russia to the French design, the two men said without giving further details.

Negotiations over the purchase began in 2009 but repeatedly stalled over price and technology transfer amid concerns among France's NATO allies about arming Russia with modern Western weaponry.

Some former Soviet nations like Georgia, which fought a brief but bloody war with Russia in 2008, have expressed fears in the past that Russia could use the powerful ships against them.

Earlier this year, the two sides were reportedly unable to agree on the contract price, as Russia insisted on paying no more than $980 million and France insisted on a contract of at least $1.15 billion.

The ship-purchase deal with France is unprecedented since World War II both in terms of the size of the equipment in question and Russia's insistence since the war on producing all military hardware for its own use and export.

The deal will also be seen as a major coup for the both leaders and will likely buttress their credentials as political negotiators as Russia and France head into presidential elections next year.

Brushing off any possible concerns from his NATO allies, Sarkozy reiterated that Russia was a trusted partner and the Cold War epoch was over. Medvedev for his part said the two countries enjoyed "superb ties."

France, Russia Reach Agreement on Warship Deal - Defense News

 

[Armand2REP]

Mistral deal will be signed in a fortnight

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on the date of signing the contract for the supply of four amphibious ships, docks vertoletonosnyh class Mistral, reports RIA Novosti . Under the terms of the agreement, the final contract for the construction of two ships in France and two - in Russia will be signed within 15 days.

"We've just agreed our position on the acquisition of two and the subsequent construction of two more 'Mistral'. Indeed, we reached agreement, and as soon as the contract is signed. Negotiations concluded. And it will help the development of our relations," - said Medvedev, who is not specifying the details of the agreement.

Lenta.ru: Оружие: Президенты России и Франции договорились о покупке "Мистраля"