Monday, June 20, 2011

It's Official: Russia Buys Two French Mistral-class Amphibious Assault Ships

     On Friday Russia signed a deal worth 1.6 billion dollars, for 2 Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, as Defense Tech reports. The deal also reportedly includes initial logistics, training and technology transfer. 
     The deal for 2 Mistrals has been in the works for about a year, and only now has it been completed. The deal was held up for some time over objections from former Soviet states like Estonia, Latvia, Georgia over the growing Russian military, and the threat the Mistrals would pose to them.
     The Mistral-class was developed to increase the amphibious capabilities of the French Navy and allow the French to perform raids, withdrawals and amphibious assaults. The Mistral-class can carry up to 900 troops for a short time, and between 60 and 70 vehicles. The Mistral-class can handle up to 16 medium helicopters (NH-90, Tiger) or up to 35 light helicopters, which could be stored in the hanger or on deck. The Mistral-class has a displacement of 21,300 tons with a full load, and a displacement of 16,500 tons when empty. 
     With Russia rebuilding it's military, it will be interesting to see how the former Soviet states and the world will react to this purchase.     
     


Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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