Russia in talks on buying French warship
04/08/200918:33

MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is discussing the purchase of a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship worth between 300 and 400 million euros ($430-580 mln), a high-ranking source close to the talks said Tuesday.

"Such talks are being held at the level of experts; the Russian side is represented by the Navy, the United Shipbuilding Corporation, and plants' representatives. In September we will provide a final conclusion for the Russian Defense Ministry," the source told RIA Novosti.

Earlier a French business daily, La Tribune, said Russia is planning to purchase a Mistral class assault ship from France. The purchase, if successful, would be the first large-scale arms import deal concluded by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russia first expressed an interest in bilateral cooperation with France in naval equipment and technology in 2008, when Navy chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky visited the Euronaval 2008 arms show in France.

The admiral said at the time that the Russian Navy was interested in "joint research and also direct purchases of French naval equipment."

According to military sources, the possibility of buying a Mistral class amphibious assault ship was discussed at the naval show in St. Petersburg in June this year.

A Mistral class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 vehicles including 13 main battle tanks, and 450 soldiers. The ship is equipped with a 69-bed hospital.

The Russian Kommersant business daily confirmed on Tuesday the possibility of the deal, but said Russian military experts were skeptical about it.

"The Russian Navy lacks the means to finance even the production of corvettes and missile boats, let alone the purchase of large combat ships," the paper quoted Mikhail Barabanov, science editor of the Eksport Vooruzheny (Arms Export) journal, as saying.

Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said "although the practice of arms imports will become more common in Russia in the future, the Mistral deal is rather questionable from a military standpoint, as well as Russia's hopes for the transfer of advanced technologies from France."

Russia's current weapons procurement program through 2015 does not envision construction or purchases of large combat ships, so the possible acquisition of a French Mistral class ship is most likely to happen under the new program for the years up to 2020, which is still in the development.

Па ја мислим да се ради о пеглању дефицита јер ЕУ није тако "великодушна" као Србија па да допушта велике спољнотрговинске дефиците јер им то уништава економију.

Кинези су зато на пример морали да купе онај маглев воз од Немаца (који нико други неће да купи јер је сувише скуп) да би кроз ту велику инвестицију некако смањили дефицит са Немачком. У супротном би Немци увели санкције или тако нешто.

Русија је повукла велике количине новца од ЕУ захваљујући високом ценама нафте/гаса и сада им полако враћа то кроз куповину свега и свачега.

B92 Info Vesti Svet
Francuska: Ratni brodovi za Rusiju
1. mart 2010. | 21:24 | Izvor: Beta
Pariz -- Predsednici Francuske i Rusije, Nikola Sarkozi i Dmitrij Medvedev, izjavili su da su dve države počele pregovore oko prodaje francuskih ratnih brodova Moskvi.

Sarkozi je posle razgovora sa Medvedevim u Parizu izjavio novinarima da su dve strane počele "ekskluzivne pregovore" oko prodaje francuskih brodova "mistral". Medvedev je kazao da će prodaja brodova "predstavljati simbol poverenja između dve zemlje" i omogućiti Rusiji da dođe do brodova koji joj nedostaju u oružanim snagama.

Prodaja francuskih ratnih brodova Rusiji, ukoliko do nje dođe, predstavljaće najveću prodaju vojne opreme neke zemlje članice NATO-a Rusiji.

Pojedine NATO članice ranije su izrazile zabrinutost zbog namere Pariza da proda Moskvi najsavremenije ratne brodove.

The Mistral can anchor in coastal waters and deploy troops on land, a capacity the Russian navy now lacks. Russia’s navy chief said last year that a ship like the Mistral would have allowed the Russian navy to mount a much more efficient action in the Black Sea during the Georgia-Russia war. He said the French ship would take just 40 minutes to do the job that the Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels did in 26 hours.