France says it cannot deliver Mistral warship to Russia over Ukraine

[Gabriel92]

France has suspended the delivery to Russia of the first of two Mistral helicopter carrier ships, due to events in eastern Ukraine.

“The situation is serious. Russia’s recent actions in the east of Ukraine contravene the fundamental principles of European security,” said a statement from the office of President Francois Hollande.

"The president of the Republic has concluded that despite the prospect of ceasefire, which has yet to be confirmed and put in place, the conditions under which France could authorise the delivery of the first helicopter carrier are not in place."

While Moscow officials earlier admitted that in terms of efficiency and versatility the cutting-edge Mistral has no equivalent in the Russian navy, the deal was always considered controversial, as France was a Cold War adversary, and is a founding member of NATO.

The two ships were commissioned by Russia in 2011 at the cost of $1.6 billion. The first of these, the Vladivostok, was due to come into service at the end of this year, with the second, the Sevastopol, due to be completed in 2015.

France’s suspension does not fall under the sectoral sanctions the EU and the US imposed upon Russia for purported meddling in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, introduced last month. That raft of sanctions did not cover deals signed before their imposition.

@senheiser @vostok

 

[Aepsilons]

Interesting news.

 

[C130]

calm down frog
didn't France already give ToT?
isn't Russia already building Mistral?
seems like Russia still got the better end of the stick in this fiasco.

 

[Penguin]

Us's pupets.
F*ck USA,F*ck EU.



@senheiser @vostok

Oh come on, surely Putin has taken this possibility into account in advance. It's quite a predictable move. He obviously other things to gain that are more important than these ships.

 

[vostok]

Us's pupets.
F*ck USA,F*ck EU.



@senheiser @vostok

Well. More sense to free Nikolayev's shipyards in Novorussia from Ukrainian junta.
And about the fact that Americans are able to push on the French government - it is pity.

 

[DejanSRB]

What a bad move of France.

If France dont deliver that ships,they must pay the penalty,if that happend,Russians will earn money for nothing.

The greatest European politician in 20 century Charles de Gaulle must turning in his grave.

 

[C130]

if Russia isn't going to get these bad boys maybe USN should snatch them up and see how they compete against America Class and Wasp.

 

[Aepsilons]

If France can't sell these ships to Russia, perhaps she should consider selling them to other friendly nations. I'm sure we can consider purchasing these.

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

didn't France already give ToT?

ToT takes a while to transfer. You have to make new assembly lines and train.

if Russia isn't going to get these bad boys maybe USN should snatch them up and see how they compete against America Class and Wasp.

We have our own.

 

[Aepsilons]

Seems like Japan will purchase these babies...

Japan Should Buy the Mistrals - WSJ

 

[C130]

ToT takes a while to transfer. You have to make new assembly lines and train.



We have our own.

Mistral would be a hell a lot of cheaper to procure than the 3.5 billion per ship America Class
but meh gotta keep those American shipyards going though

 

[Penguin]

calm down frog
didn't France already give ToT?
isn't Russia already building Mistral?
seems like Russia still got the better end of the stick in this fiasco.

Under the agreement, the initial pair of carriers will be built jointly by France and Russia at the STX shipyards in Saint-Nazaire, France, with Russian engineers on site to learn the techniques of modern shipbuilding.. The remaining two will be manufactured in a joint venture in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Sevastopol has been completed, and is due to be commissioned by the Russian Navy on Nov. 1 of this year. The Vladivostok will not be completed until later this year, and was expected to join the fleet in 2015.

Upon delivery of the first pair, Russia then has the option of producing the second two Mistral carriers at home, but no decision has been made Gorenburg said — the Defense Ministry and the Navy have different positions, and pressure from the Russian defense industry to focus on domestic designs might sink the idea.

Mikhail Barabanov, a naval analyst at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a private Moscow-based defense think tank, has said Russia is unlikely to build the third and fourth carriers for both military and political reasons. The Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg has the best facilities in Russia for building large vessels like Mistral carriers, but its hands are currently full, having been tasked with the construction of large civilian icebreakers.

One sticking point remains, however. To fully utilize Mistral's command and control capabilities, the Navy it requires modern communications technologies that Russia does not have, and it is not clear whether their transfer was part of the Mistral deal.

Russia, France seal deal on Mistrals
Will France's Mistral Assault Warships Make Russia a Naval Threat? | Business | The Moscow Times
Why is Russia Buying Mistral Ships from France? » Center For Defense Studies
SENIT 9 | Russian Defense Policy

SENIT 9...?

According to Intelligence Online (gated), the deal will include the SENIT-9 combat information system, but without license rights and without the Link 11 and Link 16 NATO communications systems. The transfer of NATO communications systems would require the unanimous consent of all NATO members. Therefore, even though the request is currently under consideration at NATO HQ, it will be rejected. It is certain to be opposed by the Baltic states, and likely to be opposed by a number of other NATO countries including the United States. It is interesting to note that Russia’s request to receive these systems was justified by its desire to participate in joint missions with NATO navies. The lack of license rights means that Russia will not be able to use the SENIT-9 technology on other ships, nor will it be able to use the knowledge acquired by building such systems to improve its own ability to manufacture advanced combat information systems.
The SENIT-9 systems used on the French Mistral-class ships are derived from the US Navy’s Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) and are based on the tri-dimensional MRR3D-NG multi-role radar, built by Thales, which operates on the C Band and incorporates IFF capabilities. The French version can be connected to Link 11, Link 16, and Link 22 NATO communications systems. The purpose of the system is to centralize all data from the ship’s sensors in the ship’s command center.

The Mistral’s C2 systems | Russian Military Reform

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

If France can't sell these ships to Russia, perhaps she should consider selling them to other friendly nations. I'm sure we can consider purchasing these.

France will sell to anyone with $$$. Japan has that with the Defense spending boost. But it also has it's own ships that fit the mission/ objectives of the Mistrals.

 

[atatwolf]

Good move. These wespons would be used to invade another country if they sold it to Russia. They should consider selling this to Turkey for black sea to keep an eye on Russian behavior. Or to Japan in east Asia sea. I think Japan needs them more.

 

[Aepsilons]

France will sell to anyone with $$$. Japan has that with the Defense spending boost. But it also has it's own ships that fit the mission/ objectives of the Mistrals.

We were planning to buy 3 Wasp class ships from the US, but these Mistrals also fit the role.

If true, then this is a blessing in disguise for both France and Japan.

Good move. These wespons would be used to invade another country if they sold it to Russia. They should consider selling this to Turkey for black sea to keep an eye on Russian behavior. Or to Japan in east Asia sea. I think Japan needs them more.

I think that it could be a possibility if France sells 1 ship to Japan and 1 to Turkey. This would serve the interests of the wider NATO alliance.