Russia buys French carrier?

[dsawan 620]

Wonder id=f this deal will go through?

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_france_navy_ship

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

If its equipped with something like OnStar, a keyboard can turn it off. One *click* and the war is over.

[SayethWhaaaa 245]

Our Navy briefly looked at these too, but we went with a Spanish design from Navantia.

[Rambler 1-1 9]

why do I hear sad strains of the 1812 Overture in the background?

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Wonder id=f this deal will go through?

 

 

http://news.yahoo.co...rance_navy_ship

 

I have visited the Mistral last Sunday 15 at the docks in her homeport of Le Havre, just before her departure for St-Petersurg. She's a fairly new, interesting ship. As a command ship, she has very few defensive armament. Six LZ for helos, including one reinforced for the huge US double-rotor carriers, one lift at the rear. A docking bay large enough to accomodate four landing ships, or one of the giant US hovercrafts (many joint maneuvers with the US Navy and Marines). A crew of ca. 170 only, with accomodations for 400 to 500 ground soldiers and their vehicles. The ship has yet made some operations in the help of refugees (Liban, especially), hundreds of them receiving a basic accomodation in the large bays (in a gangway, one can see an impressive wall of photographs of all the helped refugees). In addition, she seems to be quite a cheap model (even if she needs a devoted escort).

 

The petty officers that have guided us in the depths of the ship the previous week-end have not told anything about this possible deal, but they have said that some of the Mistral's dates had been delayed or cancelled for this important visit at St-petersburg to be made.

[JediMaster 451]

This is for show. There's no way Russia will spend close to $1 billion for a Western naval vessel when they can/did build their own. A smaller vessel perhaps, but this costs way too much and is far too visible for it not to have negative repercussions on the home front.

This is just like the mentioned exercises with Venezuela...letting the world know they still have the will.

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Breaking news!

 

Dmitri Medvedev is on tour in France, and negociations are taking place about the sell of one to four French Mistral-class command & intervention ships to Russia. Some papers say there would be a deal, some others say there will be none. It will be decided within three days. If four ships are ordered, two of them should be built in France, and two in Russia.

 

It would be the first time since 1949 that a NATO member sells such heavy device to Russia. Although President Sarkozy has promised that the ships would be delivered unarmed, the Mistral-class in herself is almost unarmed, as I said in a precedent post: it's a support ship, fit for limited-scale interventions ashore, but needing close protection. This will certainly poison in some way the next discussions between Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, that will take place very soon.

 

To be continued...

 

 

 

[JediMaster 451]

Can they really have such little faith in their own shipyards?

[TX3RN0BILL 3]

Vengeur, the russkies might just as well slap some Kashtan-M's on it if they're really serious about buying such a ship... but I do wonder...

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

A deal seems to have been signed up for the sell of four units (400-500 million euros each), enough for each of the largely scattered Russian fleets. France has not even been a NATO member for one year that she yet worries her fellow members: that's typically President Sarkozy's way. This sell is a breathing of hope for the French shipyards workers, and a breathing of fear for the shore inhabitants of some unfortunate small republics. Life is like that.

[Gr.Viper 131]

that's typically President Sarkozy's way.

I think it's their height that brings him and Medvedev toghether

[charlielima 328]

why do I hear sad strains of the 1812 Overture in the background?

 

I'm Hearing hall of the mountain king and get down with the sickness.

CL