Russia plans to purchase French-made Mistral helicopter carrier

Russia plans to purchase a French naval helicopter transport ship this year and is interested in jointly producing more of the vessels, the head of Russia's armed forces said. Mistral Class ship has the payload capacity to carry up to 16 heavy helicopters and one-third of a mechanised regiment, plus two LCAC hovercraft or up to four landing craft.Mistral Class ships can carry sufficient stores for the crew and 450 troops for 45 days between replenishments.

"We are working on agreements that would allow us to produce and purchase this ship," General Nikolai Makarov told reporters, referring to the French-made Mistral heavy helicopter carrier. He declined to specify a price for the purchase. Asked when the deal would be finalized, however, Makarov said: "This year." Makarov said the discussions so far concerned purchase by Russia of one of the French-made vessels, an amphibious force projection and command ship that can carry up to 16 heavy helicopters as well as hovercraft and landing craft.

But he indicated that talks were in progress on possible future joint production of several more of the sophisticated warships. "We also want to establish production of a series of at least four or five ships of this class," he said. Makarov said the Russian navy did not currently possess this kind of ship, which is costly and complicated to build, and would therefore look for a supplier outside Russia. "No country in the world can do everything" on its own, he said. "Something will have to be purchased" abroad.