Russia recently bought
two French Mistral class amphibious ships. Russia has not bought
foreign warships for a long time, but this purchase was largely because
of an eagerness to acquire Western shipbuilding technology and
construction skills. This has already paid off, although not exactly how
the Russians had planned. This became evident when a Russian official
recently announced that the first Mistral would be built entirely in
France. It had earlier been decided to have Russian shipyards build some
sections of the first Mistral. It was quickly discovered that the
Russian shipyard was not capable of building to the French
specifications or do it according to the French timetable. The Russians
expected to learn some valuable lessons from the French and, while
embarrassing, this was one very valuable lesson. Russian shipyard
officials have had their faces rubbed in the embarrassment of not being
able to compete with using their current practices. Russian experts on
Western production methods and techniques have long complained of the
antiquated and inefficient methods still favored by Russian
shipbuilders. Navy leaders have been complaining for decades about the
poor quality of work coming out of Russian shipyards. The Mistral
purchase was to put this to the test.
The Russian Navy has made some changes, in cooperation with the
French, of the existing Mistral design. The Russian version of the
Mistral will be called the Vladivostok Class and carry 30 helicopters
(compared to 16 on the French version). The Vladivostoks will be armed
with two AK-630 multibarrel 30mm autocannon for anti-missile defense.
There will also be two quad-launchers of shoulder fired type
anti-aircraft missiles (with a 5 kilometer range and does well against
helicopters) and two or more DP-65 55mm grenade launchers for defense
against divers.
The Vladivostoks will also be winterized for use in arctic
conditions. The hull will be strengthened to deal with ice and the well
deck door will completely close. The flight deck will have a deicing
system and the ship will be modified to operate for extended periods in
arctic conditions. There is also different electronics and this means a
different arrangement of radomes and antennae.
In the aircraft handling areas below the deck, there will be more
for the taller Ka-52K and Ka-29 helicopters. The Ka-52K is a navalized
version of the Ka-52 that went into production last year. In addition to
being equipped with coatings to resist sea water corrosion, the K model
will also have a lightweight version of the high-definition Zhuk-AE
AESA radar used on jet fighters. This radar currently weighs 275 kg (605
pounds), but the helicopter version will weigh only 80 kg (176 pounds)
and enables the Kh-52K to use the Kh-31 anti-ship missile. This weapon
has a range of 110 kilometers and travels at high speed (about one
kilometer a second). The Kh-52K can also carry the sub-sonic Kh-31
missile, which has a range of 130 kilometers. Both of these missiles
weigh about 600 kg (1,300 pounds) each.
Russia is buying two French Mistral class amphibious ships for $1.7
billion and the second one is to be built in Russia, with plenty of
French supervision and technical assistance. This is the largest Russian
purchase of Western weapons since World War II. The deal was delayed
for a long time because the Russians demanded the transfer of
shipbuilding and electronics technology (which is now agreed to).
The French navy received the first of the 21,500 ton Mistrals in
2006, with the second one arriving in 2007. Both were ordered in 2001.
These two ships replaced two older amphibious landing ships. This gave
France a force of four amphibious ships. The two Mistrals are also
equipped to serve as command vessels for amphibious operations. The
French have been very happy with how the Mistrals have performed.
The Mistrals are similar in design to the U.S. LPD 17 (San Antonio)
class. Both classes are about 200 meters (620 feet) long, but the LPD
17s displace 25,000 tons. The French ships are more highly automated,
requiring a crew of only 180, versus 396 on the LPD 17. On long voyages
on the open ocean, the Mistrals require as few as nine sailors and
officers on duty ("standing watch") to keep the ship going.
The Mistrals carry 450 marines, compared to 700 on the LPD 17s.
Both have about the same room for helicopters, landing craft, and
vehicles (2,650 square meters for the Mistrals, room for nearly a
hundred trucks or 60 armored vehicles). Both have hospitals on board,
with the Mistrals being larger (69 beds). The American ships however
have more sensors installed and larger engines (and thus higher speed).
The LPD 17 can also handle vertical takeoff jets like the Harrier or
F-35. The French believe that the smaller complement of marines, who are
very capable troops, are sufficient for most missions. And the smaller
number of people on the ship makes it possible to provide better living
and working conditions. This is good for morale and readiness.
One thing American marines and sailors notice about the Mistral is
the wider and higher corridors. This came about because the ship
designers surveyed marines and asked what ship design improvements they
could use. It was noted that in older amphibious ships, the standard
size (narrow) corridors were a problem when fully equipped troops were
moving out. That, plus the smaller crew size, makes the Mistrals appear
kind of empty but very roomy. That, plus larger living accommodations
(made possible by the smaller ship's crew and marine complement), make
the Mistrals a lot more comfortable. The French ships can be rigged to
accommodate up to 700 people for short periods, as when being used to
evacuate civilians from a war zone.
After the first two, additional Mistrals for the French Navy are
being built using more commercial techniques and are expected to cost
closer to $500 million each. France has three Mistrals with several more
on order. Russia says it plans to base some of its Mistrals in the Far
East, where there is an ongoing dispute with Japan over Japanese islands
Russia occupied after World War II and never gave back. The Mistrals
will probably show up elsewhere because the Russian fleet is again
patrolling the high seas and showing up wherever its government needs
some muscle.
