Bigger and faster: Russia unveils designs to replace marooned Mistrals
A St. Petersburg navy design bureau says it is ready to build a Russian-made alternative to the troubled Mistral carriers, which remain moored in France. The intended new ship dubbed Lavina (‘Avalanche’) promises to be bigger and faster than the Mistrals.
The technical specifications of the helicopter carrier were
revealed in a presentation given by the Krylov State Research
Centre, at the Army-2015 military expo near Moscow.
Lavina will have a full load displacement of 24,000 tons, as
opposed to 21,300 tons for the French-designed ship. It will also
have a maximum speed of 22 knots, compared to 19 knots for the
Mistrals, two of which were ordered by the Russian Navy four
years ago.
Just like the Mistral, Lavina will house 16 helicopters, about 50 armored vehicles (about 10 fewer than the French amphibious assault vessel) and a potential six smaller boats, as opposed to the Mistrals' four. All figures are likely rough estimates, with numerous variables, and it is unclear how advanced the Lavina blueprints are at the current stage.
READ MORE: Russia arms chief reprimands official for saying Moscow won’t buy Mistrals - reports
The two Mistral-class ships, custom-built for Russia for a price
of €1.2 billion, have been completed, but their delivery has been
suspended by France, following Crimea’s accession into Russia
last March, and the outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine.
Domestic shipbuilders are competing to fill the gap.
Earlier this week, Priboy, a 14,000-ton helicopter carrier, also
capable of transporting 16 attack helicopters, was announced by
Nevsky Design Bureau, another leading St. Petersburg design
bureau. It said that plans were afoot to begin construction next
year.
Last week, the Yantar shipyard also reportedly began construction of a smaller Ivan Gren-class assault vessel, which the Navy said would be ready by 2018.
It seems unlikely that all of these projects will be greenlighted
simultaneously, but officials have confirmed that an amphibious
vessel capable of performing a landing thousands of miles away
from its home port is a centerpiece of its naval strategy up to
the year 2050.
Meanwhile, according to a senior official who spoke to TASS news
agency on Wednesday, Moscow has not ruled receiving its original
order from the St. Nazaire shipyard, and negotiations are
“ongoing.” If the delivery is not made, as appears
increasingly likely, the biggest stumbling block remains the size
of the compensation for the canceled order. The latest public
pronouncements show that France is offering under €800 million in
compensation, while Moscow is holding out for at least €1.1
billion.
