France to build 2 helicopter carriers Mistral for Russia

PARIS, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: France will build two helicopter carriers Mistral for Russia, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday. He arrived at the naval shipyards of the company STX in Saint Nazaire on the Atlantic coast, where these warships will be built. These shipyards, which are badly in need of new contracts, employ 2,280 people and the same number of people work in the companies of subcontractors, Armenpress reports citing Itar-Tass.

“Together with our Russian friends we will build these warships. The contract is still under discussion, but the decision to build them is obvious,” the president told the shipyard workers.

Mistral is a cutting-edge multi-purpose warship produced in France. Warships of this type can perform the functions of a helicopter carrier, a dockship, a troop carrier, a floating hospital, a landing ship and a command warship. The Mistral deck can deploy six helicopters, and ten more helicopters are on standby in the hangar. The Mistral can ship 60 off-road vehicles or 13 combat tanks and 450 fully equipped paratroopers and up to 900 people without weapons and outfits. The dock compartment is designed for two aircushion landing motorboats or four motorboats for the landing of tanks.