Mistral-type amphibious assault ships. "Mistral" for Russia - money down the drain! "Mistral" - a ship without a Motherland

Navy Russia is actually getting two large and in many respects unique in their capabilities warships in a short time, which will become the largest replenishment of surface forces in almost a quarter of a century.

On October 15, at the largest French shipbuilding company STX France in Saint-Nazaire, the ceremony of official launching (actually surfacing in a dry construction dock) of the landing helicopter-carrying dock (DVKD) Vladivostok, built for the Russian Navy, took place. Thus, in a record time compared to the standards and practice of domestic shipbuilding, the most important stage in the implementation of the unprecedented contract of June 17, 2011 for the construction of two ships of the type for Russia was passed.

The contract for the construction of these ships for the Russian fleet continues to cause lively discussions and disputes, which is not surprising. Starting cautious talk about the possibility of importing military equipment (which was a sensation in itself), the Ministry of Defense then swiftly concluded a very large and politically resonant contract worth 1.12 billion euros for two foreign-built large warships, and in a NATO member state .

The last time a large warship was ordered for the domestic fleet abroad was in 1939, when an unfinished ship was bought from Germany heavy cruiser Lutzow. Before that, in 1934, there was an order in Italy for the leader of the destroyers "Tashkent". In terms of cost, political and military significance, the contract for ships of the Mistral type can only be compared with orders from foreign shipyards for warships of Imperial Russia.

"Mistral": the history of the project

The unexpected interest of the Russian military department in foreign amphibious assault ships at that time was all the more intriguing to the public, since until 2008 the Ministry of Defense did not betray "expeditionary" and force projection potential as one of the priorities of the Navy. At the same time, negotiations on this issue were initially conducted from 2008 with France and the DCNS shipbuilding association controlled by the French state. So, it seems that the Russian military initially focused on the purchase of ships of the Mistral type, and other options were not seriously considered.

In October 2010, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a formal tender for the purchase of universal landing ships, in which DCNS predictably became the winner. On June 17, 2011, a contract was signed in St. Petersburg between FSUE (now OJSC) Rosoboronexport and the French for the supply of two Mistral-class ships. Thus, only about three years elapsed between the first public manifestation of interest in buying DVKD and the signing of the contract - more than a modest time for preparing a deal of this magnitude and complexity.

The value of the contract is 1.12 billion euros, while the construction of the two ships itself will cost 980 million euros, and the rest of the costs involve the transfer of technical documentation and licenses, training, etc. The parameters of the agreement assumed the acquisition by Russia of two ships that are being built in France with the leading role of DCNS shipyard STX Marine France in Saint-Nazaire, and an option for two more ships of domestic production.

The French themselves classify ships of the Mistral class not as traditional amphibious dock helicopter carriers in our understanding, but as amphibious command ships. This is how you can translate the original French designation of the Mistral subclass - Batiment de Projection et de Commandement. Hence its two main tasks - to land forces and means of landing and to manage the group, connection and association of ships or dissimilar forces.

Mistral helicopter carriers - video

By and large, French experts quite successfully attempted to make a kind of "hybrid" of a universal landing ship capable of carrying out amphibious landing operations, and a command and staff ship. Initially, the history of the project, on the basis of which the Mistral was later created, was much more prosaic. In the early 90s, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the military of the leading NATO countries faced the reluctance of their governments to continue to allocate huge funds for defense against an external enemy, which then - in the face of the Soviet Union - no longer existed. The leadership of the French shipbuilding giant DCN, also facing a reduced national defense budget, not without reason came to the conclusion that in the short term the Navy different countries In the world, amphibious helicopter carriers-docks and ships that combine the advantages of a light aircraft carrier with a bow springboard and a universal landing ship with a sufficiently large capacity and equipped with a docking chamber can be in demand - especially since the French already had developments in this direction.

In accordance with a fairly wide range of tasks, the solution of which was supposed to be entrusted to a promising ship, it had to have a large capacity for the personnel of the landing force and military and military equipment, be able to take on board and release landing hovercraft (DKAVP), provide permanent deployment on board combat and transport helicopters (including having a covered hangar to accommodate them), as well as having a stationary hospital, a well-equipped command post (flagship command post of a detachment commander or formation of ships), etc.
As a result, in 1992, at the next Euronaval exhibition, which takes place in Le Bourget in the same exhibition center as the international aerospace show, but in even years, DCN presented a project for a promising landing ship with a displacement of about 15,000 tons, called BIP-15 (from Batiment D'Intervention Polyvalent, i.e. "multi-purpose strike ship") and which was a kind of symbiosis of a light aircraft carrier and an amphibious dock helicopter carrier. The basis of its strike power was supposed to be a fairly large air group - six heavy helicopters of various types and eight VTOL aircraft, which could use a bow springboard for takeoff. In addition, the ship had an aft docking chamber for two LCAC DKAVPs or four conventional LCM displacement DKAs (the latter is often called a "landing barge").

Finally, in the middle of 2000, the decision of the command of the French Navy was officially announced - to create a new ship based on the BIP-19 project, and in June a tender was announced, in which two largest French shipbuilding companies were invited to participate: DCN and Chantier de Atlantique ( Chantier de l'Atlantique). The winner was announced quite quickly - by the end of the year, DCN received a contract for the construction of two ships of a new type, while the second participant received the status of a subcontractor and supplier of individual elements of hull structures. However, serious disagreements arose between the two companies on the issue of dividing the scope of work, and the final contract between the customer and the contractors was signed only in January 2001, so we had to shift to the right and the timing of the commissioning of ships national navies– for 2005 and 2006 respectively.
As a result of all these ups and downs, the command to lay the lead ship was received only in July, and the “metal cutting” began in November 2001. The lead ship was given the name Mistral - after the name of the strong wind blowing in the Rhone Valley from north and north-west towards the sea (some analogue of the Black Sea bora). This Provencal word has been used since 1519, in a broader sense, it now means simply a strong wind.

Unlike the basic project - BIP-19 - on ships of the Mistral type there is no longer a bow springboard and VTOL basing is not provided, although theoretically this option is not excluded - the ship's flight deck allows you to take off and land on it like an aircraft. With a total displacement of about 21,300 tons, the ship is 210 meters long (with a flight deck length of 199 meters), and almost 32 meters wide. and 13 Leclerc main battle tanks (provided there are no helicopters in the hangar below deck). The landing capacity is 450 troops in full gear and with personal weapons, or 700-900 people "light", for a short period of time.
Throughout almost the entire upper deck, excluding the superstructure, there is a flight deck with an area of ​​​​5200 m2 (according to other sources - 6400 m2), on which there are six runways for the simultaneous release and reception of helicopters (they are easy to recognize by the corresponding markings). Below the flight deck, in the aft part of the ship, there is a helicopter hangar usable area about 1800 m2. To transfer helicopters to the flight deck from the hangar and back, there are two lifts in the aft. The landing of personnel and armored vehicles can be carried out either in an equipped port on the berth, or directly at sea using boats: the ships are equipped with an internal dock with a total area of ​​​​about 2650 m2, which can accommodate two 95-ton LCAC-type DKAVP or four smaller LCM-type DKA displacement.

Mistral and Tonnerre BPC (bâtiment de projection et de commandment) new French 21,300 ton amphibious control and force projection ships. The ships were built by DCN in partnership with Thales and Chantiers de l'Atlantique. Each ship has the capacity and versatility to carry up to 16 heavy helicopters and one-third of a mechanized regiment, as well as two LCAC hovercraft or up to four landing craft. DCN became DCNS in April 2007. This was made possible by an agreement in which Thales became the owner of a 25% stake in the new company and DCN acquired Thales' naval business in France (excluding naval equipment). , which allows it to be used as a control ship.The ship is also capable of accommodating a combined (multinational) multi-role force.
The contract for two ships was placed in January 2001. The keel of the FS Mistral (L9013) was laid down in July 2003 and launched at the Brest Shipyard in October 2004. Mistral was commissioned into the French Navy in February 2006. Tonnerre (L 9014) was laid down in August 2003 and launched in July 2005, and was commissioned into the Navy in February 2007. The French Navy placed an order for a third ship, Dixmude, in April 2009. The ship's keel was laid down in January 2010. It was launched at the end of 2010 and should enter service in 2012.

In June 2011, the Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport signed a contract with DCNS for the supply of two Mistral/BPC-class ships and related services. The deal is part of an intergovernmental agreement between France and Russia for the supply of four Mistral-class ships. Delivery of the first and second ship was planned for 2014 and 2015, respectively. In July 2006, Mistral took part off the coast of Lebanon in the operation of the French fleet to evacuate French citizens during the conflict involving Israel and Lebanon. Mistral and Tonnerre replaced the L9021 Ouragan and L9022 Orage, which were built at Brest Naval Dockyard and entered service in 1965 and 1968.

Management and control

The Mistral class is equipped with the DCN Senit 8 combat data processing system and will be compatible with the French fleet command system for joint operations SIC 21, which was developed by Thales. The high performance communications center includes the Thales Syracuse III satellite communications system.

Aviation capabilities and hangars

The ship has the ability to carry up to 16 medium or heavy helicopters below deck, such as NH90, SA 330 Puma, AS 532 U2 Cougar AS 665 or AS 665 Tiger helicopters. The flight deck has six landing sites and a 1800m² hangar. The 5,000 meter² flight deck can accommodate up to six helicopters simultaneously.

Amphibious capabilities of Mistral-class ships

The Mistral will carry either four landing craft (LCUs) or two landing craft hovercraft (LCACs). The French Navy has ordered new high-speed landing craft, engins de débarquement amphibie rapide (EDA-R), which can be deployed on the Mistral.

The crew of the ship consists of 160 sailors, including 20 officers. The operational campaign associated with the transportation of troops and equipment, as a rule, takes from two to three weeks. Mistral and Tonnerre carry enough supplies to support the crew and 450 troops for 45 days. Max speed is 19 knots, the range at a speed of 14 knots is 11,000 miles. The 750-meter² hospital with 69 beds is equipped with two operating rooms. If an additional hospital or additional sanitary places, then the hangar can be converted into a modular field hospital.

Armament: armed with two launchers of French MBDA Simbad air defense missiles with infrared guidance and a range of up to 6 km. The ship also has two 30mm Breda Mauser naval cannons and four 12.7mm machine guns. The ship's electronic support facilities include the Thales ARBR 21 radar receiver, the MMR-3D NG G-band multipurpose surveillance radar from Thales Naval France. The MRT-3D has a light phased array antenna and works as a radar surveillance radar and as a self-defense system sensor with automatic mode switching. In the surface surveillance mode, the MRT-3D NG can detect targets at low and medium altitudes at a distance of up to 140 km, and in the long-range 3D surveillance mode, air targets up to 180 km. In self-defense mode, it can detect and track any threat within a 60 km radius. The Sperry Marine Bridgemaster navigation radar operates in the I-band.

The Mistral is the first French ship to be equipped with two 7 MW electric slewing drives. The power generation system consists of three 16V32 and one 18V200 Wartsila diesel generators providing 20.8 MW. Rightfully proud of their "work", the French company DCNS calls the Mistral in promotional materials nothing more than the "Chameleon" of the oceans. Currently, Mistral-class ships are in service only with the French Navy; the fleet has two such ships, Mistral and Tonner (Tonnerre - “thunder”). Attempts to deliver them abroad were unsuccessful, although almost simultaneously with obtaining a contract from the French Navy, the international branch of the developer company, DCN International, began to actively promote a whole family of such ships to the world market of naval equipment: BPC 140 (displacement 13,500 t), BPC 160 (16,700 t) and BPC 250 (24,500 t). At first, a high interest was shown in the ship from many countries of the world, in particular, the BPC 250 project was included in the "short list" of the tender announced by the Australian Ministry of Defense for the purchase of promising universal landing ships. However, the Australians preferred another bidder - the Spanish company Navantia (formerly Isar), which offered a project for a ship of the BPE type (Buque de Proyeccion Estrategica) for a tender. In fact, this is a universal landing ship, the distinctive feature of which is the presence of a bow springboard to ensure the take-off of aircraft with a short takeoff and vertical fit.

The performance characteristics of helicopter carriers Mistral

Manufacturers: DCNS (aft, assembly), Brest; Alstom (bow), St. Nazaire; Baltic Plant (aft for two hulls in France)

Displacement of the helicopter carrier Mistral

21300 tons (full); 32300 t (limit)

Dimensions of the helicopter carrier Mistral

Length: 199 m (maximum)
- Width: 32 m (at the waterline)
- Height: 64.3 m
- Draft: 6.3 m (with GAS)

Mistral helicopter carrier engines

3 diesel generators Wärtsilä 16V32 (6.2 MW),
- 1 diesel generator Wärtsilä 18V200 (3.3 MW),
- 2 Alstom Mermaid propellers (7 MW)

Power: 20400 l. With. (15 MW)
- Propulsion: two five-bladed propellers
- Travel speed: 19 knots (maximum); 18 knots (cruising)
- Cruising range: 5800 miles (10800 km) at 18 knots (33 km / h); 10,700 miles (19,800 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
- Autonomy of navigation: 30 days

The crew of the helicopter carrier Mistral

160 men (20 officers) + 450 Marines (900 Marines short range)

Armament of the helicopter carrier Mistral

Radar armament: 2 DRBN-38A Decca Bridgemaster E250 navigation radars, MRR-3D NG target detection radar
- Artillery: AK-630
- Anti-aircraft artillery: 2 × 30 mm Breda-Mauser gun mounts, 4 × 12.7 mm Browning machine guns; "3M47" Bending
- Missile armament: 2 × 2 - PU SAM Simbad

Aviation Group

16 heavy helicopters or 32 light helicopters;
- The number of air groups on the Russian DVKD 30 Ka-52K and Ka-29 or Ka-27M helicopters

Photo of the helicopter carrier Mistral

Until now all attempts by the French to sell the Mistral on the world market turned out to be fruitless. France, having built 2 ships for its Navy, was forced to stop building them, and put this ship up as a tender for a competition in Australia, when Australia decided to choose a type of ship for its landing forces.

However, Canberra firmly insisted that both ships be built at Australian shipyards, while Paris was inferior to foreign colleagues only one ship - the second was to be built in France.

main reason failure of the Australian fleet from the Mistral in favor of its Spanish competitor, there were unresolved differences over the place of construction of the two ships. Secondly, the Australians rated the Mistral as " too complicated ship, having certain problems with seaworthiness and too expensive". Mistral does not carry any unique equipment or unique weapons that Russia could not independently produce.

Specifications Mistral-class landing helicopter carrier.
It has a standard displacement of 16.5 thousand tons, a total displacement of 21.3 thousand tons. With a full dock - 32.3 thousand tons. Its length is 199 meters, width - 32 meters, height - 64.3 meters, draft - 6.3 meters. Full speed - 18.8 knots. Cruising range - up to 19.8 thousand miles.
The helicopter group of the ship includes 16 vehicles (8 landing and 8 attack helicopters). At the same time, 6 helicopters can be placed on the take-off deck.
In addition, the vessel is capable of carrying four landing craft or two hovercraft, up to 13 main battle tanks or up to 70 vehicles, and up to 470 landing personnel (900 for a short time).

On board the Mistral there is a command center with an area of ​​850 square meters, which can employ up to 200 people. It is well equipped and allows the Mistral to be used to control various types and scales of operations of inter-service groupings of troops (forces), including those carried out offline; actions of a squadron, flotilla or fleet.

In addition, the ship has a hospital with 69 beds (their number can be increased, but slightly), two operating rooms and an x-ray room. In Mistral, first of all, the power unit is interesting. The French have always been strong in creating economical engines. A distinctive feature of the propulsion system is the absence of bulky propeller shafts, since two propellers are located in special rotary nacelles - the rotation range is 360 degrees. This design of the main propellers makes the ship more maneuverable, which is especially important when moving close to the coast.

True, it is not clear how the performance of abortion HEDs will be restored in case of their failure without using the dock? And a ship without movement is no longer a ship, but a simple target. The only advantage of a French ship is its cruising range.
Mistral is designed to transport troops and cargo, landing troops, and can be used as a command ship. Currently, the French Navy has two ships of this type - "Mistral L.9013" and "Tonnerre L.9014". These are the largest ships after the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Spanish assault helicopter carrier of the Juan Carlos I class or, as the Australians believe, the Canberra-class DVKD and the Adelaide of the same type are planned to be built for the Australian Navy by 2013 and 2015. In fact, this is an amphibious helicopter carrier-dock, a distinctive feature of which is a solid flight deck with a bow springboard to ensure takeoff of aircraft with a short takeoff and vertical landing.

In addition to twelve helicopters, the Spanish Juan Carlos I also provides basing for up to six tactical fighters - in our case it could be the MiG-29K. The ship can be used as a replacement for an aircraft carrier when it is being repaired in dry dock.

Helicopter carrier Juan CarlosI» has a length of 230.82 m, a maximum width of 32 m, a maximum displacement of 27563 tons and a draft of 6 meters. The ship has a maximum speed of up to 21 knots (39 km/h) and transports equipment and personnel over a distance of 9,000 nautical miles (16,000 km) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h).
The ship's crew consists of 243 permanent personnel. The ship can also carry up to 902 equipped paratroopers and up to 46 Leopard main battle tanks indoors.

Therefore, it would be more profitable for Russia to acquire the Spanish landing helicopter dock "Juan Carlos I"

In the Russian-French deal on the Mistrals, only the benefit for France is clearly visible. Sarkozy is using the Mistral deal as a bait to build wider business ties with Russia. With this deal, Sarkozy wants to achieve guarantees for business contacts between French business and Russian. For example, GDF Suez will receive a 9% stake in Nord Stream. President Sarkozy confirmed that negotiations are underway to sell Russia four Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.

"Mistral" is a helicopter carrier that we will create for Russia without military equipment, if they are sold, they will be deprived of electronic and computer systems. It is not clear how it is possible without modern technologies sell the Mistral, why is it needed at all then? Official Moscow defined this condition as one of the key parameters of the deal under discussion.

In addition, for France, this is primarily a huge sales market, and the sale of the Mistrals will save the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire on the Atlantic coast from bankruptcy. If such a contract is signed, French industry will be provided with work for several years.
The command of the French Navy emphasized the fact that thanks to the optimization of costs for various items, the introduction of innovative engineering solutions and the sectional construction of ships of this type, not only the time for building a series was reduced, but it was also possible to reduce the volume by almost 30%. general expenses by program.

In Western shipbuilding, there has long been a tendency to use civilian technologies in military shipbuilding, this makes it possible to reduce the cost of building ships and use unified equipment on warships and civilian ships. But, all this unification does not have the best effect on the survivability of the ship.

Although Russian ships may be more expensive, since such a deep unification of equipment with the civilian fleet is not used (and rightly so), they only benefit from this in terms of reliability, survivability and other important characteristics. Unfortunately, these requirements are mutually exclusive: if you want cheaper and easier, get one, if you want to ensure combat stability, get another.

Warships and built for warfare, not for pleasure walks on the great barrier reef or the Caribbean Sea. It's just that they've forgotten about it now. And this is especially true of Western companies, for which the issue of low prices comes first.

ALLEGED TROUBLES IN RUSSIA

As part of the Russian Navy, the Mistral-class landing helicopter-dock ship, if purchased from France, will be used only as a control ship, the military department considers the landing function of the ship as a secondary one inherent in universal ships. The Russians are forced to buy this ship.

The 450 million euros that we have to pay for the purchase of the lead ship, and about the same amount that we have to pay for a license to produce each subsequent ship, give us a total of almost a billion euros, which we actually have to give to France.

The ship for Russia will be built according to civilian standards - without weapons and radars. But if there is a point in buying a series, then you need to buy the first one already ready. The initial official position of Russia is as follows: we are buying one ship, we are building three others on the territory of our country. The construction of large ships also means jobs and support for the military-industrial complex. For Russian shipbuilders, this is also additional opportunity development of new European technologies.

But in the course of the negotiations, Russia retreated from the planned plan. French President Sarkozy suggested that only two ships could be built in Russia. " Two and two was a reasonable deal”, he noted, implying that two Mistrals would leave the stocks in France, and two more in Russia. The Mistral will be built by STX France and DCNS.

Naval specialists laughed at the phrase of the head of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov - “ According to the Ministry of Defense, the Mistral consumes 2-3 times less fuel than our landing ships! Did the French make a global breakthrough in ship energy? Their efficiency of the power plant is 2-3 times higher than that of the ships of all other countries". It becomes clear what "competent" specialists are in our beloved Ministry of Defense!

The head of the General Staff, Nikolai Makarov, believes that Russia can purchase one French helicopter carrier plus technology for its production. " We do not have ships of this class. Our large landing ships are about 3-4 times smaller than the Mistral. This is not only a landing ship - its versatility is obvious: it is a helicopter carrier, and a command ship, and a landing ship, and a hospital, and just a transport ship, and it is very easy to give it any new function in the shortest possible time. In addition, as part of the Navy, Mistral will be engaged in the transportation of people and cargo, the fight against submarines and rescue people during emergency situations ", - said the military leader in an interview with Russia Today television company.

The Russian Navy intends to use the Mistral, if purchased from France, as a control ship. The people are laughing! Buy Mistral as a control ship (and even more so four ships in the end), as auxiliary fleet This is taxpayers' money down the drain! In this case, the landing function of the ship is considered as secondary.

The fact is that Russian ships carry out amphibious landings in any situation in any conditions with a direct approach to the coastline and on their own, the Mistral is exclusively the transfer of equipment. These ships are essentially used as transports for the delivery of landing craft, without being such (landing craft) themselves.

Why is Russia buying helicopter carriers? Much more important are the motives - why and why Russia is buying helicopter carriers, and why France, a NATO member, does not just agree to such a deal, but practically pushes Russia to buy. Buying a heavy (21 thousand tons of displacement) amphibious assault helicopter carrier in France is pointless for today's Russia.

Such a large landing ship is needed to carry out amphibious landings in countries far from Russia. And then to cover such big ship you need an escort - a cruiser, a couple of destroyers, and even an aircraft carrier (which is not in the Russian Federation). In the event of a major war, this "Mistral" as part of the Russian Navy simply turns into a big target. It has long been clear to everyone that it will not be possible to throw out their marines to the distant shores of the Russian Federation soon, in all fleets only by a brigade of marines.

A serious drawback of these ships is weak weapons., which does not provide reliable self-defense against any serious threats (anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, combat swimmers-saboteurs). The planned strengthening of the armament of helicopter carriers is self-deception. What can be placed on them? One or two 100-millimeter cannons, one or two launchers for near-line defense air defense systems, and three or four "duets". This is the maximum, which will inevitably result in a decrease in the metacentric height and lead to a deterioration in stability.

Mistral cannot carry out landings with heavy equipment on an unequipped coast on its own, only with the help of tank landing ponies. Since the 50s, this procedure has been long and complicated: filling the docking chamber with water and removing the rams from it takes several hours. They cannot immediately deliver all the equipment to the water's edge. You need to make several flights. The whole process of landing takes a very long time. During this procedure, the Mistral with a full docking chamber is quite vulnerable. However, paratroopers are quickly delivered to the shore by helicopters. But ... without heavy weapons and armored vehicles.

The main thing is that Mistral does not fit into the concept today combat use Russian marines. Having received such a ship into service, our fleet will not be able to use it to carry out those amphibious landing operations that have been practiced for decades, or at least will not receive significant assistance from it for such operations. The Mistral helicopter carrier is not suitable for landing operations and it will be difficult to adapt it to Russian equipment.

This ship assumes NATO equipment without modern equipment. The product is purchased in the configuration: EMPTY BOX + RUNNING GEAR , but our shipbuilders can also weld an empty hull. It is difficult to imagine a situation where the French will make a hull, and we will install our equipment on it. It is difficult to fit to the body of a completely foreign project, which has certain overall characteristics, Russian weapons, electrical equipment and other technological components. For this, at a minimum, it is necessary that French designers build a ship together with our shipbuilders.

UNARMED BUT VERY DANGEROUS

But these ships will bring a lot of trouble to Russia. Let us briefly list the problems that will have to be solved during the implementation of the Mistral construction program. Let's start from the top, that is, from the flight deck. It will be necessary to raise it by more than a meter compared to the base project. This need is due to the fact that Russian helicopters, which will be based on the UDC, have a greater height than those that now “live” on French ships.

There has been a bad experience. When the Mistral went on a visit to St. Petersburg, Russian Ka-52 and Ka-27 helicopters successfully landed on its deck, but later it turned out that domestic rotary-wing machines did not fit into the elevator opening in height, so they could not be lowered into the helicopter hangar. A small embarrassment was quickly "hushed up".

The already high-sided Mistral has excessive windage. Now it will increase even more. In addition, the "growth" of the side will inevitably lead to a decrease in the metacentric height. All this in stormy conditions and with icing threatens to capsize.

Let's go down to the floor below - to the helicopter hangar. It has already been raised a meter. But the problems are not limited to this. Fuel for refueling helicopters is supplied from two tanks, which are located below the waterline in the stern of the ship. That is, the fuel lines stretch from afar. This is permissible in relation to French helicopters, since they use fuel with a higher flash point than domestic rotary-wing machines.

In other words, the ship will have to burn, or it will be necessary to remake the entire system of refueling and fuel storage under domestic requirements. The third option for solving this problem is to purchase Eurocopter helicopters, and the fuel for them from Western energy companies. Elevators that lift helicopters from hangars to the flight deck will also have to be redone, since the existing ones are unsuitable for transporting domestic vehicles with suspended weapons.

Let's go down even lower - to the deck where armored vehicles are located.She has problems too.. The weight of each combat unit should not exceed 30-32 tons. And this means that there will be no tanks there. In total, the ship will fit five tanks of the T-90 type: three on the platform in front of the dock chamber, that is, closer to the bottom, and two on two Project 11770 Chamois landing craft.

More than two such DKAs will not fit in the docking chamber of the French UDC. Landing hovercraft of projects 1206 "Kalmar" and 12061 "Murena" do not pass through the gates of the dock chamber at all in height. Therefore, it will be necessary to create new landing craft for the Mistral. Of course, this task is for the Almaz Central Design Bureau, the Central Design Bureau for the SEC named after. R.E. Alekseeva or KB "Vympel" is feasible. But it will take time and money.

Now about the sides of the Mistral. They have wide "windows" that provide natural ventilation on the helipad deck and on the one where the armored vehicles are located. This is very convenient in temperate and tropical latitudes, but in the northern and subpolar waters, nothing but harm from them, since they guarantee icing to equipment. Representatives of French firms have already announced that the "windows" will be closed. But then you will have to create a very extensive system of forced ventilation. And this will entail a significant alteration of the design and the corresponding considerable costs.

According to the Central Naval Portal, Russian specialists who happened to get acquainted with technical documentation"Mistral", indicate that the ship's hull does not have ice reinforcements, and this, given the conditions in which the Russian Navy has to operate, practically excludes the basing of this type of UDC in the Baltic, the Pacific Ocean, and even more so in the North. The hull of the ship in the area of ​​the waterline has clearly defined S-shaped contours, which will lead to a significant increase in loads when overcoming the ice field.

In addition, the presence of a bow bulb, designed to improve driving performance, also does not contribute to ensuring ice strength. And it will not be possible to get rid of a simple thickening of the side. Experts conclude that a significant revision of the theoretical drawing is necessary. And this actually means the development of a ship of a new project.

One of the recognized authorities in the field of military shipbuilding, captain 1st rank, retired, doctor of technical sciences, specialist in system analysis and the design of complex systems, Vladislav Nikolsky, who is a co-author (together with Vladimir Kuzin) of the fundamental and already classic work - the encyclopedia "USSR Navy 1945-1991", after a careful study of the Mistral during its call to St. Petersburg, told the agency ARMS-TASS that "many of the technical solutions adopted on this ship are so risky that they are not used even on the latest landing ships of the US Navy".

In particular, we are talking about a single electric power plant using submerged main electric motors located in rudder propellers (Azipod type). Such a propulsion system provides ease and speed of maneuvering. But it also has serious drawbacks.:
- First of all, this is a low speed (18 knots compared to 22–24 knots for the universal landing ships of the US and Spanish Navy);
- high price;
- finally, the operation of such an installation will require frequent docking to inspect the main electric motors. And there are a very limited number of docks for such ships in Russia, especially in the Pacific Ocean. That is why it is necessary to replace the power plant and propulsion units with more powerful and simple ones.

It is unlikely that French firms will be able to eliminate these far from all of the listed shortcomings of the basic project. Therefore, we will have to be content with cosmetic alterations.
We are no longer talking about "Mistral" is not able to withstand the load in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons. And in general" something between a truck and an oil tanker”, created according to the standards of civil shipbuilding, is not able to withstand hydrodynamic shock during a close underwater explosion. Meanwhile, both of these regulatory requirements are mandatory when designing ships for the Russian Navy.

The Russian Navy needs a UDC with a displacement of 28,000 tons, with a springboard and an arrester, suitable for basing 4-6 MiG-29K. The Spanish Juan Carlos I would have been more suitable, which has a bow springboard to ensure the take-off of aircraft with a short takeoff and vertical landing. The French can afford to build cheap Mistral-type helicopter carriers. Russia, on the other hand, needs a landing ship of the oceanic zone with good air defense of its own, including those provided by carrier-based fighters.

Russia is buying an absolutely useless ship that does not fit into the Navy under any sauce, without self-defense weapons, without escort ships and without the presence of the marines themselves.

The only thing that the Mistral can do is arrange cruises for the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the General Staff of the Defense Ministry and their entourage, the Commander-in-Chief and the leadership of the Navy.

/Based on materials topwar.ru and nvo.ng.ru /

On December 24, 2010, Russia and France announced an agreement to build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers at the French shipyard STX Europe, located in Saint-Nazaire. Also on December 24, 2010, it was announced that, following the results of a tender for the supply of helicopter carriers, the Russian authorities had chosen the proposal of a consortium consisting of the French company DCNS and the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation.

The contract for the construction of a series of two DVKDs of the Mistral type was signed on January 25, 2011 in Saint-Nazaire. The protocol of intent was signed on June 10, 2011 in Paris, the signing of the final contract took place on June 17, 2011 as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The landing helicopter-carrying dock ship (DVKD) of the Mistral type is capable of performing four different tasks at once: landing military units on land, receiving helicopters, being a command center and a floating hospital. The ship can simultaneously accommodate a landing force of 450 people (for a short time up to 900 people) and up to 16 helicopters weighing 12 tons each. For them, a hangar with an area of ​​​​1800 square meters is provided. meters.

Russian ships of the Mistral type will carry 16 helicopters in a combination of 8 Ka-52K + 8 Ka-29, that is, eight combat and eight transport. This combination can be changed depending on the task. They will also be equipped with the latest domestic systems weapons, including launchers for supersonic cruise missiles, latest systems and complexes of anti-missile, anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense.

The main characteristics of the Mistral type ship: Displacement 22,600 tons. The total length of the hull is 199 meters, the width is 32 meters, the height of the side at the level of the flight deck is 27 meters, the draft is 6.42 meters. The maximum speed with a draft of 6.42 meters is 18.5 knots at 100% power of the azipod engines (3.5 megawatts). The crew is 177 people, the number of passengers is 481 people.

The lead ship of the DVKD series "Vladivostok": the laying of the bow took place on February 1, 2012 at the Alstom shipyard, Saint-Nazaire, France. The stern part was laid down on October 1, 2012 at the Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg. Metal cutting for its construction was started on 1 August.

On June 26, 2013, exactly at the time stipulated by the contract, the aft part of the DVKD was launched at the Baltic Shipyard in the presence of the leaders of OSK, STX-France, DCNS and FSUE Rosoboronexport.

Part of the hull, built at the Baltic Shipyard, is 94 meters long, with a launch weight of 6400 tons. In addition to hull painting work, the plant partially saturated the hull with pipelines and equipment.

As part of the work to saturate the building of the first DVKD Baltic Shipyard foundations were installed for the propeller-steering columns, aft and side ramps, lifting platforms for helicopters, an ammunition lift, and hangar clinket gates. A room for ballast pumps was equipped, towing and mooring equipment was installed for transporting the hull to Saint-Nazaire. All hatches and doors provided for by the project have been installed, electrical equipment has been installed (cable trays and foundations for electrical appliances). Also, the hull was saturated with pipes of ballast, sewage and fire systems. The total length of the pipes is about 5000 meters.

On July 04, 2013, within the framework of the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2013), in strict accordance with the scheduled dates, representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the French shipyard STX-France signed an act of acceptance and transfer of the stern part of the first Russian type helicopter carrier built at the Baltic Shipyard Mistral". On the part of USC, the act was signed by the president of the corporation Vladimir Shmakov, on the part of STX-France - general director Lauren Castaing Company.

On July 6, 2013, at 18:00, the ocean tug "En Avant 20", accompanied by two port tugs of the St. Petersburg seaport, took the stern of the first Russian "Mistral" prepared for long-distance navigation and pulled it towards the navigation facility No. 1 of the St. Petersburg dam. There, the port tugs uncoupled, and their ocean counterpart led the part of the helicopter carrier's hull built at the Baltic Shipyard into the open waters of the Baltic.

At STX-France, the stern and bow parts of the ship were docked and the Vladivostok DVKD was launched on October 15, 2013. After that, it will be delivered to Russia and, after additional equipment in accordance with the requirements of the Russian Navy, will be handed over to the fleet in the fall of 2014.

March 05, 2014 went to sea for factory sea trials. November 14, 2014 - the company "Rosoboronexport", but the ceremony was canceled at the initiative of Paris. Earlier, President Hollande has repeatedly stated that the key condition for the delivery of the ship to Russia will be "full compliance" with the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. According to a message dated November 18 to Russian sailors, located in the French port of Saint-Nazaire. The ban has been in place since November 17. According to a December 18 report, the Russian training ship Smolny with 400 sailors trained to fly helicopter carriers.

The second ship of the DVKD series "Sevastopol": the laying of the bow took place on June 18, 2013 at the Alstom shipyard, Saint-Nazaire, France. On December 20, 2013, the last 440 ton block of the bow of the hull was installed. The stern section was laid down on July 4, 2013 at the Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg. Metal cutting for its construction was started in May 2013. On April 30, 2014, the stern was launched. On June 26, 2014, the aft hull was sent to Saint-Nazaire for docking with the "French" half. November 20, 2014 was . In March 2015, he went to sea for the first stage sea ​​trials which lasted one week. April 14 for the second stage of sea trials. April 15 after the successful completion of the second stage of sea trials.

As reported on May 26, 2015 earlier in France by helicopter carriers. Now the parties are discussing only the amount of compensation.

According to a message dated August 05, 2015, the President Russian Federation and the President of the French Republic made a joint decision on the construction and delivery of two Mistral-type landing helicopter dock ships, signed in June 2011.

According to a report dated August 31, 2015, France paid the amounts paid by Russia for the Mistral project, as well as its costs for crew training. According to a message dated September 23, French authorities helicopter carriers to Egypt. On October 10, 2015, Egypt and France signed a contract for the purchase by Cairo of type helicopter carriers built for Russia.

Reading articles about the State defense order, every time I am convinced that the Russian media work in the genre of "news in the future tense", telling about events and plans that will most likely never come true, but today they have become news and are imposed on society as a subject for discussion. And so, among these information phantoms, on February 1, there was information about a real event - the laying of the Vladivostok universal landing ship-helicopter carrier in France. On this day, metal cutting for the first Russian UDC of the Mistral type began at the shipyard in Saint-Nazaire.

"Mistral" is only outwardly similar to traditional dock ships, helicopter carriers or universal landing ships. In fact, they have much more potential. It is no coincidence that the French singled them out into a separate class - "force projection and command vessel" (strike command ship or, literally, "force projection and command ship"). Distinctive features such structures are the flight deck located along the entire length of the hull and the aft docking chamber. Also on the "Mistral" there is a command center for 150 operators and, equipped with the most modern equipment, a hospital with 70 beds. The concept of such ships is not new - even during the Vietnam War, the US Navy was faced with the problem of managing heterogeneous ship landing groups involved in the landing. Then the idea was born to combine them in one universal case.

Compared to its contemporaries, the American LPDs of the San Antonio type, the Mistral looks more attractive: the French ship is operated by a crew of only 160 people, while the American amphibious dock ships require 350 crew members. The future Russian ship also has an advantage in terms of the composition of the air group: 16 helicopters against 4 helicopters and 2 "American" convertiplanes. Summarizing all of the above, we can give an unambiguous answer: the UDC of the Mistral type is modern, with a high combat potential landing craft, one of the best representatives of its class in the world.

Underwater rocks

A lot of articles, publications and scientific works. Indeed, does the Russian Navy need such a ship? For example, it is widely known that this ferry-like structure was built to civil shipbuilding standards and is not capable of withstanding hydrodynamic shock from a close underwater explosion. As far as I know, such a calculation is mandatory when designing ships for the Russian Navy. It is difficult to say how true this myth is, but it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.

I will no longer bore the reader with a list of unverified (or, conversely, too well-known) figures, facts and rumors. As an amateur, I'm interested in more obvious points:

The visit of "Mistral" in November 2009 to St. Petersburg was not without embarrassment. Domestic helicopters Ka-52 and Ka-27 landed on its deck without any problems (of course! The length of the Mistral flight deck is 199 meters, the width is 32 meters), but, as it turned out later, the Russian helicopters did not fit into the opening in terms of dimensions elevator, so they could not be lowered into the hangar. The scandalous did not receive wide publicity, but did not escape the attention of society.

Further - even more fun. In connection with the deployment of Russian helicopters with coaxial propellers on the Mistral, it will be necessary to increase the height of the under-deck hangar by at least a meter compared to the original project, which, of course, will entail an increase in the “board” of the ship. Excessive windage has always been one of the shortcomings of the Mistrals, and in the Russian series it will increase even more. It will also inevitably entail a decrease in the metacentric height. What does it threaten with a full load and in stormy conditions? That's right, overturning.

As already noted, helicopter lifts that lift equipment from the hangar to the flight deck are unsuitable for transporting the Ka-29 with suspended weapons. We will either have to buy Eurocopter helicopters from France, or radically rebuild the lifting mechanisms.

The problems with aircraft technology do not end there. Fuel for refueling helicopters is supplied from two tanks, which are located below the waterline in the stern of the ship - fuel lines stretch from afar through 3 decks filled with people, ammunition and equipment. A very dubious decision of the French, affecting the survivability of the UDC in the most negative way. It may be necessary to change the entire fueling and storage system according to domestic requirements.

The transport deck for armored vehicles does not meet Russian requirements. It is designed for a mass not exceeding 32 tons for each combat unit. In turn, this means that there will be no Russian main battle tanks on the transport deck of the Mistral. In total, no more than five MBTs will fit on the ship: three on the site in front of the dock chamber and two on landing boats, project 11770 "Serna".

Further, Russian sailors will not be able to effectively use the dock space. "Mistral" - a French ship and its dock chamber was designed in accordance with the parameters of NATO landing craft. Therefore, despite the solid dimensions of the docking chamber (57.5m x 15.4m x 8.2m, area 885 sq.m.), only 2 landing craft pr. 11770 are placed in it. And landing craft hovercraft pr. 1206 Kalmar, etc. 12061 Murena will not be able to be based on the Mistral at all - DKVP do not pass through the gates of the dock chamber in height! It turns out that we will have to create new landing craft for the Mistral.

French engineers have prepared a great surprise for Russian sailors. The people of the North Sea, as well as all those who try to operate the Mistral in the northern Pacific Ocean, will be especially "rejoiced". The fact is that the sides of the French UDC have wide openings that provide natural ventilation on the helicopter and transport decks. Great idea for the tropics it turns into a nightmare for the northern latitudes - icing is guaranteed for all equipment. It is impossible to brick up these openings so easily, first you need to design an extensive forced ventilation system.

Continuing the “ice theme”, I will say that the Mistral corps does not have ice reinforcements, and this, given the conditions in which the Russian Navy operates, practically excludes the basing of French ships in the Baltic, the Pacific Ocean, and even more so in the North. There are especially many problems with the nasal bulb, which is designed to improve driving performance. Those. it will not be possible to get off with a simple thickening of the side. According to experts, this means the development of a ship of a new project.

A separate discussion is the propulsion system of the Mistral using submerged main electric motors. Azipod rudder propellers provide ease of maneuvering, but this system also has serious drawbacks:
- first of all, this is a low speed (18 knots compared to 22–24 knots for the UDC of the San Antonio type of the US Navy);
- the operation of ships with Azipods requires regular docking to inspect the rudder propellers. And there is an opinion that there are no docks for such large ships in Russia, especially in the Pacific Ocean today. I can assume that the "Russian Mistrals" will receive traditional propellers and rudders.

Not armed and not dangerous

Yes, the Mistral has almost no defensive weapons. Machine guns and two twin Mistral MANPADS (this is not a typo, obviously the French really like this name), which are analogues of the Russian Igla or the American Stinger, can hardly be taken seriously.

On the one hand, this cannot please me, as an adept in carrier-based aviation. The purchase of the UDC of the Mistral type means a change in the shipbuilding paradigm of the Russian Navy. Simply put, the Navy is adopting the Western-style carrier fleet concept. The use of Mistrals in landing operations is possible only if there is a powerful air cover, otherwise the entire landing will turn into a bloody mess. The naval version of the Ka-52 attack helicopter is only effective against ground forces. Neither in terms of range, nor in terms of combat capabilities, it will not be able to replace carrier-based fighter-bombers. Accordingly, for this entire strike force, escort and supply ships are needed. It turns out that Russia plans to create a powerful and balanced ocean fleet.

If this is not so, then buying a Mistral is like a gamble. Either the command of the Navy does not intend to use French ships in landing operations, i.e. for their intended purpose.

Money down the drain?

Mistral is the French name for the cold wind blowing in the Rhone Valley. Won't a UDC with such a name become a waste of money "down the drain" in the literal and figurative sense? According to one radical Internet user, Russian admirals bought two foreign cars worth $2 billion each.

It seems strange: in general, useless ships have been acquired for the Russian fleet, which have no place in the modern concept of using the Russian Navy, without escort ships and, most importantly, without the presence of numerous marines and their means of landing.

Maybe I'm exaggerating in vain. With the purchase of Mistral, the domestic shipbuilding industry will have access to the latest world technologies. Perhaps this is true, but then it is not clear why it took as many as 4 ships of this type.

In principle, the conversation is not about the fact that it is bad to acquire foreign military equipment. It's just not bad that we are trying to borrow the best solutions and designs. It's about that these billions could be spent more efficiently by purchasing other types of European ships that the fleet really needs instead of the UDC. As an option - Spanish frigates of the Alvaro de Bazan type. Even without the Aegis system (the sale of which is out of the question), they are a powerful and modern complex of marine