21.12.2009
Delegation of French defense ministry headed by armaments engineer inspected production capabilities of Baltiysky Zavod shipyard which is a part of United Industrial Corporation (UIC). The corporation is under control of MP Sergei Pugachev.
Result of the visit was negotiation about possible purchase of shipbuilding license. It is planned to build helicopter-carrying landing ship
Mistral for Russian Navy at UIC shipyards.
Manager of Shipbuilding project in UIC, Director General of
Severnaya Verf and
Baltiysky Zavod shipyards Andrei Fomichev has not commented the course of talks so far, although noted that "UIC shipyards such as
Severnaya Verf and
Baltiysky Zavod possess all technical capabilities to build European class vessels – ship modeling, automatic cutting, integrated networking".
"Even now shipyards of the corporation are ready to execute governmental defense order increased at least in three times", said Mr. Fomichev to
Interfax. "As it was reported, the question is one
Mistral-type ship, but we aspire to set up production of 4-5 vessels."
We recall that Russian experts had a chance to assess
Mistral's combat features late November 2009. The ship called at St. Petersburg and hosted Russian military officials, representatives of industry and Navy. Later on, the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev declared Russia's plans to expand its naval presence in World Ocean and that the Navy would get new warships.
On Dec 18 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin conducted the meeting held in St. Petersburg. The subject was supplying of Navy with state-of-the-art arms and equipment.
On the other hand, a resolution was presented in US Congress which called NATO and EU members to withhold selling Russia serious arms systems. The initiator was Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Member of House of Representatives and republicans' leader in Committee of Foreign Affairs. In particular, the resolution expressed opinion of HR that France and other NATO and EU member countries should not sell major arms systems or other offensive weapons to the Russian Federation.
Experts connect this document with Russia's intentions to purchase French helicopter-carrier
Mistral.
Source: , photo: Mistral (thamesshipsociety.org.uk)
