France Passes Some Technology to Russia on Construction of Mistral Warships

KUBINKA (Moscow Region) (Sputnik)– France has handed over to Russia some technology in large-block assembly for the construction of Mistral-class helicopter carriers, the director of the department of military technical cooperation told RIA Novosti on Thursday.“According to the contract between the Russian Defense Ministry and France’s DCNS, there are three types of technology that were transferred. If there are three subjects of technology that were received, then the first two should be addressed to the [Russian] Defense Ministry, but the third is for the Admiralteisky Verfi (Admiral Wharfs) and is technology for large-block assembly used to construct Mistrals,” Alexei Diky said.

Diky said that Admiralteisky Verfi has received from France blueprints of the Mistral’s stern and adapted them to the production capabilities of the Baltic Plant where large-block assembly was previously employed.

In 2011, Russia and France signed a $1.5 billion contract envisaging the delivery of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers. The deal was put on hold last year, as Paris accused Moscow of meddling in the Ukrainian crisis. Moscow continues to deny it plays any role in the internal conflict between Kiev forces and the militias in southeastern Ukraine.

In April, French President Francois Hollande said Paris would return Moscow’s payment for the warships if the contract was terminated.

On Wednesday, a source told RIA Novosti that Russia’s Nevskoe Project Shipbuilding Bureau had designed a landing ship that could replace the Mistral-class helicopter carriers that France failed to deliver.