France Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter navyreco
- Start date
Yes, the Rafale has finally broken the glass ceiling of foreign military sales outside of France.
All very quickly they have confirmed orders for:
36 x Rafales for India
24 x Rafales for Egypt
24 x Rafales for Qatar
84 foreign sales...and over time there will probably be more.
They are doing some partying and celebrating at Dassault I can tell you!
French destroyer Cassard, D614
French destroyer Forbin, D620
Naval Today said:
As you can see, the Cassard is a late 1970s design that was laid down in 1982 and commissioned in 1988. she is a good vessel, and has been upgraded over time to keep her strong. However, she is aging and is limited against the more modern threats.
The Forbin, on the other hand, is a very modern Horizon class vessel, which was laid down in 2002 and commissioned in 2008. It is a highly sophisticated and capable air defense and multi-role destroyer. Is employs multi-function radar in conjunction with the for the PAAMS Aster anti-air missiles.
The Forbin and her sister, the , D621, which was commissioned in 2009, really shine as escorts for the French nuclear aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, R91.
thunderchief
Senior Member
France may scuttle Mistral ships rather than fulfill Russian contract
Published time: May 06, 2015 09:48
The two Mistral-class helicopter carriers Sevastopol (L) and Vladivostok are seen at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, western France. (Reuters/Stephane Mahe)
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The Mistral helicopters carriers which were supposed to be delivered to Russia are causing the French a headache. However, rather than handing them over, the French government may send them to the bottom of the sea, if the contract is canceled.
France was supposed to have received €1.12 billion ($1.25 billion) from Moscow for the sale of two state-of-the-art warships. However, under pressure from the US and EU the sale was postponed, perhaps indefinitely.
An article in Le Figaro on Wednesday says that Paris may have to resort to sinking the helicopter carriers if the government refuses to honor the contract and deliver them to Russia. The first vessel, the Vladivostok, should have been handed over in November, but French President Francois Hollande said it would be postponed “until further notice.”
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“Among the possible course of actions which is being considered by the French government is the possibility of the helicopter ships being destroyed. They will be dismantled, remodeled or sunk in the open sea,” the French newspaper wrote, citing an unnamed officer, who is well informed about the current situation surrounding the warships.
The reports brought fury from a high-ranking French military official, who told the newspaper that the possibility of the ships being destroyed was “unacceptable” due to the efforts put in by the shipbuilders at Saint-Nazaire, one of France’s biggest shipyards.
Le Figaro added that plans to re-equip the ships and adapt them for the French Navy were “unlikely” as they had been specially-designed to coincide with the needs of the Russian Navy. If the vessels were to be re-fitted, the total bill could run into hundreds of millions of euro.
Russia says it is not opposed to France selling the vessels to a third party. Le Figaro says that potential clients include,“Canada, a northern country and Egypt.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow just wants to be paid back what it is owed, while his French counterpart, Hollande, has reportedly agreed to this.
"If we cannot deliver the Mistral to Russia, I do not see any reason why we cannot return what they have paid up front," Hollande said, according to Le Figaro.
The French publication also added that Paris may have to pay Moscow in the region of €300 million in compensation for a breach of contract.
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If Paris does not fulfill its end of the bargain, it will have to pay back this sum as well as compensation, which could total €300 million ($330 million), according to French government sources.
The decision by the French government is causing concern amongst French business leaders, who believe Paris’ inability to fulfill the contracts could hurt the economy in the long run.
"I am very unhappy with the fact that France has decided not to supply Mistral ships to Russia,” said Sanches Encerra, a member of the French National Assembly said in March. “I think this is a mistake from all points of view. This undermines the credibility of France as a reliable partner, and we, the MPs, strongly promote the idea that sanctions are quite a harmful phenomenon.”
The contract to build two Mistral class amphibious ships was signed between Russia and France in 2011. The Vladivostok was launched in 2013 and the second, the Sevastopol, is planned to be finished in 2015.
Oh, baloney. Consider the source. Of course the Russian's will make a incredulous claim like this.
This is, however IMHO, sensationalism of the first order.
The French have lots of options and they will exercise all of them long before they simply sink them. Not only do they get nothing if they scuttle them, it costs even more money to do so.
They will see if there are potential buyers at a good price first...and then lower the price as time goes on...potentially making a great deals with one or more allies.
They will also carefully evaluate whether France itself could use one or both of them.
There is a lot of time and distance between now and any eventual decision to scuttle them...and I quite frankly believe that someone will take them before such a decision is ever made.
thunderchief
Senior Member
Not that many options. They need to find a country that needs helicopter carrier, but doesn't build its own . Operating Mistral-like ships require at least 2-3 frigates as escorts, fleet of helicopters and of course marine infantry . Countries that could afford that usually prefer to build their own LHD or LHA .
IMHO, they will not find a buyer wiling to pay full price for these, and will give them at discount to some country buying other French equipment (Egypt, India ... )
Plenty is a term which I use to indicate that there are enough options for France to successfully find one.
There are several countries that could be potential buyers (you named two of them)...particularly if the price is right.
I expect that the French will find a productive way of dealing with these two Mistral vessels which will get some money for them and potentially pave the way for other sales...far short of scuttling them.
