Egyptian navy buys 46 Ka-52K attack helicopters

Egypt is to acquire 46 navalised Kamov Ka-52K attack helicopters to equip its new French-built Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.
No delivery timeframe has been released, however, although Egypt is likely to receive the two helicopter carriers by mid-year.
The naval variant of the Ka-52 features folding coaxial rotors and stub-wings.
flightglobal

Egypt, France In Discussions Over NH90 Helicopter Buy

Negotiations were at an advanced stage as of October 1 between France, and Egypt for the sale of a significant number of NH90 medium helicopters. The order would be a follow-on to recent sales of French armament to the Arab country, especially corvettes, frigates and landing ships—all compatible with the NH90.
Egypt has not issued any formal request for proposals for the multi-role helicopter.
Saudi Arabia is believed to be funding Egypt’s latest weapons purchases.
Egypt may choose between the tactical transport (TTH) and naval (NFH) versions of the NH90, or a mix of the two. The NFH can operate from Gowind-class corvettes or FREMM frigates, and both variants can be based on a Mistral-class landing ship.
Russian candidates like the Kamov Ka-27/29 and the Mi-17 are seen as relatively old technology or not fit for operations aboard ships. Egypt recently ordered Ka-52 attack helicopters, also believed to be intended for use on landing ships. In addition to protecting the Suez Canal, the newly purchased helicopters may help the country support Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen.
Late last month, the French Navy took delivery of its 15th NH90 naval variant, the first to be delivered in final radar configuration.
ainonline

France, Egypt agree on Mistral warship deal

France has agreed to sell two Mistral helicopter carriers to Egypt after their sale to Russia was cancelled in August.
Cairo has sought to boost its military power in the face of a two-year insurgency based across the Suez Canal in the Sinai peninsula and fears the conflict in neighbouring Libya could spill over. Egypt's allies are also keen to burnish its image in a region beset by turmoil.
A French defence ministry source said the contract was worth about 950 million euros, but unlike the deal with Moscow would not include any technology transfer.
As of yet there had been no talks on the potential armament for the carrier, which can hold up to 16 helicopters and 1,000 troops.
A diplomatic source said Cairo wanted to base one ship in the Mediterranean and another in the Red Sea, making it available for future operations in Yemen, where Egypt is part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels.
The French government agreed to reimburse 950 million euros to Moscow last month after the Mistral sale to Russia was cancelled as a result of the Ukraine crisis.
The deal with Egypt comes as France has nurtured new links with Sunni Arab states, which appreciate its tough stance on their Shi'ite rival Iran and similar positions on the region's conflicts.
France has also benefited from what some Gulf countries perceive as disengagement from a traditional ally, the United States.
The sale will take the number of French naval vessels sold to Egypt to seven in just two years.
Egypt last year bought four small Gowind warships, built by Mistral manufacturer DCNS, which is 64 percent owned by the French state and 35 percent by defence group Thales.
It also acquired a French frigate as part of a 5.2 billion euro contract for 24 Rafale warplanes earlier this year, France's first overseas export of the fighter jet.
reuters

UAE Confirms Interest in Mistral Ship

A United Arab Emirates government official has confirmed the government's interest in acquiring one of two French Mistral-class amphibious assault ships originally ordered by Russia in 2011.
France and Russia last month reached a political agreement to cancel the Mistral deal and Paris is paying back Moscow's advance payments on the two warships. France paid Russia more than US $1 billion in compensation for the non-delivery.
defensenews

Russia no longer wants French-made Mistral helicopter carriers

Russia is no longer interested in receiving the two helicopter carrier ships ordered from France but which Paris held back due to the Ukraine crisis, and has decided to build its own vessels instead.
Under a €1.12bn contract signed between Moscow and Paris in 2011, France was due to deliver one Mistral helicopter carrier last autumn and another in the second half of this year. But France, suspended the deal last year amid anger over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its role in the war in eastern Ukraine.
After initial threats from Russia’s defence ministry that it might take legal action over the non-fulfilment of the deal, Moscow switched to handling the issue in a more low-key manner — the Kremlin has just said that Russia expects to receive either the ships or its money back.
Russian media reported this month that France had proposed that Paris compensate Moscow with a €785m payment on condition that it would be allowed to sell the vessels on to another party. But Moscow demands a payment of at least €1.1bn.
ft

France could sell Russian Mistral warships to China

The ongoing saga over France's potential sale of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia took a new turn Monday with Chinese media reporting that representatives from the French in Shanghai could propose a deal to sell the warships to China.
In recent weeks Moscow has taken a firm, if conciliatory, stance on the Mistral deal. Last month President Vladimir Putin announced that his officials did not intend to seek any penalties or fines from France over the postponed sale but instead would seek only repayment of the costs incurred on the Russian side if the sale were to fall through.
The problem with a China deal is that the ships have been built to Russian specifications. The first of the two, the Vladivostok, has already been taken on sea trials by Russian naval personnel, while the second ship, the Sevastopol, now also appears to be ready for sea trials.
Since the onset of the crisis in Ukraine, the French government has agonised over the €1.2 billion contract (£863 million, $1.3 billion). After tense negotiations, France succeeded in getting existing contracts excluded from the European Union's package of sanctions against Russia over its role in supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine.
With last September's deadline for the handover of the Vladivostok fast approaching, however, Hollande imposed two conditions necessary for the sale: a cease-fire in Ukraine and progress toward a settlement over Ukraine's future.
Both of these conditions are unlikely to be met before Russia pulls the plug on the deal. So a new buyer has to be found, or the ships could end up as scrap.
But there's a one problem with the theory: It would still cost hundreds of millions of euros to refit the ships to meet China's requirements.
businessinsider

France moots cancellation of Mistral warships deal

French president Francois Hollande suggested Wednesday (22 April) that France might not deliver its mistral warships to Russia but refund Moscow instead.
"On the Mistrals, all options will be addressed. At the moment, as I have said, the Mistral delivery is not possible in the current context," Hollande said at a press conference in Paris with Ukrainian president.
Hollande suspended the delivery of the first ship in September last year after the EU took sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the war in Ukraine.
The suspension was upheld "indefinitely" in November.
France and Russia have been discussing a settlement for some time and Putin opened the door last week to a compromise.
euobserver

France, Russia Negotiating Resolution To Mistral Deal

French President says talks with Moscow are being held to find a solution to the suspended delivery to Russia of two French-built Mistral warships.
France postponed the deal with Russia last year because of Moscow's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and involvement in the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has said it will seek a refund for the helicopter-carrying warships if they are not delivered.
Russian President said last week he was disappointed by France's refusal to deliver the warships but that their absence does not hurt his country's defense capabilities.
Hollande said the issue could be discussed with Putin when the two meet in Armenia on April 24.
rferl

Russia to Get 16 Ka-52 Attack Helicopters This Year

Russian will receive 16 Ka-52 attack helicopters this year.
The Ka-52 is Russia's newest attack helicopter, having only gone into service with the military in 2011.
The navy selected them to outfit two Mistral-class helicopter carriers ordered from France in 2011. However, Paris froze delivery of the ships last year due to Russia's alleged support of rebels in Ukraine.
The 16 helicopters are part of a larger contract for the delivery of 146 Ka-52 helicopters to the Russian military by 2020.
themoscowtimes

2nd Mistral Class for Russian Navy Ends First Sea Trial

The next sailing is due in mid-April. France is due to hand over the Sevastopol in the last quarter of 2015.
On Nov. 25, the French government suspended the delivery of the Vladivostok, which had been due for an official handover on Nov. 14 to the Russian authorities. The suspension was due to the continuing conflict in east Ukraine.
France had set two conditions for delivery: that the cease-fire in Ukraine be observed and Kiev and Moscow reach a political settlement.
In 2011, Paris sold the two vessels to Moscow, despite deep concern among the Baltic nations and allies in central Europe and the US.
defensenews

Russian Navy new Ka-52K Hokum B Naval Attack Helicopter Conducted its First Test Flight

Pictures have emerged on Russian social networks showing the first test flight of the new Ka-52K Naval Attack helicopter. Based on the Ka-52 "Alligator" the K version has been specifically modified for the Russian Navy to operate the helicopters from the Mistral class LHDs.
The navalised version of the Alligator features a folding rotor head and folding stub-wings. Other modifications are rumored to include the ability to launch Kh-31 and Kh-35 anti-ship missiles. Some reports also reported the installation of a Mig-35 fighter's Zhuk-A phased array radar in the nose of the Ka-52K.
The first test flight of the new Ka-52K took place on March 7. The helicopter features a dark gray camouflage. The inscription on the tailmeans it belong to the Russian Navy Naval Aviation.
The helicopter features four hardpoints under its wings. Similar to the land forces version, the Ka-52K is fitted with a GOES-451 optronic sensor under the nose and a 2A42 30-mm automatic cannon.
Intended originally to be deployed from the two Mistral class LHDs built in France, it is not clear what the Russian Navy will do if the two amphibious vessels are not delivered. Russian Ministry of Defence official have recently declared however that the Russian Navy has a need for Naval Attack helicopters and will use the Ka-52K regardless of the Russian Mistrals fate. It won't be possible for the Russian Navy to operate them from the future Ivan Gren-class landing ship (Project 11711). The Ka-52K will have to be shore based or deployed from Russian Navy's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.
Russia and France signed a $1.6 billion deal for two Mistral-class ships in June 2011. The handover of the first ship, the Vladivostok, was scheduled for November 14, but did not take place.
On November 25, French President Francois Hollande postponed the delivery of the Vladivostok to Russia over the situation in Ukraine.
navyrecognition

Mistral-class Sevastopol ship to undergo first sea trials March 16-20

The amphibious assault helicopter carrier of the Mistral class, the Sevastopol, will undergo the first sea trials on March 16-20 to check the navigation systems.
There will be no Russian sailors on board during the sea trials. Russian sailors who had taken a six-month course of instruction at the first ship of the Mistral class - the Vladivostok - have left St. Nazaire last December.
In February, the Sevastopol’s on-board equipment started transmitting the signal for the international Automatic Identification System, AIS.
The contract for building two Mistral class ships for the Russian Navy was concluded in June 2011. The first ship, the Vladivostok, launched in October 2013, was to be delivered to Russia back in November 2014. At the last moment Paris suspended the handover indefinitely saying the crisis in Ukraine was the reason. The Vladivostok has since remained moored in St. Nazaire. The Sevastopol is to be finalized by the end of this year.
Mistral landing helicopter carriers will perform four tasks at a same time: receive helicopters, land troops, and act as a command post and a floating hospital. Each ship will carry a group of 16 helicopters. Six of them can be deployed on the flight-deck at the same time. The cargo deck can accommodate more than 40 tanks or 70 motor vehicles.
Russia is buying the French helicopter carrier Mistral with French equipment, including combat navigation devices, but will arm it with its own weaponry. The Mistral ships will carry upgraded Russian Ka-32 Alligator attack helicopters.
tass

Russia Wants Formal French Answer on Mistral

The French procurement office Tuesday declined to comment on a report Russia has asked for a written statement on whether the Mistral class helicopter carrier will be delivered to Moscow.
Russia officially sent a written request to France for an explanation of the refusal to deliver the Mistral warship.
Russia has called on France to either deliver the Mistral or hand back the payment.
DCNS, prime contractor for the Mistral, organized an official handover of the Vladivostok on Nov. 14, the first of the two helicopter carriers bought by Russia.
France on Nov. 25 suspended the delivery and said the warship would only be released if a real cease-fire was observed in Ukraine.
defensenews

Mistral Warships delivery dependent on Ukraine situation, says France

French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said his country would deliver two warships ordered by Russia only if there were concrete signs of lasting peace in Ukraine.
Western powers have accused Russia of arming and bankrolling a rebellion in eastern Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies.
But sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States on Russia have complicated France's commitment to the 1.2 billion-euro deal to deliver the two Mistral-class warships - even though the order was made long before the crisis erupted.
"There needs to be ... a process of ceasefire that is respected and a political roadmap that would lead to the return of peace and calm," Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio station.
"I see that efforts are being made, but as long as they are neither tangible nor verifiable, we cannot make a decision," he added.
A September truce, followed by another ceasefire deal, has helped calm the heaviest fighting but clashes continue in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has reported the deaths of nearly 20 soldiers in the past three weeks.
The French government said late November that it was delaying delivery of the first warship, which was set for autumn 2014, "until further notice."
english

France: possible Russia may never get Mistral Class warships

France's defense minister suggested on Friday that two warships ordered by Russia may never be delivered because of its actions in Ukraine.
Last month, President Francois Hollande suspended the delivery of the first of the ships "until further notice" due to tensions over Ukraine. It was the second postponement of the delivery.
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a TV interview Friday that the delivery may never happen if the situation doesn't change.
The sale of the two helicopter carriers would be the biggest arms transaction by a NATO country to the Kremlin.
bigstory

France delays delivery of Mistral warship to Russia 'indifinitely'

French President François Hollande delayed indefinitely on Tuesday his decision on whether to deliver the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers ordered by Russia citing the "current situation" in eastern Ukraine.
The statement follows months of speculation about the contract, with Paris coming under intense pressure from its NATO allies to scrap the contract.
The Vladivostok was supposed to be the first of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers delivered to Russia according to the original deal signed in 2011.
The ships, which were built in the western French port city of Saint-Nazaire, were scheduled to be delivered to Russia by the last quarter of 2014.
The concern in France, which is suffering from record-high unemployment and stagnant growth, is that it not only loses the receipts from this sale but also that its credibility as a weapons exporter is compromised.
Russia has reportedly warned Paris of "serious" consequences unless France delivers the first of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers by the end of November.
However, Russia's Deputy Defence Minister Yuri Borisov told RIA news agency on Tuesday that Russia would not pursue claims against France over non-delivery, but expected the contract to be fulfilled.
france24.com

Russia Gives France End of November Deadline to Deliver Mistral

Russia will give France deadline until the end of November to deliver the first Mistral-class helicopter carrier and will make serious legal claims if Paris does not fulfill its contract.
Russian Deputy Minister Dmitry Rogozin said earlier that Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport had been invited to France to attend the official handover ceremony of the first Mistral carrier on November 14.
Russia and France signed a deal for the two Mistral-class ships in June 2011. While the first carrier, the Vladivostok, is expected in Russia by the end of the month, the second ship, the Sevastopol, is supposed to arrive in 2015.
The deal has been in jeopardy after the West started implementing economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis. French President in October threatened to suspend the deliveries of the ships, citing Russia’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
On November 6, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that the conditions for the delivery of the Mistral carriers to Russia have not yet been met.
In its turn, Moscow stated that if the contact was cancelled, Paris would have to pay a large penalty. Russia also said that if anything goes wrong, the country would be able to build an analogue to the Mistral by itself.
sputniknews

Russia Willing to Wait Until End of Year On Mistral Deal

Russia is willing to wait until the end of the year for France to make good on the delivery of the first ship in two hull amphibious warship deal that has been held up since September.
Quoting an unnamed defense industry official, a news service said Russia was taking a wait and see approach with France’s suspension of the delivery of the two Mistral-class warships.
The first ship — Vladivostok — was supposed to be delivered to Russia in October but the transfer was suspended in September.
However, since then ultimate fate of the shipbuilding deal has been an open question and France has done little clarify its conditions other than saying there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“The conditions have not today been met for delivering the [first] Mistral,” Finance Minister told France’s RTL radio in late October, following the release of an alleged letter from shipbuilder DCNS to the Russian agency Rosoboronexport giving a date for the transfer agency.
On Thursday, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls repeated the Hollande administration position in a press conference in Belgrade.
As to what will happen if the deal doesn’t get completed by the end of the year is also unclear.
usni.org

France Denies That It’s Ready to Deliver Mistral Class Warship to Russia

President François Hollande’s government disputed on Thursday a Russian claim that France was preparing to hand over the first of two Mistral-class warships to Moscow in mid-November.
“The conditions have not today been met for delivering the Mistral,” Finance Minister Michel Sapin told RTL radio. Those conditions, he said, are a return to normalcy in Ukraine and “that Russia play a positive role there.”
He spoke a day after RIA Novosti, a state-controlled news agency in Russia, quoted the deputy prime minister, Dmitri O. Rogozin, saying that Moscow had received an invitation to take delivery of the first helicopter carrier Nov. 14. The report said the invitation, to Rosoboronexport, the Russian organization responsible for importing military goods, also included one to attend the so-called floating-out ceremony for the second.
In 2011, France signed a deal to build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy. The agreement, calls for the first warship to be delivered in 2014. The ships carry helicopters, troops and landing craft, and they would give Russia the ability to carry out invasions across its neighboring seas.
France’s allies have been at best ambivalent about the deal. Robert M. Gates, the former United States defense secretary, had tried to dissuade the Sarkozy administration from helping to modernize the Russian military. Mr. Hollande has sought to honor the contract to preserve jobs at the STX France shipyard in the port city of St.-Nazaire. But Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March and its encouragement of separatists in eastern Ukraine have made it politically impossible to hand over the ships without a significant de-escalation of tensions.
DCNS, the French contractor responsible for building the warships, sought to clarify the situation in a statement Thursday morning. The company said it was “still awaiting the required export authorization to be granted by the French government.”
nytimes

France to Deliver First Mistral to Russia Around Mid-November

The ceremony for France handing over to Russia the first Mistral helicopter carrier will occur in mid-November of this year.
Earlier in September, French President threatened to suspend the deliveries of the ships over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
In October, Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov claimed that Moscow will sue France in case the obligations on the Mistral carriers are not fulfilled. Last week, the Russian Navy said the country is not dependent on France on the issue and is capable of building similar warships on its own.
defencetalk