Tuesday, September 9, 2014

France Delays Sea Trials Of Russian Warship



French Sea Trials Of Russian Warship Suspended: Source -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A forthcoming sea trial of a French-built Mistral helicopter carrier due to be delivered to Russia has been suspended for technical reasons, a source close to the matter said on Tuesday.

Under pressure from allies, France said last week that it wanted to see whether a ceasefire between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces held before deciding whether it could deliver the ship as planned on Nov. 1.

A nine-day sea trial with Russian sailors on board was due to start on Wednesday.

Read more ....

More News On The Russian - French Mistral Deal

France to decide on Mistral deliveries to Russia in late October — minister -- ITAR-TASS
Russia Says it Could Build its Own Mistral Warships -- Moscow Times
Industry and Trade Minister: Russia Sees No Problem in Producing Own Mistral-Type Ships -- RIA Novosti
Mistral ship deal suspension won’t affect Russian military doctrine — minister -- ITAR-TASS
French Warship Delay Helps Russian Hawks -- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

My Comment: I expect Russia will (in the end) receive the Mistral helicopter carrier that it ordered. But after the completion of this contract .... I doubt that Russia will make any future purchases from France on any major military procurement.

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