Mistral-class Amphibious Assault Ship

The Mistral-class is a class of three amphibious assault ships, also known as a helicopter carrier, of the ][Marine Nationale|French Navy]] and Russian Navy. Referred to as "projection and command ships" (bâtiments de projection et de commandement or BPC), a Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 NH90 or Tiger helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 vehicles including 13 AMX-56 Leclerc tanks, or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion, and 450 soldiers. The ships are equipped with a 69-bed hospital, and are capable of serving as part of a NATO Response Force, or with United Nations or European Union peace-keeping forces.

Three ships of the class are in service in the French Navy: Mistral, Tonnerre, Dixmude and Gascogne. A deal for 2 ships for the Russian Navy was announced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on December 24th, 2010, and signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and French Defence Minister Alain Juppé in the presence of Sarkozy on January 25th, 2011.

Specifications

 * Type: Amphibious Assault Ship
 * Service Period: 2006-Present (France); 2015- (Russia)
 * Characteristics:
 * Length: 653 feet (199.03 meters)
 * Beam: 105 feet (32 meters)
 * Draught: 21 feet (6.4 meters)
 * Displacement: 18,190 tons (Empty); 23,480 tons (Full Load)
 * Capacity: 59 vehicles (including 13 AMX-56 Leclerc tanks) or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion
 * Crew: 160 (20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 quarter-masters)
 * Propulsion:
 * 3 x Wärtsilä diesel-alternators 16 V32 (6.2 MW) + 1 x Wärtsilä Vaasa auxiliary diesel-alternator 18V200 (3 MW)
 * 2 x Rolls-Royce Mermaid azimuth thrusters (2 × 7 MW)
 * 2 x 5-bladed propellers
 * Range: 5,800 nautical miles (10,742 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h); 10,700 nautical miles (19,816.4 kilometers) at 15 knots (27.78 km/h)
 * Speed: 18.8 knots (34.82 km/h)
 * Troops: 900 (short duration); 450 (long durations); 150 (serving as operational headquarters)
 * Sensor Suite:
 * DRBN-38A Decca Bridgemaster E250 navigation radar
 * MRR3D-NG air/surface sentry radar
 * optronic fire control systems x 2
 * Armament:
 * 2 x Simbad systems
 * 4 x 12.7 mm M2-HB Browning machine guns
 * Aircraft Carried: 16 heavy or 35 light helicopters
 * Aviation Facilities: Six helicopter landing spots

Marine Nationale

 * MN Mistral (L9013)
 * MN Tonnerre (L9014)
 * MN Dixmude (L9015)
 * MN Gascogne (L9016)

Russian Navy

 * MN Vladivostok
 * MN Sevastopol
 * MN Petropavlovsk
 * MN Unnamed