PARIS, July 31. /TASS/. French authorities will take a decision [on the issue of delivery to Russia] of the Mistral class helicopter carriers before the end of summer, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Friday after a ministerial council meeting at the Elysee palace.
He said important decisions on this matter would be made by the end of August. He did not give any details.
An article published by the Kommersant daily said the forfeit penalty will total €1.2 billion. The Kremlin refuses to disclose any details of agreements that may or may not have been reached.
Russian presidential aide for military and technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin earlier told TASS Russia was discussing only the sum of compensation for France’s refusal to deliver the amphibious ships and a final document would be signed soon. The Mistral-type helicopter carriers have a displacement of 21 tonnes, the maximum body length of 210 metres, the speed of 18 knots and the range of up to 20,000 miles. The helicopter carrier can accommodate 450 people in addition to its crew of 180. It carries 16 helicopters, of which six can be simultaneously stored on the flight-deck. A compartment in the cargo deck can accommodate more than 40 tanks or 70 motorised vehicles. Mistral helicopter carriers are capable of performing four tasks at the same time: receive helicopters, land troops, and act as a command post and a floating hospital.
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