Story by TASS Russian news agency
“Our two versatile amphibious assault ships are significantly different from those projects that were earlier planned on the basis of the French-made Mistral ships,” Mistakhov said.
“Taking into account that the ships will operate both in warm and northern seas, they will meet the requirements for the Arctic. They will be able to sail in ice-covered seas, being led by an icebreaker,” he added.
According to the Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation’s head, the Russian helicopter carriers surpass the French ships by principal dimensions.
“Our ships considerably differ from the Mistral in terms of width, height, draft, functions, habitability, capacity, and amphibious assault means,” Mistakhov said.
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About Project 23900 LHD
Zaliv Shipyard in Kerch laid the Ivan Rogov (factory # 01901) and the Mitrofan Moskalenko (01902) universal amphibious assault ships designed by Zelenodolsk Bureau of AK BARS Corporation.
The displacement is over 20000 tons. The ship is 204 meters long and the draft is over 7 meters. It can carry a thousand marines and 75 hardware units, and up to 16 helicopters. The dock of the ship can keep six landing boats.
Sources told TASS in November 2019 that the new amphibious assault ship can carry over 20 helicopters and two reinforced marine battalions of 900 men. They said the displacement will be 25000 tons and the length close to 220 meters.
The Russian amphibious assault ships resemble French Mistral. They have a through flight deck for helicopters and an island superstructure in the starboard. It carries two masts for radars and two funnels.
Mistral uses rudder-propeller units. The Russian ships have a traditional rudder-propeller group, according to the poster displayed in January 2020 at a show in Sevastopol.
Images published by Business Online show Ka-27 and Ka-52K helicopters on the deck of project 23900 ships. It is highly likely that the ships will be armed with Pantsir-M air defense guns and rotating Paket-NK SM-588 launchers with 324mm antitorpedoes.
Sources told TASS in April 2020 the two universal amphibious assault ships of project 23900 will cost close to 100 bln rubles. The lead ship is to be handed over to the Navy in 2026 and the second one on 2027.