Mistral-class amphibious assault ship

BPC Dixmude (L9015) in Jounieh Bay, Lebanon 2012.
Class overview
Name:	Mistral class
Builders:	STX Europe DCNS
Operators:	Marine Nationale  Egyptian Navy
Preceded by:	Foudre class
Cost:	€451.6m(FY 2012) (~US$600m)
In commission:	December 2005 – present
Building:	2: Vladivostok, laid down for Russia in February 2012, Undergoing sea trials; Sevastopol, laid down for Russia in June 2013
Planned:	5–7
Completed:	5
Active:	Mistral, Tonnerre, Dixmude Gamal Abdel Nasser
General characteristics
Type:	Amphibious assault ship
Displacement:	16,500 tonnes (empty) 21,300 tonnes (full load)
Length:	199 m (653 ft)
Beam:	32 m (105 ft)
Draught:	6.3 m (21 ft)
Installed power:	3 Wärtsilä diesel-alternators 16 V32 (6.2 MW) + 1 Wärtsilä Vaasa auxiliary diesel-alternator 18V200 (3 MW)
Propulsion:	2 Rolls-Royce Mermaid azimuth thrusters (2 × 7 MW), 2 five-bladed propellers
Speed:	18.8 knots (35 km/h)
Range:	10,800 km (5,800 nmi) at 18 knots (33 km/h) 19,800 kilometres (10,700 nmi) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried:	4 CTM (chaland de transport de matériel) alternatively, 2 LCAC (Landing Craft, Air Cushion)
Capacity:	59 vehicles (including 13 AMX Leclerc tanks) or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion
Troops:	900 (short duration) 450 (long durations) 150 (serving as operational headquarters)
Complement:	20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 quarter-masters
Sensors and processing systems:	DRBN-38A Decca Bridgemaster E250 navigation radar MRR3D-NG air/surface sentry radar 2 optronic fire control systems
Armament:	2 × Simbad systems 4 × 12.7 mm M2-HB Browning machine guns
Aircraft carried:	16 heavy or 35 light helicopters
Aviation facilities:	6 helicopter landing spots

Mistral, Tonnerre, Dixmude

The Mistral class is a class of three amphibious assault ships, also known as a helicopter carrier, of the French Navy. Referred to as "projection and command ships" (French: 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 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, and Dixmude. A deal for two ships for the Russian Navy was announced by then French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 24 December 2010, and signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and French Defence Minister Alain Juppé in the presence of Sarkozy on 25 January 2011. On 3 September 2014, French President François Hollande announced the postponement of delivery of the first warship, Vladivostok, due to the Russia–Ukraine crisis. On 5 August 2015, President François Hollande and Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that France will pay back partial payments and keep the two ships initially produced for the Russian Navy; the two ships were later sold to Egypt.