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Russia, Egypt discuss contract to supply equipment for Mistral warships

Equipment that Egypt needs differs from that manufactured for using helicopter carriers as part of Russia’s Navy, the manufacturers representative says

MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. Russia and Egypt discuss details of a contract to supply Cairo with communication and control systems for Mistral-class helicopter carriers, but no final decision has been made, a representative of the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC) that manufactures this equipment said on Monday.

"The talks are underway involving Rosoboronexport [Russia’s arms export agency] on supplies to Egypt of communication and control systems for Mistral helicopter carriers," said the representative of UIMC, which is part of Russia’s Rostec state corporation.

"There is serious progress, it is highly probable that the ships will have Russian-made equipment, but there is no final decision so far. Details of the contract are being discussed," he said.

Equipment that Egypt needs differs from that manufactured for using helicopter carriers as part of Russia’s Navy, he said. "Today there is clear understanding that our production structures can implement this order in due time meeting all the demands of the foreign customer."

The equipment that was already manufactured has been fully dismantled and taken to Russia, he added. Some equipment was sent to training centers and the other to a Russian naval base.

Russia ordered the Mistral-class helicopter carriers from France in summer 2011. However, in 2014 Paris froze the delivery of warships to Russia amid the Ukrainian conflict. Late last year, Russia and France reached an agreement on terminating the contract, after that the Mistral warships were purchased by Egypt.

Under the deal, Moscow got the money and Russian equipment installed on the vessels back, and France could use the warships at its own discretion. Paris paid Russia 949 million euros for the Mistral contract cancelation, and the overall sum of payment exceeded 1 billion euros, French media reports said.