SEVERODVINSK, July 29. /TASS/. Technical specifications for the domestic versions of France’s Mistral-class helicopter carriers have been prepared, Russian Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bursuk said on Friday.

"The Navy has already prepared the technical assignment," Bursuk said, responding to the relevant question.

Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) said earlier the USC had the potential to develop the domestic version of Mistral-class amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy but had not received any such requests yet.

The 1.12 billion-euro contract for the construction of two Mistral-type helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy was signed in June 2011.

Under the contract, Russia was expected to receive the first of the two warships, the Vladivostok, in the autumn of 2014. However, Paris suspended the ship’s handover to Russia at the very last moment over Moscow’s stance on developments in neighboring Ukraine.

It was planned that the second ship dubbed the Sevastopol would be handed over to Russia in the second half of 2015. But the deal was suspended like in the case with the first Mistral ship.

 In August 2015, Russia and France severed the Mistral contract.  

It was reported that France had paid Russia slightly less than 1 billion euros in compensation for its failure to deliver the helicopter carriers. Soon after that, the Mistral-class ambiguous assault ships originally designated for the Russian Navy were purchased by Egypt - the relevant contract was signed in Cairo in October 2015.

The Mistral-type helicopter carriers have a displacement of 21 tons, the maximum body length of 210 meters, 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 motorized 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.