MISTRALs to Canada?

[designeraccd]

from a Naval Blog.........


Canada to Buy Mistrals?
I'm stealing GvG's bit, so don't be surprised if he has a more thorough account of this:


Canada has expressed a "strong interest" for the purchase of two vessels of the Manufacturer's DCNS Mistral class, read The Tribune Friday.
DCNS, controlled at 75% state and 25% by Thales, "is currently exploring the shipyards, particularly in Quebec, for industry associations to contract, after the green light Canadian government," wrote the daily.

He said the two ships would be manufactured locally and the group would seek a signature in 2012.

A spokesman declined to DCNS comment.

Good news for the French. Not so long ago the Canadians were giving thought to purchase of a San Antonio class LPD. Guess that's not going to work out. In ten years, at least three important navies could be operating Mistrals. Obviously there are a couple of interesting stories here, the first being the persistence of interest in middle navies for big amphibs, and the second being the ongoing problems created by difficulties in the LPD-17 construction process.
Interesting.............DFO ;)

[Brian Wentzell]

There is little chance that Canada will purchase one or more Mistrals. The Canadian government has asked a German and a Spanish shipyard for their existing "in service" AOR designs with the intent to consider the construction of two or three Canadianized versions of the successful design in Canada under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

It therefore appears that the two 40+ year old Preserver Class will be replaced by vessels of similar capabilities. This will satisfy naval logistic needs but not provide a rapid deployment capability for either special forces or more traditional army elements or disaster assistance forces. A better solution could be achieved if Canada acquired the rights to build a version of the new Dutch JSS but that is another story.

Brian

[dpoidy]

Another little bit to this story, hope are goverment does something soon as our ships are getting "long in the tooth"

http://naval.review.cfps.dal.ca/forum/view.php?topic=21

[Brian Wentzell]

Update: There seems to be a bit of shift in naval thinking in Canada. The current Commander of the RCN said recently that there is a need for a ship that is more capable than the existing fleet to provide humanitarian support and conduct military operations with army forces. One can conjecture where this leads but the Mistral started to prove itself as a flexible ship in the recent Libyan campaign and so has HDMS Absalon in her recent CTF 150 operations in the Gulf of Aden.

I would not try to read too much into this but Absalon features could be worked into the new Canadian surface combatant design. A Mistral or Dutch Rotterdam type could be the "third" support ship wished for by the RCN.

Brian

[Blackfly]

I thought it was going to be a Canadian version of the German Berlin Class to be built in BC?

[Brian Wentzell]

Blackfly: Logic and current politics would say you are right. There is, according to popular belief, insufficent money for a third Berlin or any joint support ship. So, the dilemma is where does the money come from for a third ship-additional funding is not likely in the next five years. Money could be taken from the surface combatant program or, if an Absalon type solution were adopted, the combatant could be designed to produce a sub-class with similar features. There is also a shortage of sailors so the RCN would have to grow and that takes time if the fleet is to be enlarged.

The USN have two Whidbey Island LPDs going surplus and one could, in theory, be leased as an interim solution but their crew size and age work against that being a viable alternative.

Ultimately, the politicians will decide the issue. There is a need for Canada to have an over the shore capability that meets semi-permissive access requirements. The existing fleet does not have that capability except in a very limited way in the Protecteur Class.

Brian