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Maritime Security
AAD2014: DCNS markets the Mistral 140 in Africa
French shipbuilder DCNS is offering a smaller variant of the Mistral amphibious assault ship at the AAD exhibition in Pretoria, South Africa.
Despite a model of the Mistral 140 being prominently displayed on the DCNS stand, company representatives refused to speak to the media.
This version of the Mistral displaces 14,000t compared to the 21,500t of the full-sized BPC (Bâtiments de Projection et de Commandement) version built for France and, until recently, Russia. The variant is known as BPC 210.
Details were sparse, but the model shows five helicopter spots and a length of 170m – the full-size Mistral has six spots and a length of 199m. There are naval guns positioned on the left of the stern and at the right end of the bow with heavy machine gun posts on either side.
There is a floating dock at the stern for LCM and LMU landing craft and there are four alcoves (two on either side) for the launch of rigid inflatable boats. A crane is positioned amidships behind the superstructure and looks slightly different to earlier images of the 140 that show additional smaller superstructure elements behind the main tower. Other specifications may have changed too.
The model has medical containers added on the deck in place of two helicopter spots adjacent to the tower. Propulsion is provided by two azimuth pods and a bow thruster and is likely to have an all- electric propulsion system like its larger sister.
Mistral 140 is 30m-wide and has a range of 6,000nm at 15kt. There is space for ten helicopters in total and it has a 400m2 joint operations centre for a command staff. It has accommodation for about 500 troops and can hold over 30 vehicles and a 30-bed hospital.
DCNS calls the Mistral 140 ‘a political tool for civilian and military action’ and lists the roles of the vessel as being used for humanitarian and peacekeeping operations; crisis management; force protection; a joint HQ command ship; medical and logistics support; and the transport of military forces.
There are requirements for helicopter-capable support ships, particularly in South Africa, but the cost of the standard Mistral BPC 210 is too expensive. Countries less likely to engage in combat operations need something more like a multi-role support or logistics ship.
To tap into this market, the 140 appears to be a downsized, less warlike option that can meet these requirements whilst remaining affordable. DCNS also has a Mistral160 variant on offer.
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