Russia, France may declare procurement of Mistrals 'in the nearest days' – AFP

(Rusnavy) : Russian and French officials may announce purchase of Mistral class helicopter carriers by Russia "in the nearest days", reports Agence France-Presse referring to a French source involved in the sale.

"The talks must result in the decision till the current year is over. The issue of technology transfer is no longer a problem", said the source.

The Kremlin's press service refused to comment this information.

Chief of the General Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov said on Tuesday that decision on Mistral would be made not later than in 2010.

According to French media, Mistral class assault landing ship may cost EUR 400-500 mln. The construction will be carried out by STX France (former Chantiers de l'Atlantique) in Saint-Nazaire. French naval group DCNS will be the partner. At present, there are two ships of this class in French Navy – Mistral and Tonnerre.

Displacement of assault landing ship Mistral is 21,000 tons; length overall is 210 meters; max speed is over 18 knots; fuel range is up to 20,000 miles; crew is 160 plus up to 450 marines; air group consists of 16 helicopters, six of them can be simultaneously placed on the flight deck.

Initially, Russia planned to buy one Mistral class carrier from France, and to build three ships in Russia under license. It was reported after a while that the talks were held under the scheme "2+2" providing that two ships would be imported and other two – built in Russia.