Egypt does not yet ask Rosoboronexport to supply Russian hardware for Mistral-class helicopter carriers
MOSCOW. Oct 27 (Interfax-AVN) - Rosoboronexport does not rule out that Egypt, which is deemed to be a potential buyer of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers built in France on Russian orders, may wish to buy Russian hardware and Kamov Ka-52K helicopters for these ships.
"If a contract is signed between France and Egypt, it will be an agreement between the two countries. If Egypt asks for equipping them with Russian hardware and to buy Russian helicopters Kamov Ka-52K, which would be logical, we will respond to this request and meet them halfway. But no official requests have been made as of yet," head of the arms exporting company Anatoly Isaikin said at a press conference on Tuesday.
A supplement to the French-Russian contract for the delivery of the Mistral ships specified the terms of a contract termination, among them the dismantlement of Russian hardware, he said.
"Our teams are doing the dismantlement works together with French specialists onboard those ships. Once the dismantlement is done, the French side will be free to use the ships any way it wants," Isaikin said.
Russian Presidential Administration head Sergei Ivanov told reporters earlier that Egypt was likely to need additional Russian hardware and helicopters for the Mistral ships procured from France, and the total sum of the contract might reach $1 billion.