Source: DTN News /
Ria Novosti(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, 
Russia - July 16, 2010: The Russian Defense Ministry has effectively dismissed the idea of buying a South Korean warship in place of a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, a Russian business daily reported on Thursday.
According to Kommersant, the United Shipbuilding Corporation proposed the purchase of a $650 million Dokdo helicopter carrier from South Korea.
In a letter to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, USC CEO Roman Trotsenko said his corporation could buy a license to build a Dokdo-class ship at a Russian shipyard within three years.
The Defense Ministry is skeptical about the ability of Russian shipyards to build such ships in principle or their ability to build them on time, Kommersant wrote.
"The USC's proposal merits attention, but then you can declare just about anything," a ministry spokesman told the paper.
Commenting on the Kommersant report for RIA Novosti, an USC executive who insisted on anonymity confirmed that Trotsenko had indeed sent a letter to Serdyukov.
"I confirm that such letters were sent to Navy chief Vladimir Vysotsky and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov a long time ago, but we have not as of yet received a reply," the executive said.
He said Dokdo-class ships (designed and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries) were a more cost effective proposition than the Mistral.
The USC has complained to the Federal Antitrust Service about the Defense Ministry's reluctance to allow Russian shipyards to compete with foreign shipbuilders on an equal footing, but the service has dismissed its complaints, saying state arms procurements did not fall within its purview.
ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) is the lead ship of the LPX class of amphibious landing ships of the Republic of Korea Navy, commissioned into the ROK Navy in July 2007, with specifications comparable to the French Mistral-class ship Russia is negotiating the purchase of.
The Mistral class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 armored vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 personnel.
Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.
Russia - July 16, 2010: The Russian Defense Ministry has effectively dismissed the idea of buying a South Korean warship in place of a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, a Russian business daily reported on Thursday.
According to Kommersant, the United Shipbuilding Corporation proposed the purchase of a $650 million Dokdo helicopter carrier from South Korea.
In a letter to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, USC CEO Roman Trotsenko said his corporation could buy a license to build a Dokdo-class ship at a Russian shipyard within three years.
The Defense Ministry is skeptical about the ability of Russian shipyards to build such ships in principle or their ability to build them on time, Kommersant wrote.
"The USC's proposal merits attention, but then you can declare just about anything," a ministry spokesman told the paper.
Commenting on the Kommersant report for RIA Novosti, an USC executive who insisted on anonymity confirmed that Trotsenko had indeed sent a letter to Serdyukov.
"I confirm that such letters were sent to Navy chief Vladimir Vysotsky and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov a long time ago, but we have not as of yet received a reply," the executive said.
He said Dokdo-class ships (designed and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries) were a more cost effective proposition than the Mistral.
The USC has complained to the Federal Antitrust Service about the Defense Ministry's reluctance to allow Russian shipyards to compete with foreign shipbuilders on an equal footing, but the service has dismissed its complaints, saying state arms procurements did not fall within its purview.
ROKS Dokdo (LPH 6111) is the lead ship of the LPX class of amphibious landing ships of the Republic of Korea Navy, commissioned into the ROK Navy in July 2007, with specifications comparable to the French Mistral-class ship Russia is negotiating the purchase of.
The Mistral class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 armored vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 personnel.
Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase, and some believe that Russia simply wants to gain access to advanced naval technology that could be used in the future in potential conflicts with NATO and its allies.Related News
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*France’s Mistral amphibious assault ship visits St. Petersburg
*France's Mistral amphibious assault ship
*Putin says purchase of Mistral warship is a good deal for France
Intelligence Online, a Web site that monitors global security affairs, noted when Abdallah toured the United States, Canada and France in June his 200-person entourage didn't include anyone from the defense ministry even though his talks in Washington involved arms procurement.
Abdallah was accompanied by his sons, Mansour, Mohammed and Mashour, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and Prince Miqrin bin Abdulaziz, director of the General Intelligence Presidency, the principal Saudi intelligence service.
Abdallah appointed Miqrin, his younger half-brother, to that powerful and prestigious post on Oct. 22, 2005, part of the monarch's shake-up of the Saudi intelligence establishment only weeks after Abdallah succeeded King Fahd, another half-brother who died Aug. 1 that year after a lengthy illness.
"Abdullah's advisers, who used to take a back seat in arms deals negotiated by the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, have stepped into the breach caused by the deteriorating health of Prince Sultan and are taking charge not only of procurement but also the appointment of military commanders," Intelligence Online said.
In recent weeks, Abdallah appointed Gen. Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Ayish, as commander of the 20,000-strong air force, one of the most potent in the Arab world.
Ayish had been commander of the vast King Khalid air base at Khamis Mushayt near the Yemen border in the southwest since 2007. Before that he had been in charge of the executive committee that monitored the al-Yamamah contract between Saudi Arabia and Britain signed in 1985.
Under that landmark deal, at the time considered the biggest arms contract ever, the Saudis bought 96 British Aerospace -- now BAE Systems -- Tornado strike aircraft, 50 Hawk trainers, 50 Pilatus PC-9s and other hardware in exchange for 600,000 barrels of oil a day. It involved massive commissions for Saudi officials.
BEA Systems said in 2005 that it had earned $66 billion over 20 years from these deals, and could earn $60 billion more.
In August 2007, the Saudis ordered 72 Eurofighter Typhoon strike aircraft from BAE Systems worth $8 billion. Overall, with associated services and maintenance, the contract could reach as much as $10 billion.
One of the topics Abdallah discussed with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington was the sale of up to 72 advanced-model Boeing F-15 Eagle strike aircraft worth around $10 billion.
Israel wants to block that, claiming it would erode its military's qualitative edge that successive U.S. administrations, including Obama's, have vowed to maintain.
Abdallah reportedly had hoped to sign an agreement in principle to purchase the F-15s, which, with the 154 the Saudi air force already has, would give Riyadh a strong force to confront Iran, its regional rival and nuclear wannabe.
Obama wants to build up the military power of Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies against Iran but may be reluctant to ignore the Israelis' request at a time when relations between the two longtime allies has been strained.
But a substantial new F-15 sale, on top of a major upgrade of the Saudis older F-15s, would be a big boost for Boeing, whose military aircraft sales are expected to dip.
The F-15, its main military aircraft, barely sells any more and the company is promoting a new stealthy variant, the F-15 Silent Eagle, as an alternative to the problem-plagued F-35 Joint Strike Fighter being developed by Lockheed Martin.
"In another sign of the royal Cabinet taking defense matters into its hands, all of the Saudi defense 
Under the contract, Lockheed will provide logistics support to troops around the globe, from aircraft and vehicle maintenance to electronics help.
The contract was awarded by the U.S. military's special operations command.
Lockheed will repair and maintain special operations aircraft, ground vehicles, weapons and electronics. It will also manage parts and warehouses, and upgrade secure computer networks.
