Monday, May 24, 2010

Russians are ready to build the Mistral. Which one?



Ria Novosti is reporting that the Russians are ready to build Mistral class vessels.  Read it here.  My question is ...Which one?  I never realized but in the video above, the Mistral comes in 4 different classes.  From a small 16000 tons to a large 21000 tons version.

In the end it really makes little difference, but the implications are clear.  The Russians are trying to get into the power projection game and they seek to have the ability to have a sustainable presence whenever they decide to project that power.  

The Russian military has a powerful airborne force which makes this move even more telling.  Sustainable power arrives by sea...not by air.  We should remember that fact.