Russian MoD Signs Contract for Two Project 23900 Helicopter Carriers LHD


The Russian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the Kerch shipyard Zaliv for the construction of the first two Russian universal landing ships (UDC) for a total amount of about 100 billion rubles. This was reported by TASS a source in the military-industrial complex.
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Russian MoD Signs Contract for Two Project 23900 Helicopter Carriers LHD 925 001Illustration picture of Mistral-Class helicopter carrier Sevastopol in Saint-Nazaire port, France (Picture source: Tass)


“The contract has been signed, its total cost is about 100 billion rubles. The laying of the ships should take place in the coming weeks,” the source told TASS.

TASS does not have official confirmation of contract information. The press service of the Zaliv plant told TASS that the company was technically ready to build helicopter carriers in the interests of the Russian Navy, but noted that they did not have information about the deal and the timing of laying the ships.

The contract covers the construction of two LHDs of project 23900 developed by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau (ZPKB), which is a part of JSC Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation (SKAB), for the Russian Navy in Kerch. The latter also controls LLC Shipyard Zaliv.

Navy Recognition previously reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry was planning to sign a contract for the construction of the first two all-purpose amphibious assault ships by late April.


Russian MoD Signs Contract for Two Project 23900 Helicopter Carriers LHD 925 002Rendering of the new Project 23900 LHD (Picture source: JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau)


About Project 23900:

The first details on Project 23900 developed by ZPKB first surfaced during a visit of President Vladimir Putin to an exposition devoted to the future for the Russian Navy development in Sevastopol on January 9, 2020.

As TASS sources in the shipbuilding industry reported earlier, the displacement of ships of a new class for the Russian fleet will be 25 thousand tons, with a maximum length of about 220 meters. One Russian UDC will carry more than 20 heavy helicopters on board, will receive a docking chamber for landing boats and will be able to transport up to 900 marines.

Universal landing ships, also called helicopter carriers, are capable of carrying a group of heavy helicopters for various purposes, transporting from several hundred to 1 thousand marines; they are equipped with a dock for boats, transport armoured vehicles. Ships of this class were previously in the Russian Federation, and before that, they were not built in the USSR.


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