French Warships in Caspian

Baku / 02.10.18 / Turan: The representative of the marketing department of the French Naval Group, Philippe Darsch, gave an interview to the ASTNA analytical service in Baku.

Naval Group is a leading European company for the construction of military ships, developing unique technologies with the help of 13,429 specialists working in it.

"In service with the French Navy since 2012 is a high-class multipurpose patrol ship OPV 90 (Offshore Patrol Vessel), created by the Naval Group, and this vessel interested the Navy of Azerbaijan. More than 3 years ago we received a request from the Azerbaijani side regarding this vessel; it"s for the needs of the Azerbaijan Navy and we propose to build such vessels in Baku (the entire construction cycle, starting from metal cutting)," Philippe Darsch told ASTNA.

The OPV 90 ship has a platform of 140 square meters, a wide panoramic view, a helicopter landing pad for 10 tons and a hangar for a 5-ton helicopter.
In the lower part of the deck (aft ramp) there are 2 rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) for operational maneuvers. Such indicators demonstrate the enhanced capabilities of the ship. Such characteristics are also in the French ship.

"This is a vessel of a new generation, with many innovations, and this project is our first project of cooperation with the Republic of Azerbaijan; we hope for its successful implementation," Darsh said.

At the request of the Navy of Azerbaijan, the ship is provided with additional functions: in its nose part there is an installation with anti-ship missiles, an air defense installation, and a device to counter electronic "war".

From the side parts the ship is equipped with stabilizing wings to ensure its increased stability in the event of storms.

The ship is equipped with the Polaris combat control system, which gives the watch officer a complete picture of the tactical situation and has a communication module that allows data to be exchanged with other ships.

The ship can cover distances up to 6 thousand miles (12 thousand km), and the life of such a ship is about 30 years.

Creating one such vessel in Azerbaijan can take up to 38 months.

"We already had similar experience of cooperation with Malaysia and Egypt, when companies of these countries built ships themselves, but according to our project and technology.
We are waiting for a final response from the Azerbaijani authorities on the basis of active negotiations. I note that the OPV 90 ship can be upgraded, that is, it has broad prospects for use. We look forward to long-term cooperation with Azerbaijan," added F. Darsh.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev during his visit to Paris in the summer of 2018 and talks with the leadership of France instructed the experts to specify the aspects of military-technical cooperation between the two countries and activate it.

On October 11-12, the French President will visit Yerevan. According to unofficial data, after that he will visit Baku. Consultations are also expected on military-technical cooperation. -0-