Project 23900 amphibious assault ship
The Project 23900 "Ivan Rogov" is the newest class of Russian amphibious assault ships (LHDs) intended as a replacement for the French , two of which were ordered by Russia in 2011, but that France refused to deliver in September 2014 due to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. A contract was signed on 22 May 2020 for the construction of two Project 23900 LHDs with a displacement of 40,000 tons. The construction is led by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau, which is a part of JSC Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation, and the first vessel should be  launched by 2023 and commissioned by 2025. Previously, the Lavina (), and Priboy () designs were proposed by the Nevskoe Design Bureau and Krylov State Research Center as the replacement for "Mistrals". Project 23900 is also a successor class to the unrealized Soviet Project 11780 LHD program. History. "Priboy" and "Lavina" designs were first revealed in June 2015 during the "ARMY-2015" military-technical forum, as a replacement for the two undelivered "Mistral"-class vessels ordered by Russia in 2011 under a $1.3 billion contract. However, due to the Western sanctions against Russia, the French refused to proceed with the delivery and the  deal was suspended in 2015. France subsequently returned to Russia the deposit paid for the construction of the two vessels. Both vessels were later sold to the Egyptian Navy. On 25 May 2017, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov stated that the construction cycle of new Russian helicopter carrier would last at least four years and the first such ship will be completed by 2022. In June 2017, Vice President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Igor Ponomarev said the "Priboy" helicopter carriers were implemented in Russia's New State Armament Programme for 2018–2025 and that the construction of the ships  could be carried either by Severnaya Verf, Baltic Shipyard or Sevmash. In July 2017, a member of the Russia's State Duma Dmitry Belik announced, the lead ship of the class will be named "Sevastopol", after the city of Sevastopol. The cost for the ship is to be about RUB40 billion ($675 million), and its construction would begin after approval of the New State Armament Programme for 2018-2025. On 11 September 2019, it was reported that the first and second vessel of the class will be laid down in May 2020 at Zaliv Shipyard, Crimea. On 22 May  2020, according to a TASS news agency report, the Russian Defence Ministry had signed a RUB100 billion deal for the construction of two universal landing ships (LHDs), the construction of which will take place at the Zaliv Shipyard in Crimea. The two vessels should be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2026 and 2027, respectively. On 20 July 2020, during the laying down ceremony, the names of the first two ships were officially revealed. The ships were named "Ivan Rogov" and "Mitrofan Moskalenko", the same as two already decommissioned vessels. On 28 February 2021, it was reported that the shipbuilders  had begun to build the hulls of two future amphibious assault ships. It was also reported that construction was going on schedule, that the displacement of each of them will be 40,000 tons, and that the ships will be able to carry up to four Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B drones, to both perform strike missions and to perform target designation for the hypersonic Zircon missiles launched from other ships. On 11 October 2021, it was reported that "Mitrofan Moskalenko" will become the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. Infrastructure facilities initially intended for the second "Mistral"-class vessel are being prepared  in Sevastopol, scheduled to be ready by the time the LHD is commissioned. Design. "Lavina" was the first designation for the class, revealed at the «ARMY-2015» military-technical forum, and stands for the heavier variant designed by Krylov with a displacement of about 24,000 tons. "Priboy" used to refer to the lighter variant designed by Nevskoe, and displacing about 14,000 tons. However, based on images showed to Vladimir Putin at January 2020 exposition devoted to the future for the Russian Navy, the two Project 23900 LHDs ordered for the Russian Navy appear to be a design derivative from the French  , having similar architecture and dimensions. The Project 23900 will be even larger and displace about 40,000 tons. On 20 July 2020, at the official ceremony for the laying down of the Project 23900, a computer-generated image was showcased to represent the warship. Based on that image, the design of Project 23900 looks like a hybrid between the Lavina and the "Mistral". On 14 December 2021, it was reported that the Project 23900 LHDs will be able to carry strike and reconnaissance drones, which will greatly enhance the helicopter carriers' combat capabilities. On 6 January 2022, it was reported that  the amphibious assault ships will be armed with mine warfare unmanned surface vessels, which will detect, identify, and destroy sea mines. This will prevent the vessels from relying on the support of minesweepers, allowing them to independently fulfil missions in blue waters. Export. Krylov has also proposed an export version of the Priboy design, dubbed "Priboy-E". Ships. Italics indicate estimates