2nd Mistral Warship to Be Complete in 2014 – Vice Premier

MOSCOW, June 23 – Russia’s second Mistral-class, amphibious assault ship will be complete in October 2014, a deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry said Sunday, adding that the first Mistral would enter the nation’s fleet this October.

Speaking live on national television network NTV, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin added that construction of the stern for the first such helicopter-carrying warship would finish at St. Petersburg’s Baltiisky shipyard within two or three days.

Early last week, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said the stern might not be completed within deadline, but Rogozin days later refuted that remark, saying: “The ship will be ready on time.”