Fresh from annoying their colleagues in NATO by entering into initial discussions to supply Mistral class helicopter carriers, the French are now looking to license Russian production of advanced night vision equipment to equip the Russian T-90 tank :

Russia has received the technology for the production of night vision devices for armored vehicles from France. The contract was signed by Rosoboronexport and French company Thales. The night vision devices for T-90 tanks will be manufactured under license at an optical-mechanical plant in Vologda. The country is prepared to purchase weapons overseas only coupled with the technology.

“Under the contract, Russia has the right to assemble thermal imaging systems for armored vehicles under license in Vologda, with the subsequent maintenance,” said Igor Sevastyanov, head of the government company. The sum of the contract signed in Paris earlier is not specified, RIA Novosti reports.

The center for manufacturing of the night vision equipment for tanks T-90 has been already created at the Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant. The center is to be opened in July of 2010.

The second contract signed with French partners is for the supply of communication units for Russian armed vehicles. “The first contract provides for the transfer of technology to Russia that will now be able to produce thermal imagers under license at Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant. The second contract allows Russia to temporarily import communication units for integration into the Russian armored vehicles for testing purposes. The third contract is a procurement contract,” quotes the agency.

Thales is a longtime partner of Rosoboronexport that has been supplying Russia with avionics for the equipment made in Russia. The company exports equipment and onboard systems for MiG-21, MiG-29, Su-30 MKI, Su-30 MKM, T-90 tanks, combat vehicles BMP-3 and many other systems.

Apart from reaction from the small Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who know all too well how Russia behaves towards it’s neighbours, the reaction from the rest of NATO has been muted to say the least :

Since last summer the Russian government has been discussing the purchase of a Mistral class amphibious landing ship from the French. The idea is to purchase one ship from the French St Nazaire shipyards and then have another four or five license-built in Russia. The talks have progressed and the French and Russians are close to completing the first major Western arms sale to Russia since 1945.

The Mistral has impressive capabilities. It is essentially a light aircraft carrier that carries 16 large helicopters, four landing barges, seventy vehicles and a battalion of soldiers. The planned group of Mistrals would completely alter the balance of naval power in the Black Sea or Baltic in favour of Russia. In case of a replay of the 2008 conflict in Georgia, the Russians could now land a reinforced heavy armour brigade anywhere along the Georgian coast and destroy the Georgian forces in short order. The Black Sea nations such as Georgia, Moldavia and Romania are understandably concerned. If such a force were deployed to the Baltic Sea, the Baltic States and Finland would certainly see it as a direct threat.

Surprisingly, however, the reaction of NATO nations to a proposal that will likely make the world a much more dangerous place has been worryingly muted. In the U.S. the Republicans have threatened a resolution in Congress to express disapproval, but that is largely a meaningless gesture. U.S. Defence Secretary Gates visited Paris on February 8 and expressed his “concern,” but beyond this bland statement he did not make an issue of the French weapons sales. Even though the deal has not been finalised, there is little real pressure by the larger NATO nations on France to scrap the deal.

A case of the French being French it seems. No wonder Groundskeeper Willie described them as Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys!