ENS Anwar El Sadat

ENS Anwar El Sadat heading to Alexandria after a joint naval exercise with the French Navy, October 2016
History
Russia
Name:	Sevastopol
Ordered:	June 2011
Builder:	STX France Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, Saint-Nazaire, France United Shipbuilding Corporation Baltiysky Zavod shipyard, St. Petersburg, Russia
Laid down:	18 June 2013
Launched:	20 November 2014
Status:	contract cancelled
Egypt
Name:	Anwar El Sadat
Namesake:	Anwar Sadat
Acquired:	16 September 2016
Homeport:	Alexandria
Identification:	L1020
Status:	In service
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Mistral-class amphibious assault ship
Displacement:	16,500 tonnes (empty) 21,300 tonnes (full load) 32,300 tonnes (with ballasts)
Length:	199 m (653 ft)
Beam:	32 m (105 ft)
Draught:	6.3 m (21 ft)
Installed power:	3 × Wärtsilä 16V32 (3 × 6,200 kW (8,300 hp))
Speed:	18.8 knots (34.8 km/h; 21.6 mph)
Range:	10,800 km (5,800 nmi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) 19,800 kilometres (10,700 nmi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Armament:	Former Russian armament: 2 × 3M-47 Ghibka surface-to-air missile turret 2 × 30 mm AK-630 4 × DP-65 antisaboteur grenade launchers
Aircraft carried:	Former Russian aircraft: 8 × Kamov Ka-52K attack helicopters (Naval version of Ka-52 which is under construction) 4 × Kamov Ka-29TB transport helicopters 4 × Kamov Ka-27P ASW helicopters.
Aviation facilities:	Helicopter deck and hangar

ENS Anwar El Sadat (L1020) is an Egyptian Navy amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier, of the French Mistral class. It was originally built in France for the Russian Navy as part of a contract for two of these warships and underwent sea trials. The contract with Russia was subsequently cancelled by France and an agreement on compensation was reached with the Russian government. Egypt and France eventually concluded a deal to acquire the two warships for roughly 950 million euros. Egypt is considered the first and only country in Africa and the Middle East to possess an aircraft carrier of such type.

The Russian government placed an order for this and another warship in 2011. The construction of these ships would be shared between both countries, with France building about 60 percent and Russia 40 percent. Work started in Saint-Nazaire, France, on 18 June 2013, and in the Russian Baltiysky Zavod shipyard in St. Petersburg on 4 July 2013. Russia would send its parts to France for final assembly. The ship was originally expected to join the Russian Navy in 2015. After final assembly of the main structures in France the ship was then scheduled to go to St. Petersburg, Russia, for the outfitting of additional Russian-specific weapons and subsystems.

The Russian acquisition of these two French Mistral-class amphibious assault ships was considered to be the largest defense deal between Russia and the West since World War II.

In 2014, as criticism of Russian intervention in Ukraine grew, France came under increasing pressure to cancel or suspend the delivery of the two Mistral-class hulls, tentatively named Vladivostok and Sevastopol. Some commentators suggested France try to find alternative customers for the two vessels. In August, 2015, the two governments reached agreement on terms for cancelling the contract; France would keep the ships and fully reimburse Russia.

On 7 August 2015, a French diplomatic source confirmed that President Hollande had discussed the matter with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his visit to Egypt for the inauguration of the New Suez Canal in Ismailia. Subsequently, in October 2015, Egypt and France concluded a deal to acquire the two formerly Russian-bound warships for roughly 950 million euros, which included the costs of training Egyptian crews. Speaking on RMC Radio, Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Defence Minister, said that Egypt had already paid the whole price for the helicopter carriers.