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An agreement is thought to have been reached between Russia and China under which the former will construct Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) in China. This much is assumed from a piece entitled "Russia Steals an International Defense Contract from Ukraine" on Russian online news site Vzglyad.
The contract was originally signed by China and Ukraine. The ships were to be constructed at Feodosiya Shipyard in Ukraine under an agreement with the state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry, according to a Russian shipbuilding industry source cited in the article. Now, it seems, Russia's state-run Rosoboronexport will be responsible for the project.
Ukraine does not have exclusive rights to build and sell the air-cushioned craft, as the technology belongs to Russia, according to the online paper. In order to prevent protests from Russia, Ukraine made slight adjustments to the landing craft and renamed it the Project 958 Zubr LCAC from its previous designation of Project 1232.2. Under the terms of the contract, last spring Ukraine delivered two of the craft to China.
Vassily Kashin, senior research fellow at the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said in an interview with Russian media that the country had previously engaged in negotiations with China over the sale of the hovercraft. The Russians were pushing for a bigger sale in terms of both price and the amount of ships, which led the Chinese to turn to Ukraine.
Kashin said that the terms provided by Russia in the deal are currently secret, but that the deal involves cooperation on shipbuilding. It will be unlikely that China's fleet only comprises four LCAC and that it is likely to mass produce the ship, he added.
Chinese military analyst Li Jie said in an interview with China's Global Times that although there has been no confirmation from either country, the comments by the source cited by the article are likely accurate. Regardless of how the situation between Ukraine and Russia changes, China is keen not to affect the import of the equipment and technology, he added.
As to the rights to the Zubr craft, China has refused to take a position on the issue. Regardless of its country of provenance, or what its designation, China will just be happy to get its hands on a fleet of the craft.
The Zubr-class is the largest air-cushioned landing craft in the world and it can reach a speed of 60 knots. It can carry 500 soldiers, three tanks or ten ground combat vehicles. According to Li Jie, it is the best in the world of its type, able to carry a load far surpassing that of similar US air-cushioned ships. As the craft is suited to combat on islands and reefs, the craft may be deployed in missions to assert China's territorial claims in the disputed East and South China seas in the future.
There has been friction between China, Ukraine and Russia over Ukraine's deal with China for 4 Zubr LCAC, according to the Chinese-language Canadian military affairs magazine Kanwa Defense Review.
Ukrspetsexport, a Ukrainian state-owned arms trading company, is hoping that the remaining US$14 million will be handed over to them. Russia on the other hand is calling for the remaining sum to be paid directly to the Feodosiya Shipyard, located on the disputed Crimean peninsula, which Russia now controls.
China would likely prefer to pay the Crimean shipyard directly, according to the report. Ukraine has lost its ability to build the air-cushioned craft as a result of the Crimea crisis and China can only get the technology, maintenance and training it needs from the Crimean shipyard.
