The Egyptian authorities announced, on Sunday, the arrival of the "Mistral" helicopter carrier to Libya, to work as a field hospital to support those affected by the hurricane, in the midst of the aid provided by Cairo since the beginning of that humanitarian disaster.
A statement said, "This comes in implementation of the directives of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to continue providing immediate support and humanitarian relief to the state of Libya."
Military observers and experts told Sky News Arabia that sending the Mistral aircraft carrier on its first official mission to Libya is of great significance, given the large equipment it has, and to further assist in providing relief to those affected by the current crisis.
This comes at a time when the death toll from the floods in the city of Derna in eastern Libya has risen to 11,300 people, according to what the United Nations announced, while official authorities and international organizations have estimated that there are 10,000 missing people so far, with efforts intensified to find them.
Special specifications "Mistral"
Egypt owns two Mistral helicopter carriers, the first of which was named “Gamal Abdel Nasser” in June 2016, then the second “Anwar Sadat” in September of the same year, from France, as part of a deal worth one billion dollars. .
The ship's displacement is about 21.5 thousand tons, and it has the capacity to transport 16 heavy attack helicopters, or 35 light helicopters.
In addition to transporting 70 combat vehicles, including 13 main battle tanks or 40 tanks, in addition to mainly 450 personnel.
It includes 4 "specialized amphibious landing vehicles" that transport personnel and vehicles from ship to shore and vice versa.
Mistral contains a naval hospital spread over an area of 900 square metres, accommodating two operating rooms, and an x-ray room attached to it equipped with the latest generation of radiological scanners for radiological scanning operations.
The hospital also includes ultrasound imaging operations, a dental department, 20 patient rooms, and 69 medical beds, including 7 beds designated for intensive care.
It includes a dedicated command center with an area of 850 square metres, which can accommodate up to 150 command and staff members.
The command center contains a very advanced naval tactical information system responsible for collecting information from all the ship’s sensors to manage battles, and satellite communication systems, which creates an integrated climate for command work.
It has a multi-tasking three-dimensional air and sea survey radar, capable of performing the tasks of searching, tracking, identifying and classifying all air and sea targets and identifying targets for weapons. It has the ability to resist intense electronic interference and can monitor targets with a low radar cross-section, such as cruise missiles.
It is possible to stay at sea for up to 70 days by sailing at limited speeds.
The tasks of the Mistral-class warship include: carrying out sea landing operations, carrying out strategic sea transport work, carrying out evacuation missions and providing logistical support work to stricken areas, acting as a joint command center at sea, and managing search and rescue work for lives at sea.
Egyptian message
The former head of the reconnaissance agency and advisor to the Nasser Military Academy, Major General Nasr Salem, said in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia that what Egypt is doing towards Libya is a message of confirmation of their common destiny. This is Cairo’s national duty towards its brothers, especially since what decisions The Egyptian President took it as an expression of the feeling of the entire people.
He added: “Egypt has previous experience in the field of relief, and therefore it was quick to provide assistance immediately to our brothers in Libya after coordinating with the Libyan authorities. The Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Osama Askar, quickly went to coordinate providing all aspects of support to confront the repercussions resulting from the hurricane, and opened... An air bridge to transport logistical support began with 3 military aircraft carrying medical and food supplies and 25 rescue crews.”
Regarding the significance of sending the “Mistral” helicopter carrier to Libya, “Salem” explained that it was notable at the beginning of that crisis that the directive to prepare “Mistral” to work as a field hospital, especially since its main equipment includes the presence of a field hospital, and it is also capable of carrying a lot of aid and equipment. Search and relief, and its importance lies in the rapid transfer of this aid by sea, without any burdens on the Libyan authorities in light of the current circumstances.
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