Russia has brokered a deal with France to buy at least two warships, angering the U.S. and other NATO countries.

The deal, which took 18 months to negotiate, is worth an estimated $1.3 billion, and it has raised alarm in some Eastern European countries.

This is Russia's first contract with a NATO country as well as its first major military purchase since the end of the Cold War.

Production will begin in western France in 2011 with completion of the first ship scheduled for 2013 and the second in 2014.

The Los Angeles Times reports the following details about the Mistral-class helicopter carriers:

The amphibious assault ships being sold to Russia — it may buy as many as four — can hold 16 helicopters, dozens of tanks, 70 armored vehicles and 450 troops for up to six months. For shorter periods, the number of troops rises to 700.

The vessels can also carry landing barges and hovercraft, allowing for the rapid deployment of vehicles, tanks and soldiers from ship to shore, enhancing Russia's control over coastal regions and striking power in conflicts like the one with Georgia in 2008.

There are a 69-bed hospital on board, two-bed cabins for the sailors and a fully equipped sports hall. When the French sent a Mistral to St. Petersburg in November 2009 to shop it to the Russians, Le Figaro newspaper reported that one French sailor described it as the "Rolls-Royce of warships."

France beat out Dutch, South Korean and Spanish firms for the contract.