Samurai chooses a sword
Article 9. Sincerely striving for international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever reject war as the sovereign right of the nation, as well as the threat or use of armed force as a means of resolving international disputes.
2. To achieve the goal indicated in the previous paragraph, land, sea and air forces, as well as other means of war, will never be created in the future. The right to a state of war is not recognized.
Constitution of Japan
As noted on the official website of the Ministry of Defense of Japan, the refusal of war, as a means of international politics, does not deprive Japan of the right to self-defense, therefore, despite the strict restrictions enshrined in the Constitution, Japan has a large and well-equipped army. Many of the bans imposed on Japan after World War II are still in effect, although they are no longer being implemented as rigorously as before. Japan deprived of offensive weapons: bomber aviation, ballistic and tactical cruise missiles. There is still a ban on classic aircraft carriers - all the forces and means of the Naval Self-Defense Forces are focused on the tasks of air defense and anti-submarine defense. The operational codes of Japanese warships usually contain the letter D (defense - defense, English), but the Japanese fleet has sufficient capabilities to conduct military operations against ship groupings in order to gain dominance in the sea and ocean areas adjacent to the coast of the Japanese islands, blocking torrential zones of the Sea of Okhotsk, the Japanese and East China Seas, the implementation of amphibious landing operations and the provision of support to ground forces in coastal directions.
Japan's Ground Forces Self-Defense Forces is a modern army that is armed with 900 major military tanks, hundreds of artillery systems (including 155 mm self-propelled guns), multiple launch rocket systems, 80 Cobra and Apache attack helicopters. Experts note the high saturation of the army with anti-aircraft missile systems (from the Patriot long-range air defense systems to the Hawk and Stinger short-range air defense systems).
The Air Force Self-Defense includes 260 combat aircraft, including X-NUMX F-157J fighter jets (built under license in Japan). Much attention is paid to the tactics of aviation, the Air Force contains 15 DRLO aircraft, including 17 heavy aircraft of the Boeing E-4 radar patrol.
Due to the fact that in the 2007 year, the United States refused to sell the fifth-generation F-22 fighter to Japan, the Japanese military leadership decided to develop a fifth-generation Mitsubishi ATD-X.
Ships that surprised the world
Since its creation in 1952, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces slowly but steadily gained strength, becoming one of the most powerful military fleets in the world by the beginning of the XXI century. The naval force of the Self-Defense Forces includes 50 squadron destroyers and frigates of various types, 18 diesel engines, submarines, 5 landing ships, 7 missile boats, 80 anti-submarine aircraft R-3 "Orion", 4, E-aircraft ER-E-NNXXX, EB-E-NNXXX aircraft, EB-E-NNXXX, EB-XNXXX, EE aircraft, EN XXXX, anti-submarine aircraft, X-NUMX, Oriental, 3, 60, anti-aircraft -60J, 30 anti-submarine helicopters HSS-2B, 10 helicopters, minesweepers MH-53E, as well as 90 training aircraft.
At the beginning of the 70s, the composition of the Naval Self-Defense Forces of Japan was replenished with 2 unusual ships - destroyers of the Haruna type. It is difficult to say how the Japanese sailors were guided in choosing the appearance of the future destroyer - it could be purely practical considerations (the anti-submarine defense task then was very acute, given the number of submarines in the Pacific fleet Navy of the USSR). Or maybe the Japanese were nostalgic for the glorious times of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, when his invincible aircraft carriers crushed the American fleet in a vinaigrette, inflicting severe wounds on the United States in Pearl Harbor, the Philippines and the Coral Sea. However, judge for yourself:
The armament of the new ship included a 2 highly automated 127 mm caliber artillery mounts deployed along a longitudinally elevated pattern in the nose of the destroyer (licensed copies of the American naval gun Mark 42 5 "/ 54, firing rate - 40 rpm / min.) Before rubbing an eight-charge launcher was installed to launch ASROC anti-submarine rocket-torpedoes, allowing to hit underwater targets with high accuracy at a distance of 9 km. To destroy submarines in the immediate vicinity of the ship, matrivalos having two triple torpedo 324 mm caliber (12,75 inches).
The destroyer stern looked really unusual - the rear part of the superstructure was a huge helicopter hangar, and the entire aft part turned into a spacious flight deck. On the ship could simultaneously be based three heavy anti-submarine helicopters "Sea King". Of the added amenities there was a substantial supply of aviation fuel and a wide range of ammunition for onboard helicopters. All the main tasks of the military service were assigned to rotary-wing machines, and not to rocket or artillery weapons, as was customary on other destroyers.
The helicopter destroyers of the Haruna type implemented a concept similar to the one adopted during the creation of the Soviet anti-submarine cruisers of the Moscow type (1123 project). Only with the difference that the Japanese ships were smaller in 3; Haruna’s full displacement was 6300 tons - like a large modern frigate.
Despite the strictly limited size, the Japanese engineers managed to achieve acceptable ride quality and ocean range. At full speed, the Haruna’s boiler-and-turbine plant produced a hp on the 70 000 shaft, accelerating a small ship to 32 nodes.
In 1986-1987, the ships were upgraded, during which anti-aircraft armament was installed - the eight-charge launcher of the SiSperrow and 2 anti-aircraft guns of the Phalanx. As a result, the Haruna turned into a truly balanced large anti-submarine ship.
Over the 30 years of combat service, both the Khun-type helicopter carrier destroyers proved to be reliable and efficient ships. At the beginning of the 80-s, 2 of the same class of ships of the same class were put into operation - the destroyers of the Sirane type, a modernized version of the Harun, similar in weaponry and size. Currently, Haruna and its Hiei sistership are excluded from the fleet and dismantled for metal.
"Peaceful Soviet tractor"
The experience gained in the creation of Haruna has not disappeared without a trace. 18 March 2009, the squadron destroyer of the “Hyuga” type entered into service (sometimes there is the “Hyuga”, here, alas, I am not strong in Japanese phonetics). The thunderbolt full displacement of 18 000 tons bashfully called a helicopter destroyer, although here the Japanese clearly bent. The dimensions and appearance of the “Hyuga” correspond more to the light aircraft carrier; this type of helicopter carrier became the first in the post-war stories Japanese warship with a solid flight deck. Many people point out that the dimensions of the Hughugi flight deck allow him (or her? Hyuga — the historical name of the Miyazaki prefecture) to take vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, such as the AV-8B Harrier II or the promising F-35B. The future will show how these statements are true; a dozen Harrier attack aircraft are based on ships of similar size, for example, the Italian light aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
On the other hand, dimensions cannot be decisive - according to the American DD (X) project, new Zamvold-type URO ships, with a total displacement of more than 13 000 tons are assigned to the class of destroyers. Soviet sailors of the Second World War would be very surprised to learn that their destroyer of the 7 project by modern standards is not a destroyer at all, but a corvette (displacement of 2500 tons). The increase in the size of destroyers is a constant process throughout the twentieth century (they started with the 400-ton destroyers of the Russo-Japanese War and finished the Orn Berkas 10 000). Therefore, we will leave the linguistic exercises on the Japanese conscience and will try to determine for ourselves who Hyouga really is.
Well-tailored ship 18 000 tons full displacement (standard displacement - 14 000 tons), with a solid flight deck and underdeck hangar, between which runs two lifts.
What can? Main weapon "Hyuugi" - his wing. Typical composition - 10 ... 15 helicopters, depending on the task. For example, in version seven of the anti-SH-60J "Seahawk", five heavy transport MH-53E "Super Stallion" and three MCH-101. All tasks for the detection and maintenance of submarines, and the defeat of surface and submarine targets are assigned to helicopters.
In addition, the helicopter carrier is equipped with a Mark-41 vertical launcher on 16 cells, each of which houses 4 anti-aircraft missiles RIM-162 ESSM (effective firing range - 50 km, ZUR speed - 4M), ideally - 64 ZUR for protection against airplanes and anti-ship missiles, but usually several cells are occupied by ASROC-VL anti-submarine rocket-torpedoes. Of the other self-defense systems on the "Hyuga", two anti-aircraft guns "Phalanx" and 324 mm anti-submarine torpedoes were installed.
All weapons are controlled by the OYQ-10 BIUS and FCS-3 radar with a phased array, which are the Japanese version of the Aegis system.
"Hyuga" is not a "killer of aircraft carriers" and is not created for World War I using nuclear weapons, but its weapons are fully capable of repelling any provocation by the DPRK or China. The Japanese themselves are positioning their “pseudo-avian carrier” as an anti-submarine ship of the ocean zone. The presence on board of a multifunctional CICS and command center means another mission of the destroyer-helicopter carrier - the flagship / control ship.
Of considerable interest is a comparison of the capabilities of the future Russian amphibious helicopter carrier Mistral (the first ship for the Pacific Fleet, the Vladivostok, has already been laid at the Saint-Nazaire shipyards). “Mistral” is more 21 000 tonnes versus 18 000 tonnes “Japanese”), however, the French-Russian and Japanese helicopter carriers are very similar to each other.
"The projection ship force" Mistral "was created to deliver personnel and equipment to the desired point on the globe, while the ship itself remains outside the zone of military operations, low combat stability does not allow the" Mistral "to approach close to shore - the landing force is carried ashore by amphibious boats and by helicopters, at this time the universal landing ship dock performs the functions of a command post of various types of landing forces, serves as a floating hospital and a base for attack helicopters.
The combat stability of the Japanese helicopter carrier is also low, however, it can act more decisively in the war zone due to the presence of a set of self-defense weapons and 1,5 times a higher speed of travel (it makes 30 nodes for Hyogo; while "Mistral" does not allow moving faster than 18 nodes).
From the strengths of the "Mistral" - the presence of a deck for armored vehicles (although it is designed for cars with a mass of no more than 32 tons and does not allow to take MBT). The future Russian ship is equipped with a docking chamber for receiving tank landing boats and high-speed means of delivering Marines personnel to the shore. There is nothing similar on the “Hyuga”, only helicopters are out of vehicles.
A major flaw in the Mistral is the absence of any serious means of self-defense - MANPADS and machine guns only protect the ship from primitive means of attack and saboteurs. On the other hand, negotiations are still under way on the supply, together with Mistral, of the promising combat information-control system “Zenit-9” of French production, which will give Russian developers direct access to the best world technologies in this field. New Russian missile systems "Caliber", "Redut", CRAB "Palash" are ready for serial production and their installation on the "Mistral" should not cause any problems, especially the "Mistral" is clearly to be a radical redesign of the project in connection with specific the conditions of the Russian Navy - ice reinforcement of the hull, the development of new lifting mechanisms and changing the openings of the lifts according to the weight and size characteristics of Russian helicopters; Uba. Of the other significant changes, the abandonment of the natural ventilation of the hangar deck (the North Sea people are clearly not happy about the openings on board the ship), which entails the creation of a forced ventilation system - very difficult on such a scale. In short, the Russian Mistral series will be seriously different from the original.
And what about the Japanese? In addition to the two Hugue-type helicopter destroyers in service, Japan is developing a new project, Heisei 22, an even larger aircraft carrier with a full displacement of 27 000 tons.
Specifically, there is little information on the Heisei 22 destroyer, it is only indicated that the ship will have a length of 248 meters, and on its decks 50 trucks and 400 paratroopers (or equivalent load) can be accommodated. Accordingly, the wing will increase.
A far from peaceful destroyer-helicopter carrier is being created in response to the appearance of plans by China for the creation of classic nuclear aircraft carriers. Japan has another serious adversary, the DPRK, which has repeatedly proved that it can move from threats to action. And, of course, Russia, with which Japan has an unresolved issue on the Northern Territories (the islands of the Kuril Ridge).
Russia is great, but there is no place to put a helicopter
Use the Japanese experience in creating light aircraft carriers for Russia is not acceptable. At a lower cost in 3, Hyuga is an order of magnitude inferior in terms of combat capabilities to large classic aircraft carriers - a small air group (10-15 machines), the absence of long-range radar detection aircraft, modest (compared to Nimitz) ammunition and aviation fuel stock make the idea "Light aircraft carrier" absolutely not attractive. Japan is forced to create such strange constructions - this is imposed on it by the restrictions set forth in the Constitution. Russia has no such prohibitions, so the construction of light aircraft carriers is not an effective way to spend money. And to develop an aircraft carrier fleet - only in the form of classical nuclear aircraft carriers.
On the other hand, in the concept of "helicopter destroyer" there is a rational grain. Many experts agree that the helicopters used as the main strike force of the Hyuuga give the ship increased flexibility in the use of its weapons, which most closely meets the requirements of modern conflicts. A helicopter destroyer can be used as an anti-submarine ship, fire at surface and ground targets, paratroop groups of special forces in the zone of military conflicts and cover them with fire, be used as a transport ship for the delivery of military and humanitarian supplies. Hyuga has great potential for conducting search and rescue operations, and the presence of helicopters of minesweepers on the wing of the wing allows the use of Hyuga as a mine-sweeper.
In the future, when creating new Russian warships of the “destroyer class” class, it may be worthwhile to take a closer look at Hugo and create something similar for the Russian Navy. The armament of the Russian destroyer can be rebalanced in the direction of increasing the role of rocket weapons and tactical cruise missiles (Japan has a problem with this - OTP is banned), while maintaining a numerous wing. The presence of several destroyers of this type in the composition of each of the fleets of the Russian Navy can significantly increase the power and flexibility of the use of military ships.
Mark-41 Universal Launcher Cells
Anti-aircraft machine Mark-15 "Falanx" caliber 20 mm
To reduce the inertia of the installation, even the gear housing has been removed.
Lift
Helicopter hangar
Information