Is it possible to replace the Sokol from the late Gorbachev with the Owl from seasoned Putin
This book contains information about stories creation,
device and service of some of the most unusual ships
Soviet and Russian fleets - small anti-submarine
hydrofoil ships under the common code "Falcon".
The ships were designed in the period of the highest prosperity
Soviet naval power, but, unfortunately,
entered service at its end during the crash
great country, which predetermined them
fate not marked by important events.
"Falcon hunting"
device and service of some of the most unusual ships
Soviet and Russian fleets - small anti-submarine
hydrofoil ships under the common code "Falcon".
The ships were designed in the period of the highest prosperity
Soviet naval power, but, unfortunately,
entered service at its end during the crash
great country, which predetermined them
fate not marked by important events.
"Falcon hunting"
Is a replacement possible?
Yes, during the period of the heyday of the Soviet naval power, the country could afford both nuclear submarine titanium Lira, and heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers with VTOL aircraft, and even the “Caspian monster”! I don’t want to believe that now we are only able to gleefully giggle over the billion-dollar failures of the Americans in the form of destroyers of the Zamvolt type.
The borrowed idea from the book "Falconry" and the author's sincere attempt six years ago to develop it in the article "The highest class of the fourth rank" on our resource has only grown stronger over time and has now become more material and tied to our reality. And the conditional renaming of the project cipher is nothing more than the author's abstract associations of representatives of the feathered world with real IPCs, corvettes and frigates in comparison with the future Owl, which will be better than them and "see" the airspace, and "listen" to the depth.
In addition, the material was worked out under the great impression of Comrade Andrei Gorbachevsky's articles on the radar armament of the future, the ideas, calculations and solutions of which I refer to in my work.
The concept of a small hydrofoil corvette (MKPV) is proposed for the court of an indifferent reader, the distinctive features of which will be high speed, universal weapons and a single radar complex (ERLC).
After Sweden and Finland join NATO, and Ukraine and Georgia become candidates for membership in the European Union, it becomes completely clear: in order to look for enemies in the European theater of operations, one does not have to go over three seas. Therefore, in modern realities, the redundancy of the concept of a universal destroyer of the Leader type by 18 kilotons and, probably, even the hope for an increased project 22350M by 8–9 kilotons becomes clear in modern realities.
Our ships on the European theater of operations should go beyond the coastal air defense umbrella and aviation will be contraindicated. Just as mother nature and the environment dictate the conditions for the survival of the animal world, so the economic, political and military situations force us to face the truth. And the truth is that universal small corvettes should come to replace the dead missile cruiser and the steadily aging missile boats, MPKs and RTOs.
Six years ago, the author proposed a ship hull made entirely of titanium, for which he was subjected to justified criticism. The reality is that the relative prices of titanium are not getting any lower, and until recently the foreign aircraft industry still consumes up to 40 percent of this Russian resource. So, in one aircraft from the "Boeing" model 777 there is up to 50 tons of titanium. One hundred tons of this metal will be enough to make the hull and hydrofoils for the Russian corvette. Now, after all, Russia cannot buy two planes from our own metal for any candy wrappers, but it should become a reality to build two hulls a year.
Buy and process 200 tons of titanium per year for the needs of the Russian fleet should not become an unbearable burden for the budget with today's super profits from the sale of oil, gas and grain. Given the fair criticism, even the superstructure of the ship can now be made of carbon fiber or fiberglass. The technologies were mastered during the import substitution of the production of a wing for civil aircraft and the construction of non-magnetic hulls for project 12700 minesweepers.
Why titanium? The mechanical strength of titanium is about twice that of pure iron, and almost six times that of aluminum. It was the unacceptably low strength of the aluminum case that put an end to the rather successful service of the MPK-220 Vladimirets. The authors of the book call it nothing more than fragile, adding juicy details about replacing the aluminum-magnesium alloy brand with a less durable one during the construction process, unlike the prototype.
Getting 18 holes in the bucket of the 13th shipyard in the closed Sevastopol Bay from a floating crane torn off the mooring lines by the wind, which is only twice as heavy as the ship itself, speaks of the extreme weakness of the aluminum hull of the warship. Moreover, the crane did not require repairs at all, and it still works properly in Sevastopol; and it was not a collision on the move, both participants in the incident were immobilized, only a gale in a closed bay! Here is the data from the original source: the thickness of the bottom sheathing sheets is 8 mm; board - 6 mm; lower deck - 3 mm; upper deck - 5 mm.
The density of the aluminum-magnesium alloy AMG-61 is 2,65 grams per cubic centimeter, with a purely speculative experiment of replacing the case material with titanium (density 4,54 g/cm3) we get an increase in the weight of the structure by 1,66 times, mind you, not even twice. On the other hand, the hull becomes almost six times stronger, and titanium is practically armor, which is important for a warship.
If you go from the opposite, performing the task of designing a similar hull made of titanium, subject to all the requirements of the strength of materials and GOSTs of military shipbuilding, it is even possible to make it easier with an increase in design loads. Let's add to the sixfold superiority in strength and three times higher melting point, which is important in connection with the frequent fires, both on ships and in shipyards.
Titanium has an incomparably higher anti-corrosion resistance, which will significantly save on the frequency of case maintenance and paintwork materials during operation. In the end, this material for the hull will guarantee that the following quote will not apply to our ship:
“And there are cracks. Just cracks in the hulls of Independence-class ships, due to which aluminum trimarans simply cannot reach speeds of more than 15 knots and go to sea with a wave of more than 2,5 meters or 5 points on the Beaufort scale.
The allowable combination of a titanium hull with a superstructure made of carbon fiber or fiberglass together provide good prerequisites for improving the non-magnetic quality of the ship, its low radar visibility, achieving high cruising and maximum speeds, and high project efficiency during operation.
In addition to materials, two more nuances should work for stealth technology. As can be seen from the figures, when creating the ship's hull, only two values of the angles of inclination of the outer planes are used to the maximum - 12 and 6 degrees, both from the vertical and from the horizontal (hull planes that do not affect speed and seaworthiness; slope of the upper deck; superstructure planes and antenna-mast complex; increased dimensions of solid bulwarks, designed to shield the inevitable joints at an angle of large structural elements and platforms of artillery weapons).
In addition, unlike its predecessor, all the daily activities of the crew are maximally transferred inside the hull, which made it possible to eliminate through passages along the sides along the upper deck and increase the volume of internal space. The torpedo and missile weapons of the ship are also securely hidden behind the hull panels. Probably, it makes sense to recall the availability of the use of radar-absorbing coatings and camouflage painting.
In order to justify the cost of creating a lightweight and durable titanium hull, we need to try to maximize the inherent potential, turning it into real advantages of our warship over potential opponents. And above all, such an advantage should be high speed. The movement of a ship on hydrofoils is many times more economical than in a displacement mode, but the process of entering it is energy-consuming.
I hope that most readers understand the impossibility of returning to equipping the warships of the Russian fleet with power plants based on Ukrainian-made gas turbines. For eight years, the country has been engaged in import substitution with varying success. The creation of Russian M-90 FR gas turbine engines for Project 22350 frigates with a capacity of 27 hp was widely announced. With. (500 kW) with the possibility of further increasing it to 20 MW (226 hp). With an eye to this power, a slight increase in the size and displacement of a small hydrofoil corvette is envisaged.
Remaining true to the principle of using only products that actually exist in the metal, we will opt for two gas turbine power plants GTE-25U. In addition to the power we need of 25 MW, they are also quite compact in terms of their weight and size characteristics (weight - 60 tons; length - 8,1 m; width - 3,2 m; height - 4,3 m), which allows them to be organically written in the ICPV corpus. As an auxiliary power plant, we will opt for two marine diesel generators DGR-500/1500 (power - 500 kW; weight - 4,07 tons; dimensions - 3,2 * 1,4 * 1,41 m).
A curious reader will certainly have a question: why does such a small ship need energy, exceeding in total power the energy of a modern Russian frigate pr. 22350? The answer is simple - better than a frigate, efficiency and expediency. “A speed of 50 knots was achieved with a power of 25 liters. With. (according to the project - 000 hp), which increased the cruising range; the maximum speed was 30 knots ”- this is about the Sokol.
Our somewhat larger and heavier Filin MKPK should have enough power from one turbine to achieve a cruising speed of 40-45 knots, and in the economical mode of operation of both turbines at 80 percent power, to reach a speed of 60 knots. The unified electric power system of the ship with an electric drive for three rudder propellers with its inherent flexibility of control and a variety of modes allows you to make the most preferable choice of speed, based on the specifics of the tasks. The most energy-intensive elements of the corvette's equipment, such as a single radar complex and a submersible sonar, should not experience restrictions in power consumption.
As conceived by the author, ERLC should operate in 24/7 aerial reconnaissance mode, starting from the departure of the ship from the pier and until it returns to the harbor. If you want, then the ship should become a surface AWACS for all interested consumers of information about the air situation in the area of its location and along the route, or, in other terminology, a radar patrol ship (CRLD). All it takes is three things: sufficient uninterrupted power, at least 150 hours of MTBF, and a reliable high-capacity communication link. Whether the "Owl" attacks an enemy ship or submarine at maximum speed - aerial reconnaissance is underway; moves at cruising speed for any reason - the radar is working; and even on the “foot” with a submerged sonar, we will have a complete picture of the air situation within a radius of 170 miles!
The author is convinced that in the near future the Russian fleet does not shine to receive an analogue of the carrier-based Hawkeye or something like the E-3B or Nimrod into the Navy aviation, even the operation of existing AWACS helicopters from ships is in doubt. But with the help of such ships, it is possible to monitor both the underwater and surface conditions in a given area not for 3–8 hours, but for days. And it will not be a defenseless expensive major one, but a full-fledged warship, which you can risk.
With weapons, the ship will have everything simply obscenely for a novelty. Of the rocket and artillery weapons, these are the stealth 76,2-mm AK-176 MA gun mount and the Pantsir-M anti-aircraft missile and gun system - the same as on the Karakurt mass-produced small missile ships. At first glance, it seems to be too heavy for a small hydrofoil corvette with a displacement of 500 tons, but on the other hand, strike weapons are limited to a minimum.
These are four Uran light subsonic anti-ship missiles in inclined launchers and two standard four-tube torpedo tubes of the Paket-NK complex. Yes, in a duel situation against a modern destroyer or frigate, the MKPC will not be able to overload the air defense system of a decent ship with the number of anti-ship missiles in a salvo. But with a targeted coordinated attack, 2-3-4 Owls will be able to deliver a more dense and azimuth-spaced strike similar to a star raid of aviation.
In the end, according to theory, the probability of hitting a target with a volley of four anti-ship missiles does not differ by an order of magnitude from the probability of hitting a target with a volley of 6-12 missiles (those who can think of the last example with the death of the Moskva missile defense missile system, if there were anti-ship missiles). It’s just that the pinprick tactics also have a right to exist, although many, including modern naval commanders, would prefer to defeat the enemy in a general battle with a dry score.
If everything is simple and clear with conventional weapons, then with electronic weapons there will probably be more questions than answers and possible competencies of our industrial base. About the desired single radar system for the ship will be a little lower. The foundation for the implementation of the anti-submarine capabilities of the ship should be an analogue of the MG-369 Zvezda-M1-01 hydroacoustic complex with a receiving and emitting antenna lowered to 200 meters, as on the Sokol.
I hope that after forty years it will be possible not only to reproduce, but also to improve the characteristics using modern element base, computer technology and promising developments in the field of hydroacoustics. And all the information collected with the help of SAC and ERLC will be able to convey to interested consumers a secure, high-capacity satellite communications and navigation complex.
Unified radar complex
The third feature of the small hydrofoil corvette (MKPC) "Filin" should be a single radar complex of the ship, which will ensure all the vital activity and combat work of the carrier. To a wide range of readers, the Aegis radar with the homonymous BIUS on American destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type seems to be an almighty and immaculate masterpiece of military engineering for the past forty long years.
Fans of naval air defense know that destroyers also carry three AN / SPG-62 continuous-wave radars to illuminate an air target in the final missile guidance area. Sailors are aware of the presence of AN / SPS-67 navigation radars on destroyers, and specialists from naval artillery are dedicated to the purpose of the AN / SPQ-9 artillery fire control radar.
In total, at least six radars are obtained with their own power supply, control and interface systems with the general ship CIUS. Difficult and cumbersome - yes. Can it be simpler and more elegant - let's try on the "Owl".
It is not realistic to wash the Aegis on the MKPC without an active phased antenna array. And the first step to success should be the correct choice of the frequency range of the promising ERLC. The AN / SPY-1 air traffic control radar of the Aegis system is conventionally considered to operate in the decimeter wavelength range, although to be scrupulously accurate, the declared range of 3,1-3,5 GHz corresponds to electromagnetic wavelengths of 9,6-8,5, 5,5 centimeters. Andrey Gorbachevsky in his article on the VO “The effectiveness of the air defense of a promising destroyer. Alternative Radar Complex" suggested choosing an operating wavelength of 5,4 cm (XNUMX GHz) for the multifunctional radar.
Allowing himself to disagree with the American authority and the opinion of a domestic specialist, he chose a wavelength of 6,6 centimeters (4,5 GHz) with the ability to operate the radar in the 4,2-4,8 GHz range for two simple reasons: firstly , the attenuation of the energy of the selected wave during the passage of the troposphere over the sea is 12–16 percent lower than that of the wave selected by our specialist; secondly, the dimensions of the main canvas of the AFAR allow it to fit into the superstructure and the antenna-mast device of a small corvette. The width of the radiation patterns during the formation of one, two, three and four beams at the same time with the corresponding sizes of the clusters that form them are given in the table.
Actually, the ERLC antennas are a combination of nine flat headlights, functionally combined in the directions of the tank, starboard and port side and stern, as shown on the projections of the ship. Two side and bow combinations consist of identical in size (6,912 * 0,576 m) and number (192 * 16 = 3 pieces) active transceiver modules (PPM) in horizontal arrays and passive receiving modules in vertical arrays (it should be clarified that the distance between the radiators in the mentioned gratings is set to 072 m, see the top two rows in the table).
The area where the intersection of the active horizontal and passive vertical phased array, as it were, overlaps each other, is given over to the placement of active PPM, but when working to receive the reflected signal, it also participates in the formation of beams of the passive vertical phased array. Thus, in the formation of a single beam for transmission, 3072 RPMs of a horizontal APAA are involved (the width of the RP horizontally is 0,4869 degrees; vertically 5,843 degrees), and for the reception of the reflected probing signal, the width of the RP of a passive vertical phased array (with the participation of the lower segment, consisting of 16 * 16 \u256d 5,843 RPM) will be respectively directly opposite (horizontally 0,4869 degrees; vertically XNUMX degrees).
In reality, the joint operation of the active horizontal and passive vertical phased array made it possible to obtain a total needle-shaped radiation pattern with a beam width of about half a degree in both coordinates. Excellent result! Such a beam makes it possible not only to track the detected targets with high accuracy and selectivity, but also to issue target designation to the ship’s fire weapons, such as the AK-176 MA gun mount and the Pantsir-ME air defense missile system.
As a probing signal for the NRLK, a phase code-domain keying signal (PCMS) of 13, 11, and 7 smooth rectangular pulses with a duration of 1 microsecond with a change in the initial phase of generation according to the Barker code, as well as the switching time of the PPM and PM phase shifters from the current position to the position for working with set to 10 microseconds by the subsequent probing signal. These parameters are important for calculating the optimal characteristics of the ERLC visibility zone. Each of the four groups of active and passive phased arrays operates in a sector of 90 degrees horizontally.
In turn, the sector is divided into three viewing zones in terms of elevation and range: the lower zone - from 0 to 7 degrees, extends up to 320 kilometers; middle zone - from 7 to 22 degrees and up to 220 kilometers; the upper zone is from 22 to 57 degrees in elevation and up to 120 kilometers in range. So, it's not hard to guess and prioritize the importance of the lower view area. For the entire length of 320 kilometers, a sudden appearance of aerodynamic targets dangerous for the ship is possible in it due to the radio horizon from the radio shadow zone.
These can be anti-ship missiles attacking the ship, fired according to external target designation, and helicopters, and light aircraft, and of course, supersonic fighter-bombers in the widest range of altitudes and speeds. In addition, when the flight is directed to the ship, all these targets in horizontal flight will have a minimum effective dispersion surface optimized by stealth technology for electromagnetic waves. To increase the probability of detecting air targets in the lower zone, the entire available arsenal of ERLC capabilities is used.
First of all, it is a thirteen-bit probing signal to provide maximum pulse power. The formation of two independent beams with a total width of the vertical and horizontal radiation patterns of only one degree, which, with a pulse repetition rate of 450 Hz and a mutual overlap of the beams in line-by-line viewing of given sectors of 33 percent, provides a single scan of the entire lower zone in a little less than one second .
Viewing the middle zone for the purpose of conducting aerial reconnaissance at a distance of up to 220 kilometers will reliably provide a less powerful eleven-bit sounding signal. This is due to the lower level of natural interference at high elevation angles and the lower attenuation of the radio signal in the stratosphere (the concentration of oxygen and water vapor is rarefied at high altitudes).
An overview of the zone with a pulse repetition rate of 675 Hz is already produced by three simultaneously formed beams, in which the total width of the radiation pattern along the planes is a worthy one and a half degrees. I note that Aegis forms a single beam with a DN width of 1,7 * 1,7 degrees. The ERLC with the same beam overlap coefficient of 33 percent is already viewing the middle zone in less than half a second.
With a decrease in the instrumental detection range to 120 kilometers in the upper zone, we can allow a reduction in the pulse duration (power) by almost half - a seven-bit probing signal. Positive factors for increasing the probability of detecting targets in this zone against the background of near space are not the most favorable for aircraft irradiation angles into the lower hemisphere during horizontal flight; flying at high altitude itself implies high speed and, as a result, a significant size of the exhaust plume of jet engines, which, as you know, does not combine well with stealth technology.
Reducing the specified instrumental range to 120 kilometers allows an increase in the repetition rate of probing pulses up to 900 Hz, which, when using four simultaneously formed beams with a total radiation pattern width of about 2 degrees, makes it possible to view the upper zone in a time interval of less than a third of a second.
Summarizing all of the above, in an accessible form for a wide range of readers, I assert that we get an almost ideal radar mode for conducting aerial reconnaissance, which allows the ship commander to update information about the air situation in the upper hemisphere every two seconds. This is comparable to the rotation speed of a conventional reflector antenna of 30 revolutions per minute.
More complex and responsible is the task of tracking already detected air and surface targets and issuing target designation on them to fire weapons for destroying a ship. For this purpose, a single beam formed by a sector antenna system with a total width of half a degree is used. The target coordinates (azimuth, range and elevation) set earlier in the detection mode in the tracking and target designation mode must be supplemented with movement parameters (direction and speed), nationality and classification (surface, low-altitude, high-speed) are determined.
The sixth sense of the author suggests that at least 96 percent of the initially detected contacts will fall on the lower viewing zone, which, after the fact of detection and taking on escort, can subsequently smoothly move to the middle and even upper detection zones. Therefore, for the operation of the ERLC in the tracking and target designation mode, it is more logical to set the gradation of zones not by elevation, but by range to the target.
Accordingly, in the far zone from 320 to 220 kilometers, where any targets pose the least potential danger to a small corvette, the pulse repetition rate in a single beam is set to 450 Hz with a pulse duration of 13 microseconds. In an area with a range of targets from 220 to 120 kilometers, we increase the repetition frequency to 675 Hz with a reduction in pulse duration to 11 microseconds, and in an area closer than 120 kilometers from the ship, a single beam will flicker at a frequency of 900 Hz with a pulse duration of 7 microseconds.
In the manual control mode of the ERLC in a difficult interference environment, it is permissible to turn on the most powerful (thirteen-bit) probing pulses in any mode and any area of operation, virtually without compromising information content. Preliminary calculations show that the ERLC will be able to take up to 160 air targets for escort with the issuance of target designation for 40 of them both for its own fire weapons and to be a source of target designation for an interacting ship with more productive and long-range weapons.
Promoting a sober view of the obvious facts, it must be admitted that the ammunition load of the AK-176 MA gun mount of 152 rounds at a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute will be used up in two minutes of real combat (taking into account the possibility of firing at two targets simultaneously and the time of shifting the aiming line). No, you can, of course, practice sophistry and demagogy, asserting the possibility of firing both single shots and short bursts, and stretch the pleasure to 10-15 minutes. But even this time, comparable to the conduct of combat by an infantryman with an AKM and a portable ammunition load, serves as a weak justification for the presence of a specialized firing radar on a small corvette or RTO to ensure the firing of a ship's gun, if its characteristics are comparable with the capabilities of the ERLC, which can replace it.
Approximately in the same vein, one can consider the use of the Pantsir air defense missile system, but it is even easier with it, since its design has its own built-in radar, and the target designation capabilities of the ERLC will more than satisfy it.
Now let's pay attention to the aft group of one active horizontal and two passive vertical headlights remaining in the shade. Relatively high placed from the stern behind the antenna-mast device and the front of the superstructure, the ZRPK did not allow the horizontal antenna canvas with the dimensions of the side and bow dimensions to fit into the ship's design. Therefore, a mutually beneficial compromise had to be reached.
On the one hand, reducing the distance between the emitters (0,033 m, see the bottom two rows of the table) made it possible to reduce the dimensions of the horizontal array (width 6,336 m; height 0,528 m) with the same number of active PPMs (3072 pcs) and, as a result, place it higher similar products, which will positively affect the work on low-altitude targets and allows you to harmoniously fit into the overall architecture of the ship's superstructure with a single angle of inclination of the side surfaces of 12 degrees. In addition, the selected distance between the irradiators (0,033 m) is optimal for the calculated wavelength (0,066 m), which is in the middle of the ERLC operating frequency range.
But, on the other hand, the use of a shorter distance between the irradiators slightly increases the width of the radiation pattern, all other things being equal. To partially compensate for the negative impact on the operation of the aft group of PAR, the division and spacing into two sheets of vertical passive PAR (9 * 192 = 1 pieces each; width 728 m; height 0,297 m) with an increase in the total number of passive PM up to 6,336 3 units.
Therefore, in peacetime conditions, it is recommended that ERLC operate on longer fixed wavelengths available in the specified range (0,067–0,071 m), which are less susceptible to attenuation in the atmosphere. In a combat situation, when exposed to active interference, the mode of changing the carrier frequency of probing signals from pulse to pulse according to a random law is available over the entire width of the calculated range.
Now a little about the principle of construction and the prospect of ERLC.
The latest models of Aegis radars for the American destroyers DDG 51 of the Flight III version according to the classic scheme in four PAR AN / SPY-6 (V) 1 blades, a single-panel rotating array, designated as AN / SPY-6 (V) 2 for landing ships and aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type, and a radar with three fixed antenna arrays, designated AN/SPY-6(V)3 for aircraft carriers of the Ford type, are built using scalable radar modular assembly technology. Each module is essentially a stand-alone radar in a 2'x2'x2'-inch (131 cubic centimeter) box that can be combined into arrays of various sizes to solve any problem on any ship.
With the selected minimum distance between the irradiators of 0,033 meters, our electronics industry, led by Rosnano, can afford to make a single transceiver module in a box of 3,3x3,3x3,3 centimeters (36 cubic centimeters), and the third thickness parameter is absolutely not critical for the named module and can be both 5 and 6 centimeters. Individual modules are combined into technological arrays of twelve pieces in a housing with common power, control, cooling, etc. 36 cubic centimeters is only half the volume of an average smartphone, which is very close in functionality to a transceiver module.
The second half of the mobile phone volume is occupied by the screen, as a means of controlling and displaying information, and the battery, as a source of electricity. The best confirmation of the correctness of speculative reasoning about possibilities is the presence of a material sample embodied in metal. This is the aviation radar with HEADLIGHTS NO36 "Belka" with an antenna sheet size in the form of an ellipse of 0,7 * 0,9 meters, in which 1 PPMs are located, and an air target detection range of 526 kilometers in a not very convenient range from 400 to 8 GHz .
Summing up the intermediate total, we will record the following figures: the ship’s unified radar complex will include 12 anti-tank missiles and 288 anti-aircraft missiles, taking into account spare parts and accessories, we will round up to 11 thousand. This is more than on the American destroyer (616 in each of the four canvases). If the project succeeds, then we will need at least ten divisions of six ships (two divisions for each fleet, one for the flotilla and for Syria).
By the same principle, it is possible to build an ERLC for a corvette with a displacement of 2 tons. By changing the frequency range for a larger ship in the direction of increasing the wavelength, say, up to 500 cm (7,7 GHz), we get an increase in the span of the PAR antenna to 3,9 meters. For a 7,4 kiloton frigate with an 5 cm (8,8 GHz) ERLC band, a similar antenna would be no wider than 3,4 meters, which would not exceed half the width of its hull amidships. And this is the range of work "Aegis".
With this approach to equipping the ships of the fleet, instead of the existing zoo of radar stations and complexes, we will get a harmonious and flexible line of universal complexes for 3-4 ranges. The navy and industry will get rid of behind-the-scenes struggle and unhealthy protectionism, will come to a certain standardization and will be stably provided with long-term orders, which together will contribute to dynamic development.
Possible benefits of low modularity
To increase the anti-submarine capabilities of the small corvette, improve the anti-sabotage protection of the ship and make it possible to set up an anti-torpedo barrier, both for self-defense and to protect the transport, ship or submarine being escorted, it is proposed to install removable (overhead) six-barreled bombers on board. The principle of firing and combat use lies in the maximum simplicity and proven effectiveness of an additional fire weapon for destroying underwater targets in the form of depth charges.
Located on opposite sides or superstructure, two lines of 200-mm bombers with an installation slope of 12 degrees from the vertical are capable of firing depth charges at a distance of only 50 meters from the side. The flight time of the projectile in the air and the time it takes to reach a given depth during free immersion is easily established and reduced to the simplest tables during testing. But the essence of the increased effectiveness of the impact is achieved by the simultaneous detonation of all twelve ammunition.
The detonation time for each ammunition is set from the moment the first one is fired in a salvo and is determined only by the required immersion depth for the entire group. Everyone knows the increased destructive effect of high-explosive MLRS projectiles on an object that has fallen between oncoming shock waves from neighboring gaps. Approximately the same, only much worse, will happen with a submarine; firstly, the aquatic environment is much denser than air and practically incompressible, and secondly, all bombs in a salvo will explode simultaneously, and not with a gap, as in the example with the MLRS.
For clarity, consider a typical situation. Two ICPCs led by a corvette or frigate are searching for submarines in a given area. When a contact is detected, the nearest MCPC on the foot specifies the coordinates of the detected target in the active mode of the sonar, while the second MCPC moves to the detection area at high speed, receiving target designation along the way and specifying the target coordinates and its depth in real time. Passing over the target at a speed of 50 knots (about 90 km / h or 1,5 km / min), each ammunition is given a detonation time corresponding to the immersion depth, which starts counting from the first shot of the volley.
Thus, with a time gap between shots of just one second, we get two lines of depth charges spaced 100 meters apart on both sides of the ship with an interval between ammunition of 50 meters. A depth bomb with a caliber of 200 mm and a height of 750 mm easily carries a charge of 35 kilograms of explosives inside.
This is superior in destructive power to Soviet depth charges such as the RGB-12; RGB-25; RGB-60. And it is safe to say that not a single underwater object will be left without critical damage, being inside the perimeter of 100 by 250 meters or near it, with the simultaneous detonation of twelve such ammunition.
I would like to emphasize once again that this option for additional armament of a small corvette, reliable and simple as a “cobblestone of the proletariat”, is not always present on board, but will be installed when solving the assigned tasks to counter the underwater threat.
If you fight like an adult, realizing the full measure, degree, depth of preventing the impunity of an enemy submarine, then a nuclear filling from a 22-mm artillery shell is simply placed in the 152 liters of the internal volume of the alleged depth bomb. If, with the same parameters of the carrier’s movement, the indicated ammunition is dropped into the wake stream, then in a minute it will reach a depth of about 200 meters.
During this time, the Filin MKPK will retreat a decent 1,5 kilometers and, having a titanium hull flying above the surface of the water on hydrofoils, will practically not feel the impact of an underwater nuclear explosion. Well, the last of the “bearded boys of Dönitz”, having heard a single “splash” from the ship leaving at full speed, will have time to read the Orthodox prayer “Our Father” in a minute.
Taking into account the peculiarity of the operation of the Filin ICPV when searching for and attacking a submarine “like a helicopter”, it is advisable to develop a series of RGABs in a given caliber. The signals of the exposed buoys can be received both on board a pair of small corvettes, and on the leader of an anti-submarine search group in the form of a corvette or frigate - the carrier of a long-range and powerful anti-submarine guided weapons.
Developing the theme of modularity for the ship, it is worth noting that its autonomy in the standard configuration is very small due to the high power-to-weight ratio, and, consequently, the relatively small amount of fuel on board. It is one thing to patrol the area alone at the lowest speed from one diesel engine, it is quite another to play the role of a hound on parcels as part of an anti-submarine search group of ships in a large area.
In the anti-submarine version, replacing the ammunition load of four anti-ship missiles in launchers with fuel tanks would help increase fuel autonomy. With the dimensions of the launcher 469 × 89 × 99 centimeters, each can easily fit a tank of fuel of three cubic meters, of course, with the strict implementation of all the rules and fire safety requirements.
Thus, twelve cubic meters of fuel will give an increase of about ten percent to his standard supply on board. Such a solution is also applicable when the ship is relocated to a maximum distance not related to the direct performance of combat missions.
The same launchers for anti-ship missiles could also become the installation site for 2–4 transport and launch containers with 9M96E medium-range anti-aircraft guided missiles. Having on board the ERLC, comparable in capabilities to the system of the Polyment-Redut complex, it is unreasonable to neglect the expansion of long-range weapons for destroying the ship's air defense without trying to integrate one of the best military-industrial complex products of recent times into the ship's weapons system.
The inertial guidance system with radio correction in combination with the active radar seeker in the final flight segment of the 9M96E missile is capable of hitting both air and surface targets. And if the Kh-35 anti-ship missiles are capable of delivering a 145-kg warhead at a distance of up to 260 kilometers at subsonic speed, then in close combat with an enemy similar to itself, it may be much more important to be able to deliver 24 kg of explosives to a distance of 40 kilometers three times faster.
Systemic disadvantages of an unbuilt ship
Three-ruler (Mosin rifle), three-inch (a wide range of field, anti-aircraft and ship guns of the first half of the XNUMXth century) - who has not heard chilling stories about one cartridge or clip for a rifle and the shell shortage of the Russian army in the First World War or during the second defense of Sevastopol?
Initially, the vicious orientation of calibers to Entente standards in lines and inches cost the tsarist and then the Red Army hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions of dead young healthy fighters, who still haunt the country like a nightmare in the form of demographic failures of the Russian population. A second grader who has begun to “pass by” the calculation of three-digit numbers will suspect an error in a set of numbers that is abstract for him:
45–57–76,2–100–130 (78,9–74,8–76,2–76,9 %).
And even intellectuals from the TNT channel will intuitively choose the following sequence from the two proposed options:
45–57–75–100– 130 (78,9–76–75–76,9 %)
(in parentheses is the percentage of the previous caliber to the next one).
Only the ossified naval traditions in the form of useless caps, flared trousers and three-inch guns, which it is high time to break over the knee, will continue to embody the ostentatious power of the Russian fleet created for the parade spectacle. If the air defense forces and the ground army, after the shame of the flight of Matthias Rust and the defeat in the Chechen campaign with a creak, but drew the right conclusions and worked on the mistakes, then the fleet probably needs to shoot the millionth stock of three-inch shots stored since the First and Second world wars.
The change of caliber is not just a bold step, it is a step into the future. Here and now, the new 75-mm gun will require intelligent ammunition, created on the basis of accumulated knowledge, modern technologies and the realities of XNUMXst century naval combat.
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