Is the Russian fleet capable of fighting the US Navy aircraft carriers?
On December 20, an article by Dmitry Yurov, “The Bitter Truth About the“ Instant Impact ”of US Carriers, was published on VO. In the publication, the author, in his characteristic manner of neglect of American military equipment, tries to prove that American aircraft carriers are not a particular threat and, they say, in general they are outdated and can easily be neutralized by Russian forces fleet. For example, Dmitry Yurov writes: “AUG is nothing more than a demonstration of power, which, in general, does not exist.”
But, apparently, in the Soviet Union thought differently. To combat the "floating airfields" spent very significant funds and resources. Not being able to build and maintain aircraft carriers comparable to American ones, they created an “asymmetrical response” in the USSR. Soviet naval commanders relied on anti-ship missiles and long-range missile carrier bombers against American aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG).
The emergence of sea-based anti-ship cruise missiles (RCC) made plans to use US attack aircraft carriers against the territory of the USSR difficult to implement.
At the end of the 80s, the USSR Navy had 79 submarines with cruise missiles (including 63 nuclear) and 80 multi-purpose torpedo nuclear submarines.
The first anti-ship missile P-6, launched from submarines, entered service at the beginning of the 60-x. Rocket of this type armed with large diesel submarines of the project 651 and nuclear project 675. However, a major drawback of the P-6 complex and the first generation RCC carrier boats was that the missiles could only be used from a surface position.
SSGM Ave 675 with raised containers of cruise missiles
This deficiency was eliminated in the Amethyst anti-ship missile missile, it became the world's first cruise missile with a wet underwater launch. The Amethyst complex, which was put into service in 70, was armed with submarines of the 1968 project and the 661 project.
The next qualitative step forward was the development and adoption of the RKP-1983 Granite in the 700 year. This missile, primarily intended for nuclear submarines of projects 949 and 949А. When creating the complex for the first time, an approach was used, the basis of which is the mutual coordination of the 3-x elements: means of targeting (in the form of spacecraft), carrier and anti-ship missiles.
SSGM Ave. Antey Ave.
In addition to submarines with anti-ship missiles, numerous naval bombers were a serious threat to aircraft carriers aviation Tu-16K with missiles K-10S, KSR-2 and KSR-5 and Tu-22M armed with anti-ship missiles X-22. Their actions were to provide several reconnaissance aircraft regiments on the Tu-16R and Tu-22R. As well as electronic reconnaissance and suppression aircraft Tu-16P and Tu-22P / PD. By the beginning of the 90s, the Tu-22M2 and M3 alone included 145 units in the naval aviation of the Russian fleet.
Missile cruiser "Admiral Golovko"
A full-fledged ocean surface fleet was created in the USSR. It consisted of: missile cruisers of 58 and 1134 projects with anti-ship missiles - P-35, 1144 project with anti-ship missiles - P-700, 1164 projects with anti-ship missiles - P-1000, and missile destroyers of 56-М and 57 projects with anti-ship missiles - KSSC and the 956 project with PKR - P-270. Even Soviet aircraft-carrying cruisers were equipped with anti-ship missiles, the ships of the 1143 project were armed with anti-ship missiles - P-500.
Rocket cruiser "Varyag" (photo of the author)
During the years of the "cold war", Soviet surface combatants on a permanent basis carried out combat service in various parts of the world ocean, tracking and accompanying American AUGs.
To ensure the repair, supply and recreation of the crews, the Soviet Navy had foreign bases and technical service centers in Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen, Angola, Guinea, Libya, Tunisia, Yugoslavia and Vietnam.
The Soviet Navy had a large number of reconnaissance ships of various types. After the war, the first reconnaissance ships were small vessels converted from conventional fishing trawlers and hydrographic vessels.
861 Medium Jupiter Reconnaissance Ship
Subsequently, according to specially developed projects, medium and large reconnaissance ships were built with increased autonomy and extended special equipment. One of the main tasks for them was tracking the US aircraft carriers. Every day, at least two dozen “reconnaissance trawlers” collected information and followed the fleets of potential adversaries. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, there were more than a hundred reconnaissance ships of various classes.
However, the detection and tracking of AUG remained an extremely difficult task. American aircraft carriers and escort ships are able to move in the ocean at a speed of 700 miles per day.
The main concern was the task of timely detection and observation of aircraft carriers. The intelligence and observation tools available at the beginning of 60's did not reliably solve this problem. The problem was in reliable over-the-horizon detection of targets, their selection and ensuring accurate targeting for incoming cruise missiles. The situation has improved significantly since the introduction of the Tu-95РЦ (“Success-U” system) into service. These aircraft were designed for reconnaissance and search in the world ocean of American AUG, as well as data transmission and targeting for targeting anti-ship missiles at them. Total built 53 machines.
US F-15 57 Fighter Fighter Squadron, deployed in Iceland, escorted Tu-95РЦ
Economical turboprop engines, spacious fuel tanks and an in-flight refueling system provided the Tu-95РЦ with an extremely long range. Under the fuselage in the radio transparent radome there was a search radar, with a range of detection of surface targets over 300 km. It was used to detect enemy ships, information about which is transmitted through closed channels to missile carrier ships and submarines. Another radar was installed under the nose and was used for missile guidance.
The capabilities of reconnaissance using the airfields of friendly countries have increased significantly. Due to the basing of Tu-95РЦ planes in Cuba, it became possible to detect aircraft carrier strike groups in the West Atlantic that make the transition from the shores of America to the Atlantic coast of Europe. From 1979, in accordance with an agreement with the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the airfields of Danang and Cam Ranh were used. Due to the presence of intermediate airfields, Tu-95РЦ could control any part of the World Ocean. At the time, it inspired confidence that in the event of an emergency, advancing aircraft carriers to our borders would not pass unnoticed.
However, in wartime, any Soviet reconnaissance aircraft who risked approaching the AUG would inevitably be shot down by deck interceptors many hundreds of miles from a warrant carrier order. In addition, the aircraft took many hours to arrive in a given area of the oceans. The Ka-25РЦ helicopters, also used to issue target designation, had a short range and were even more vulnerable than reconnaissance aircraft.
In addition to the TU-16P and TU-95РЦ, reliable means of tracking for AUG were required, invulnerable to anti-aircraft weapons and interceptors, capable of viewing large portions of the World Ocean.
Such a tool could be a space reconnaissance system capable of real-time reconnaissance and target designation. In 1978, the Maritime Space Intelligence and Targeting System (MKRTS) - "Legend" as part of a group of satellites of radio and radar reconnaissance satellites and a complex of ground equipment was adopted. In 1983, the last component of the system was adopted - the supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 Granit.
The space component of the Legend system consisted of two types of satellites: US-P (Managed Satellite - Passive, GRAU 17F17 index) and US-A (Managed Satellite - Active, GRAU 17F16 index).
The first was a complex of electronic reconnaissance, created for the detection and direction finding of objects having electromagnetic radiation, it recorded the work of radio technical means of AUG.
US-A (Managed Satellite - Active)
The second was equipped with a two-way side-looking radar, providing all-weather and all-day detection of surface targets. The radar required the closest possible location to the observed objects, and therefore a low orbit (270 km) for the satellite. Insufficient generated power did not allow the use of solar batteries as a source of energy to power the radar. Also, solar panels do not work in the shadow of the Earth. Therefore, in the satellites of this series, it was decided to install an onboard nuclear power plant.
RI of surface situation in the Strait of Gibraltar with observation of wake trails
After the completion of the work, the special upper stage had to bring the reactor to the “burial orbit” at an altitude of 750 ... 1000 km from the surface of the Earth, according to calculations, the residence time of objects in such orbits is at least 250 years. The rest of the satellite burned when it fell in the atmosphere.
However, the system did not always function reliably, after a number of incidents related to the fall of the reactor block to the earth’s surface and radioactive contamination of the area, further launches of US-A satellites were stopped.
The MKRTS Legend system operated until the middle of the 90s. In the period from 1970 to 1988, the USSR launched into space more than 30 exploration satellites with nuclear power plants. US-A spacecraft for more than 10 years have reliably controlled the surface conditions in the oceans.
Since the collapse of the USSR, a lot has changed; during the “years of reform,” the numerical strength of the Russian military fleet has decreased significantly. Due to inadequate maintenance and underfinancing of repairs, quite a few warships were lost, which did not serve even half the time. Moreover, a significant part of them was written off not “in the dashing 90-e,” but in the “well-fed” years of “rebirth and stability”.
Initially, the 2000-x eliminated the Russian military bases in Cuba and Vietnam. Many are now openly perplexed - how was it possible to break off relations with such sincere and loyal friends. It should not be under any pretext to withdraw our air units from Cuba and Vietnam, and, moreover, should have the most modern aircraft there. Unfortunately, the recent events in the world confirm the erroneousness of the decisions of our leadership regarding the liquidation of foreign Russian bases.
Heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great"
As of 2014 year, two 1164 “Moscow” (Black Sea Fleet) and Varyag (FF) project cruisers, one of the 1144 “Peter the Great” nuclear missile cruiser , three destroyers of the 956 project, three submarine missile carriers of the 949A project. In June 2014 of the year, the head submarine of the 885 project - K-560 "Severodvinsk" was accepted into the Russian Navy. The main weapons boats are missile systems P-800 "Onyx" and 3-54 "Caliber".
Launch of the P-700 "Granit" rocket from the Peter the Great missile cruiser, 1144.2 av.
The fleet also has about 25 serviceable diesel and nuclear torpedo boats. The plans include the re-equipment of all diesel and nuclear torpedo submarines, which are being renovated or planned by the Caliber 3M-54 rocket complex. This will certainly increase in the future the ability to combat AUG.
The list of means of fighting aircraft carriers deliberately does not mention coast-based complexes and “mosquito fleet” - rocket boats and small rocket ships. Since their main purpose is to protect their own coast from naval assault forces of the enemy. In addition, the stability of the "mosquito fleet" from the actions of aviation is not very great.
Modern Russian naval aviation is currently in a deplorable state. Its ability to timely detect and attack AUG is minimal. In the middle of 90-x all long-range reconnaissance Tu-95РЦ were written off.
Tu-22М3 aircraft “in storage”, Vozdvizhenka airfield
Sea rocket-carrying aircraft had already been liquidated under the current leadership of the country. All "conditionally serviceable" (prepared for a single distillation) aircraft of the Navy in 2011 year transferred to the Long-Range Aviation. The remaining Tu-22M even had minor malfunctions, but suitable for restoration, were cut into metal.
Satellite image Google earth: cut into metal Tu-22M
Of the aircraft of naval aviation capable of carrying out long-range reconnaissance flights in the flying state remained about 20 Tu-142 and IL-38.
As part of a separate 279 th ship regiment, assigned to Kuznetsov, there are about 20 deck fighters Su-33, of which half of them are capable of performing the combat mission. The rest are in need of repair.
Su-33 is the main aircraft of carrier-based aviation of the Russian Navy and is intended mainly to cover its own fleet from air attack weapons. The aircraft’s avionics does not allow the anti-ship missile to be used from it, and it’s naive to hope that the enemy will allow strikes on its NAR ships and free-fall bombs.
Deck MiG-29K
The situation may change after the re-equipment of the wing of our only aircraft carrier, the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov, with modernized MiG-29K fighters, whose procurement contract has already been signed. In addition to air combat missiles, the updated MiG-29K, after being put into service, will be able to carry and use anti-ship missiles X-31А and X-35, which will significantly enhance the anti-ship capabilities of carrier-based aircraft.
The possibilities of timely detection and tracking of AUG remain very weak. Perhaps in the next few years, this situation will change. In 2013, it was reported that the Ministry of Defense and Roscosmos had begun an unprecedented joint development of a multi-position satellite reconnaissance system. The project, called "Watercolor" is designed for a period of at least five years. "Watercolor" will be the most ambitious intelligence system of Russia for the entire history. The complex of receiving and transmitting stations is planned to be scattered throughout the country. Coordinates of targets should be transmitted to the command post, where a virtual real-time map will be formed.
At the first stage, the reconnaissance system will operate mainly in the interests of the Russian Navy. The complex “Liana”, which is being created in parallel, is mainly intended for detecting ships. The orbital grouping of this project will consist of four radar satellites "Pion-NKS" and satellites of radio-technical intelligence "Lotos-S".
Satellite "Lotos-S"
The first Lotos-S type satellite was launched on November 20 2009 of the year, it had a simplified configuration and was designated as 14Ф138. After the apparatus was put into orbit, it turned out that about half of the onboard systems did not function with it, which required a delay in launching new satellites to refine the equipment.
In 2014, the successful launch of the radar reconnaissance satellite Pion-NKS 14F139 took place. In total, to maintain the Liana system in full, four radar reconnaissance satellites are needed, which will be based at an altitude of about 1 thousand kilometers above the surface of the planet and constantly scan the land and sea surfaces.
Google Earth satellite image: US Navy aircraft carrier George Washington parked in Singapore
But even after commissioning this badly needed intelligence and monitoring system, our ability to counter the US fleet will remain quite modest. In this connection, developments in the field of coast-based anti-ship ballistic missiles are of interest.
Work on this topic was conducted by designer V.P. Makeev in 60-70-s in the USSR based on the SLBM P-27. The target designation was provided by two radio engineering systems: the satellite system of the maritime space reconnaissance and target designation (MKRTS) "Legend" and the aviation "Success-U".
On tests that ended in 1975 from the 31 launched on the P-27K (4K18) missile, the conditional target hit the 26 missiles. One diesel submarine with these missiles was in trial operation, but for a number of reasons the anti-ship complex with the P-27K missiles was not put into service.
The characteristics of modern Russian mobile ballistic missiles make it possible in a fairly short time to create anti-ship missiles at their base, located at a considerable distance from the coastline, outside the range of impact deck-mounted aircraft. Modern technologies make it possible to equip a ballistic missile warhead with a radar or an optical guidance system, which ensures the confident defeat of large moving targets with a non-nuclear warhead. Detection of AUG and target designation for combat units should be carried out from the Aquarel and Liana reconnaissance satellite systems. The use of such missiles will destroy aircraft carriers, despite the powerful air defense of the ship connections.
Work in this direction is actively carried out in China. According to representatives of the US Department of Defense, China has developed and reached the stage of initial operational readiness of a ground-based missile system with anti-ship ballistic missiles based on the DF-21 medium-range mobile missile complex in conventional equipment.
DF-21D maneuvering warheads can be equipped with various types of guidance systems. Such missiles were tested in 2005 — 2006. According to American analysts, DF-21D is capable of penetrating the protection of aircraft carriers and that it has become the first threat to the global dominance of the US Navy since the days of the Cold War.
The warheads of these missiles have stealth characteristics and are located on highly mobile launchers, have a firing range of up to 1800 km. The flight time is no more than 12 minutes, the dive to the target is made at a very high speed.
So far, the main obstacle limiting the use of ballistic anti-ship missiles is the underdeveloped grouping of Chinese intelligence satellites. To date, there is one optical-electronic satellite, Yaogan-7, one radar satellite with aperture synthesis, Yaogan-8, and three radio-electronic reconnaissance satellites, Yaogan-9.
At present, Russia is lagging behind China in the development and deployment of this type of weapon. And the most effective of our "anti-ship missiles", which keep American AUGs from "instant strike" in Russia, remain the Topol and Yars ICBMs.
Based on:
http://army-news.ru
http://www.designation-systems.net/
http://www.defense-update.com/
http://www.militaryparitet.com
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