Mistralnaya epic: failure, reprimand and "Rhinos"
Refusal of ships
On Tuesday, 26 in May, domestic media outlined the current plans of the Russian leadership. Oleg Bochkarev, deputy chairman of the board of the Military-Industrial Commission of Russia, said that the fact that Russia does not take French-built ships can be considered a fait accompli. Now the topic of discussion is the amount that the French side must pay Russia for non-fulfillment of the order. Domestic media have perceived these words as unofficial confirmation that the Russian leadership no longer intends to demand the delivery of built ships, but is also going to receive all the money paid from an unscrupulous contractor.
O. Bochkarev also said that Russia does not plan to abandon the construction of landing ships. However, due to problems with foreign countries, all such projects will be implemented independently. O. Bochkarev noted that when developing a new project, the goal would not be to copy the French Mistrals. Since the Russian military have different views on the methods of landing, promising domestic ships will differ markedly from the French technology. In particular, it is not planned to build full-fledged helicopter-carrying ships.
According to domestic media reports, the French side did not respond to such statements by O. Bochkarev. Official Paris intends to negotiate, but is not going to make any serious statements before they begin. As a result, the statements of the deputy chairman of the MIC collegium remained without comment from French officials.
Rebuke
27 May edition of Kommersant reported on the reaction of officials to the statements of O. Bochkarev. According to the newspaper, on Tuesday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Military Industrial College Dmitry Rogozin found out about Bochkarev’s words. He responded to the statements of his deputy, which turned out to be a severe reprimand for the latter. Sources of Kommersant reported that the reason for such a recovery were both incorrect public statements and factual mistakes made by O. Bochkarev.
The reason for the recovery was an incorrect statement about the ordered ships of French construction. Official Moscow does not plan to abandon ships, and the statements of O. Bochkarev were at least premature. Thus, Deputy Prime Minister D. Rogozin was forced to respond to incorrect words of his subordinate and resort to penalties.
Also, the Kommersant publication, citing its sources in the government, wrote that the deputy chairman of the military-industrial complex collegium is responsible for the supply of weapons and military equipment to ground and airborne troops, but has never been involved in any negotiations. As a result of this incident, D. Rogozin ordered the development of regulations for communication with the press. In particular, it is proposed to coordinate comments for the media with the chairman of the MIC panel.
Intended replacement
Others appeared last Wednesday newsrelated to the landing ship construction program. The Interfax news agency, citing an unnamed source in the shipbuilding industry, said that in the event of a complete disruption in the supply of Mistral-type ships, the Russian Navy could find a replacement for them. There is no doubt that it will take some time to build their ships of this class. In that case, the naval the fleet a temporary replacement may be necessary, which will help to provide the required combat potential for the time while completely new ships will be built.
As a temporary replacement for the Mistral ships are offered large landing ships of the project Rhino 1174. With the help of repair and modernization, two ships of this type can be returned to service: the “Alexander Nikolaev” and the “Mitrofan Moskalenko”. Currently, these BDK are in reserve, but can be restored.
The source of Interfax notes that the ships of the 1174 project are equipped with a dock camera for landing craft, and can also carry helicopters. Thus, to a certain extent, it differs from the Mistral or other similar ships, the BDK of the 1174 project is actually the DVKD. Nevertheless, the domestic "rhinos" for a number of characteristics inferior to the French ships. For example, domestic ships can carry only 4 helicopters against 16, and their maximum cruising range is almost three times less and reaches only 7500 nautical miles. At the same time, the amphibious assault ships of the two projects have a similar capacity and can carry up to 480-500 marines. In addition, the ships have great differences in the composition of weapons.
The Interfax agency writes that the hulls of the ships “Alexander Nikolaev” and “Mitrofan Moskalenko” are in good condition, but serious repair will be required for full restoration. The industry will have to change a number of systems, including the main power plant. However, for now this is only speculation. According to an unnamed source, the decision to start the restoration of ships from the reserve has not yet been made.
The proposal to return to the BDK project 1174 "Rhino" is of particular interest. According to their capabilities, these ships meet some requirements for helicopter landing ships-docks. Thus, with certain restrictions, “Rhinos” can be considered as a temporary alternative to the French “Mistrals”. Nevertheless, the implementation of such proposals can prevent a solid age of domestic ships.
Project 1174
The development of the project of the large landing ship 1174 with the cipher "Rhino" began in September 1964. The creation of the project was entrusted to the Nevsky Design Bureau (PKB). The chief designer of the new BDK was PP. Milovanov. Captain 2 of rank A.V. was appointed observer from the Navy. Bekhterev. During the design work the customer several times edited the technical task. The development of the fleet and armaments forced the military to make new demands. One of the main factors that influenced the appearance of the "Rhinos" was the emergence of the first information about the creation of American universal landing ships of the Tarawa type.
The influence of the American project was to expand the capabilities of the landing. A bow dock with a lap port was added to the bow gates, traditional for domestic BDK, for landing on shore or on water. In addition, it was decided to increase the composition aviation ship groups. Due to all the improvements and changes, the project development was noticeably delayed. The technical project was approved only in May 1968, and the laying of the lead ship of the project took place in September 1973.
Requirements for using the docking chamber and surround tank decks led to the use of a characteristic layout with the placement of the maximum possible number of nodes and systems in the superstructure. The ship of project 1174 received a hull with a total length of 157,5 m, a width of 23,8 m with a normal draft of 6,7 m. The normal displacement was 11580 tons, the total displacement was 14060 tons. The ship had a characteristic appearance with a forecastle equipped with an artillery mount; superstructure shifted to the stern and two helipads. The crew of the ship consisted of 239 people, including 37 officers.
In the two onboard compartments of the hull there were two gas-turbine power plants with 18 thousand hp power, connected with two propellers. Such a power plant allows you to reach speeds up to 20 units. The normal cruising range was 4000 nautical miles. Maximum fuel reserves and economic speed of 14 nodes allowed to go up to 7500 miles.
Almost all the internal hull volumes of the BNC 1174 project were devoted to the placement of the landing force and its equipment. For the 500 Marines provided for cockpit and officer cabins. A tank bilge with a length of 54 m, a width of 12 m and a height of 5 m was located in the forward part of the hull. . The first gangway connected the tank deck and the dock chamber, and when raised, served as a bulkhead between them. The other two were intended for communication between the upper deck and tank holds.
For loading and disembarking, vehicles of the "Rhino" type could use swinging bow gates and aft lazport. In the first case, when approaching the coast or at a distance from it, a gangway of length 32 m was advanced, along which the equipment could descend to land or water. In the ship's transom, a lazport was provided with a flap that covered the dock chamber. If necessary, it could be used as a gangway, and also provided an exit from the ship of the landing craft.
Depending on the intended tasks, the 1174 BDK project could be loaded only with armored vehicles or armored vehicles and landing craft. When using the dock camera as an additional deck for land or floating equipment, ships could take on board up to 50 PT-76 type tanks, 80 armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, or no more than 120 vehicles. Dimensions of the dock camera made it possible to transport six landing boats of the 1785 project or the 1176 "Shark" project. It also provided transportation of three hovercraft of the 1206 “Kalmar” project. On the landing sites were four Ka-29 helicopters, each of which could carry 16 fighters with weapons.
For the protection and fire support of the landing force, the 1174 ships carried a set of artillery and rocket weapons. Artillery armament consisted of one 76-mm AK-726 rifle mounted on a forecastle and four AK-360 anti-aircraft rifles. Air defense was provided by the Osa-M missile system and four columns for the installation of MANPADS. To support the landing it was supposed to use 2 MLRS A-215 "Grad-M".
The lead ship of the 1174 project received the name "Ivan Rogov" and was laid down in September 1973. This BDK was launched on 31 on May 77, and in June of the following year they were accepted into the fleet. The ship "Alexander Nikolaev" was built from 1976 to 1982 year. In the last days of December, 82 was handed to the customer. The third and final "Rhino", "Mitrofan Moskalenko", was laid in the spring of 1984 and adopted by the fleet in the autumn of 1990.
The first two ships of the project 1174 served until the mid-nineties. The ships "Ivan Rogov" and "Alexander Nikolaev" were taken to the reserve in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Mitrofan Moskalenko continued to serve until 2002. As follows from recent reports, recently there was a proposal to restore the second and third ships of the project in order to equip the navy with large amphibious ships with high performance.
Prospects Offers
The proposal to restore the two BDK project 1174 "Rhino" to equip the fleet with the necessary equipment for the period of development and construction of a full-fledged Russian DVKD looks very interesting. For all of its problems, such a proposal theoretically allows for the necessary ships to be transferred to the fleet relatively quickly. However, already at the discussion stage of the proposal, one can find its weak points.
The main problem of this project is cost. According to the Interfax source, the hulls of the two landing ships are well preserved, but some units will need to be replaced, including the main power plant. This news alone can cast doubt on the feasibility of the entire project. Replacing engines and related equipment leads to the need to develop a new complex project that will necessarily affect the duration and cost of work.
In addition to the engines, you will have to change the mass of other systems that no longer meet the requirements of time The ships of the 1174 project were built in the seventies and eighties, which determines the composition of weapons and airborne equipment. All these features of restoration should be taken into account in the project of repair and modernization. As a result, the project will become even more difficult and more expensive.
In general, the proposed restoration of the two "Rhinos" significantly resembles the project currently underway to restore two heavy nuclear missile cruisers of the 1144 project. It is expected that the restoration of these ships, implying repairs, as well as the installation of new weapons and special equipment, will strengthen the navy. However, due to the complexity of all the necessary work for their implementation, a few years are given.
In the case of the BDK project 1174, all the necessary work can also last for several years and cost billions of rubles. The possible correlation of the cost and duration of the repair should be considered when determining the feasibility of such a project. In addition, the military will have to determine the capabilities of the shipbuilding industry. Restoration of two amphibious ships should not hit other projects, including the design and construction of promising Russian-made DKKDs.
Finally, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of ships after modernization. According to its characteristics (first of all, roominess) "Rhinos" surpass all landing ships in the Russian Navy. However, even after the upgrade, they may not fully meet the requirements of the time.
The future of the Russian fleet of amphibious ships has not yet been determined. DVKD "Mistral" still remain in France, and their fate is the subject of controversy. This year it is planned to hand over to the fleet the lead ship of the 11711 “Ivan Gren” project, which is being built from 2004 of the year. In addition, there was a proposal to restore two BDK project 1174. It is already known about the plans of the Ministry of Defense to begin construction of the second BDK project 11711. What will be the fate of "Mistral" and "Rhinos" - time will tell.
On the materials of the sites:
http://tass.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://ria.ru/
http://rg.ru/
http://svpressa.ru/
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