Marines are a special type of troops. They must land on unprepared sections of the coast, where no one is waiting for them. The factors that ensure victory do not last long. This is surprise, speed of delivery to the landing site, secrecy and the ability to get powerful fire support. As a rule, the landing is carried out using landing ships equipped with ramps, or using auxiliary craft. But the Russian marines have technical equipment that no other army in the world possesses. The ships of the Zubr project can not only land troops, but also move on land, regardless of the nature of the ground, while firing and spreading panic in the enemy camp.
First experiences
The secret to speed and unprecedented all-terrain is the original way of moving. Powerful propellers create excess pressure under the bottom of the vessel , and it freezes at a given height. The idea arose in the late twenties with the Soviet engineer Levkov, who worked at the Novocherkassk shipyard. He built a prototype, named after the author of the Levkov-1 (L-1) project, but, despite the obvious prospect, it fell "out of the yard". In the middle and second half of the thirties, the emphasis was rather on traditional military means, and disputes were between the "horsemen" and "tankers". There was no one to appreciate the brilliant idea. The work was curtailed, and they were remembered only in the 50s, when Soviet intelligence found out about similar Western developments.
The design bureau Almaz was instructed to create a special landing craft. Large-tonnage warships (battleships, cruisers) were then cut into scrap metal, and the country's leadership, in the person of N. S. Khrushchev, liked unusual, revolutionary and fantastic projects. Such was the firstborn of "Diamond" - "Skat", which was a symbiosis of amphibians and boats, which left the dock in the early sixties. Before the platoon of marines, this ship delivered to the landing point at the speed of a courier train (90 km / h). The direct descendant of this miracle of technology was the Bison, an air-cushion ship.
Alternative landing concepts
A vehicle with a wheeled or tracked undercarriage can move on land and overcome difficult obstacles, but the range of heights of obstacles is limited. There are armored technical devices capable of sailing, but their navigational qualities usually do not correspond to the concept of “ship,” they are slow-moving and relatively helpless until they enter the shore. There are special purpose warships designed for transportation and landing, which may include several units of armored vehicles and manpower. These boats also have flaws, they are vulnerable due to their low speed, and they need a suitable shore to successfully complete a combat mission. Only 14% of all beaches are suitable for disembarking from the MDK (the abbreviation means small landing ship) of a water-displacing type, approaching closely and opening the ramps.
There is another concept developed in recent decades. This is an overseas landing. Its essence lies in the fact that the main ship is located far from the coast, and the delivery of armored vehicles is carried out by special self-propelled small-sized vessels. Mistral-class helicopter carriers are ready for such a landing. Landing in this way can, of course, only in conditions of complete dominance of land, in air and on water. What will happen to the landing if the enemy has effective countermeasures (coastal defense complexes, for example) can be easily imagined. He will serve as food for fish.
The landing ship "Bison" is fast, it does not stop ashore, its firepower in itself is a danger to the enemy’s defense. All in all, this is an almost perfect means of landing. It can serve 78 percent of the entire world sea and ocean coast.
Housing
The construction of the most advanced means of sea landing in the world was based on the production and scientific base created in KB Almaz. At the end of the seventies, Soviet shipbuilders had experience in building hovercraft (Kalmar, Skat and other projects of landing ships). The most successful was the KVP “Dzheyran” (project No. 12321). Its development was the next in order index 12322 "Bison". The main supporting structure of the hull is made in the form of a rectangular pontoon (57.3 L x 25.6 W x 21.9 H, m), on which a superstructure is mounted, in turn, divided into three longitudinally oriented compartments. According to its functional purpose, cargo is the central space, on the sides of which there are energy nodes, places of personnel and transported units, protective systems that ensure vital functions (including in the case of the use of weapons of mass destruction). The premises of the personnel and the landing are equipped with air conditioning, ventilation, heating systems, they are noise and heat insulated. There are conditions for eating.
The body is made by all-welded technology, the material is a high-strength non-magnetic aluminum-magnesium alloy with increased corrosion resistance.
The idea of ​​layout belongs to the chief designer of the project Koronatov G. D.
Electrical part
Driving power drives is no easy task. Russian military vessels of ordinary types are driven by turbine engines, with the exception of submarines, the propellers of which are loaded on electric motors. To simplify control systems, a power system of the Zubr MDK was organized on a similar principle. An hovercraft is not easy to hold at a predetermined height above the surface, it requires a lot of energy. Its power plants are being developed, there are two of them, each based on a hundred-watt gas-turbine generator (there are also two of them). The total capacity of the power plant type M35, produced by NPK Zarya - Mashproekt, is 50 thousand horsepower. The concern of the commander of the warhead-5 (electromechanical warhead) are the main switchboards (main switchboards). Management is carried out remotely from the GKR (main command post), many operations are automated in order to increase ergonomic indicators. The circuit also contains remote controls.
Pneumatics
Holding a heavy vessel (its displacement is 555 tons) at a given height is also not easy, it is, after all, not a helicopter. The air bag under the body is created by four four-bladed pressure screws with a diameter of 25,000 mm, equipped with forced pitch control devices. Together with an electric motor, each of them constitutes a discharge unit (HO-10). Horizontal movement is made according to the glider principle. Three propellers with adjustable rotary blades with the possibility of reverse with a diameter of 55,000 mm mounted on polymer composite annular landing, which reduce noise, are pushing the Zubr air cushion landing ship. Through these propulsors, the ship accelerates to a record 90 km / h, and changing the thrust ratio of each of them allows you to effectively maneuver.
Cushion borders
In order for the injected air not to go around, but to “work”, holding the heavy vessel at a given clearance, limiters are structurally provided. They are an elastic fence made in a two-tier scheme. The receiver is flexible, the hinged elements are separated crosswise by two keels, transverse and longitudinal. All this difficult system allows you to reliably "lean" on a compressed air such a colossus as the "Bison". An air cushion ship rests or moves until pressure balances its weight, rises, if necessary, to overcome uneven terrain, and sinks to the ground when it is time to land and unload military equipment. It does not matter for him what the nature of the surface is, whether it is water or land, the wave range is wide enough, and the ability to "crawl" far beyond the coastline compares it favorably with other, more common and traditional landing craft.
Capacity
The Zubr hovercraft, in its full name, is modestly called "small." He can deliver to the desired point in the coastal zone “just” a mechanized battalion of marines in ten armored personnel carriers together with crews. In fact, in terms of size and carrying capacity in the class of KVP there are no equal to it. In terms of landing capabilities, it most likely corresponds to the concept of “medium landing ship” (it still does not reach a large one), if we take an analogue in the form of a conventional water-displacing vessel, mooring and opening ramps at the edge of the coast. As the West 2009 exercises showed, the following options of military units can actually be landed from the Zubr MDKVP:
- Three T-80 (T-90) tanks with a total weight of up to 150 tons;
- 8 infantry fighting vehicles (115 tons);
- 10 armored personnel carriers plus 140 marines;
- eight amphibious light tanks.
The landing is located in four cockpits for 140 people each. The option of delivering only manpower without equipment is possible, in this case 366 more places appear, and the total number of troops landed increases to five hundred. This may be necessary if there is a need for reinforcement, but the autonomy of swimming is reduced to several hours. The marines are also people, they need to eat and relax, and the conditions in the cargo compartment are not the most comfortable.
For direct landing, there are bow gates that fold down and are a ramp resting against the ground.
Armament
The landing ship "Bison" is not only a means of delivering personnel and equipment to inhospitable enemy shores, it can launch missile and artillery strikes in order to suppress possible resistance of entrenched enemies, provide fire support and defend against possible attacks by enemy aircraft. Without these combat capabilities, such a perfect machine in the eyes of military experts would have remained a simple "trough", even if fast and maneuverable.
Here is a set of “tools” that the Bison is equipped with to provide the required firepower. The hovercraft is armed with:
- Two A-22 Fire launchers firing 140.3 mm caliber unguided missiles.
- Two AK-630 automatic systems of 30 mm caliber with an ammunition load of three thousand shells.
- Eight Igla anti-aircraft missile systems (sometimes foreign operators use the American Stingers).
On board there is a complex of electronic warfare systems "Slabying", which allows to interfere with the operation of enemy communication and detection systems.
In addition, the "Bison" can install mines, in their ammunition up to 20 pieces. The maximum installation time is 1 hour 20 minutes.
Of course, this ship does not reach the cruiser, but it should be borne in mind that in the conditions of the modern war it should not act alone, and the naval, as well as air, and if necessary, tactical-missile support will be provided to it.
American counterpart
Landing ships soaring above the water surface are also in service with the American army. Their official name is LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion), they are designed for the same purposes as the "Bison". The layout of the overseas model differs from the architecture of the Soviet analogue, the superstructure as such is absent, but there is a 182 sq. m, on which the equipment with the contingent to be disembarked is located. LCAC is much more modest than Zubr both in size and power plant capacity (16 thousand hp). Its length is 27 meters, its width is 14 m. The fuel consumption, however, surges, in an hour seven hundred liters of fuel are burned. The ship weighs 170 tons. It moves glide, two screws with a diameter of 3 m 70 cm push it forward or backward. The maximum speed is approximately the same as that of the vessel of the Zubr project. Additional engines are used for steering. The lifting rod is provided by four downward propellers. The payload weight is 70 tons.
In an effort to lighten the structure, American engineers decided to do without add-ons and rooms for personnel, which creates the risk of being washed overboard - the deck at a speed becomes slippery from splashing water.
The ship does not have its own weapons.
If we summarize all the tactical and technical data of the American air-cushion landing craft, we can conclude that its combat capabilities are inferior to the qualities of the Bison by about three times. Marines, he can take on board no more than 170, provided that there is no military equipment on the deck. However, this machine also deserves attention, except for it, no Western DKVP can compete with the Soviet-designed model.
Managing a ship of the types San Antonio and WASP requires very serious preparation, mastering it is not easy. These ships are based only in the United States, at the naval base in Virginia.
How many "Bison" remain?
With all the advantages of this wonderful example of the Soviet defense industry, one cannot but add to the glorious barrel of honey, which its creators undoubtedly deserve, and a fly in the ointment. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, the Black Sea Fleet included eight units of the Zubr DKVP. This crew of landing ships was not divided equally, but in a brotherly way: Russia got five (among them the first prototype, you can not count it), and Ukraine - three ships (Kramatorsk, Artyomovsk and Gorlovka). The advocates of universal justice should not be indignant. The Ukrainian Navy did not need those “Bison” that it received, and it was beyond the power of the military budget to support them. In addition, two more ships were being built in Feodosia, one of which was completed. Again, justice demands to note that the Russian fleet also disposed of its Bison in a bad way. When Greece (the country is a member of NATO!) Expressed a desire to acquire unique warships, both Ukraine and Russia offered to buy a couple of pieces. The deal has taken place.
Then the three remaining units were decommissioned from the Ukrainian Navy as unnecessary, and, apparently, were cut into scrap metal, which is always in demand.
So, as a result, the Greeks have the “Bison” more than all, as many as four. The Russian fleet has two units, and in China - one, completed at Ukrainian shipyards. By the way, four more copies are planned to be built in China. Ukrainian experts provided assistance and technical documentation.
As a consolation it can be stated that the combat use of the Bison during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict has so far been the only and successful one. The details of military operations involving them are not known to the general public.