Since ancient times, it has been the custom that extremely strong and wealthy states had their own fleet. This was especially true for warships, the operation of which at all times was extremely expensive. Today this statement is extremely relevant. Ships are terribly expensive cars, and therefore having your own fleet incredibly strengthens the international prestige of the state that has it.
Despite the ups and downs of the 1990s, our country managed to maintain its navy. Today it is gradually expanding and modernizing. Unfortunately, this process is proceeding rather slowly, and therefore ships put into operation in the last years of the USSR still retain great importance. An example of this is Moscow. The missile cruiser with this name is still a formidable force in the vast seas.
Basic information
At least the nickname given to him by the sailors, “the killer of aircraft carriers,” speaks of his capabilities. This is not only the flagship of the entire Black Sea Fleet, but also one of the most powerful ships in all the fleets of Russia. Home port - Sevastopol. Prior to the well-known events, the Black Sea Fleet had a lot of inconvenience, since the Ukrainian side constantly had discussions about the lease. Now all this is no longer relevant.
Built "Moscow" (missile cruiser, of course) was in the city of Nikolaev. Initially, the ship was given the name "Glory".
Appointment, commissioning time
This cruiser is the leading target in the Atlas project 1164. As soon as the Moscow anti-submarine ship (built according to project 1123) was decommissioned from the USSR Navy, the future flagship immediately got its name. Its main purpose immediately became the targeted destruction of large ships of a potential enemy (for example, aircraft carriers), air defense of the coast and fire cover for its landing force.
When was Moscow commissioned? The missile cruiser was launched in 1982, but its official use begins only in 1983.
Where did you stay, what was the cruiser famous for?
The main place of his service was the Mediterranean Sea. Repeatedly, "Moscow" was seen in the ports of all states whose shores it washes. When in December 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev met with George
W. Bush (senior, of course) on the island of Malta, it was this ship that ensured the safety of the entire conference.
Modernization, combat use
In 1990 GRKR "Moscow" returned to his native Nikolaev for modernization. That's just because of the collapse of the USSR, it lasted exactly 8.5 years, and only on May 13, 1998, he received a new banner and flag of a new country. In addition, at the same time, the Red Caucasus patrol ship was withdrawn from the Black Sea Fleet, from which Moscow received the Guards title.
In 2003, an event occurred at which the GRKR "Moscow" for the first time shone on the international stage since the days of the USSR. We are talking about the Indra exercises, which were jointly conducted by the Black Sea, Pacific Fleets and the Navy of friendly India. A year later, he participated in the IONIEKS-2004 exercises, which were held jointly with Italians. The beginning of 2008 met in the Mediterranean Sea in the company of the aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov", as well as the ships accompanying him.
In August 2008, the Black Sea Fleet represented by Moscow took part in an operation to force Georgia to peace while in the waters of Ossetia. At the beginning of next year, he participated in commemorative events dedicated to the anniversary of the terrible earthquake that occurred in Sicily a hundred years ago. Then, the seamen of the Imperial Navy actively participated in the elimination of the consequences.
The importance of "Moscow" for the Navy of the Russian Federation
In general, ships, the name for which was the name of the capital of the state, are always under close attention. “Moscow” was no exception. The missile cruiser repeatedly took on board the most powerful persons of both the USSR and other states. However, this did not prevent the new authorities in the early 1990s from thinking about sending this ship for scrap.
We did not say in vain that the cruiser for nearly eight and a half years stood on the slipways in Nikolaevsk, while complex bureaucratic delays were made. Fortunately, the ship was not cut into metal, and the Black Sea Fleet did not lose its legendary flagship.
About the need
In the mid-1990s, in the wake of the “economical economy” and “cost reduction”, whole battles sometimes flared up in the domestic media. The "experts" have long and eagerly discussed whether the ship really needs this country. Many believed that holding such a cruiser on the Black Sea was unprofitable from an economic point of view, offering to “overtake” it into the zone of responsibility of the Pacific Fleet. They were actively supported by foreign opponents. They were not at all impressed by the idea that the “killer of aircraft carriers” would carry out its combat duty in these waters.
August 2008 showed how much the country needs Moscow. The Guards missile cruiser was the only "weighty word" that kept NATO from rash decisions. Now it’s somehow not customary to recall this, but during the “five-day war” in the Black Sea there were a huge number of ships of the alliance. But Moscow (the capital) was surprisingly calm about what was happening.
The answer was simple: the missile cruiser of the Atlant project could easily put the entire surface group of NATO ships into scrap metal. All this was well understood, and therefore a peculiar armed neutrality remained.
How it all began
How did the Russian missile cruisers of project 1164 come about? The first ship of this class received the encrypted name "Aurora", and its development began in the mid-70s of the last century. Initially, A. Perkov was approved for the position of chief designer, but later he was replaced by V. Mutikhin. From the Navy, A. Blinov, captain of the second rank, was appointed observer.
The team of designers faced truly non-trivial tasks. The fact is that the military needed not just an appropriate class of warships, but a universal combat vehicle that could provide both local air defense of a certain section of the coast and become an element of collective air defense together with coastal fortification lines.
However, with a very difficult task, the designers coped with the brilliance. They took the S-300 air defense system covered with military glory, created its ship version (can be distinguished by the letter "F"), and then installed it on a new ship. These weapons are still highly relevant and can confidently repel air attacks on ships of the Black Sea Fleet.
What technical solutions were used?
In general, the Atlantes widely used well-proven solutions from the ships of Project 1134B. Of course, they were slightly reworked, but the main technical base remained unchanged. By that time, seven ships of Project 1134B had already been built, which in the navy received the nickname "Bukari". To date, only Kerch has remained in service, which is also part of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
The main tactical characteristics of "Moscow"
The displacement of this magnificent ship is 11,500 tons. The total length of the ship is 186 meters. With a width of 21 meters, its height is 42.5 meters. It is not surprising that the draft of such an impressive ship is 8.5 meters. The maximum achievable speed (we will talk about this below) is 32 knots, the usual move is 16 knots. Four gas turbine units act immediately as power plants; each of them has a capacity of 22,500 liters. from. Two propellers set in motion at once .
If we talk about a speed of 16 knots, then under these conditions the range of autonomous navigation is 6,000 nautical miles (translated into the metric system - about 12,000 km). As for time, food supplies last exactly one month of autonomy. The crew is 510 people, in combat conditions the number of personnel can be increased. For escort and reconnaissance, the Ka-27 multi-purpose helicopter is used, the landing site of which is located aft.
Basic technical information
All the ships of the Atlant project received a completely new gas turbine propulsion system, which had not only one main engine for each shaft, but also a pair of afterburner power plants. A new technical solution was applied when heat from the engines was collected by a heat recovery circuit (TUK). It turned liquid into steam, which rotated auxiliary turbines of the power plant.
This has provided tremendous benefits. Even at a cruising speed of 18 knots, fuel efficiency increased by 12%. The maximum speed when using all engines from now on amounted to as many as 32 knots, which is almost a record indicator for ships of this class.
Housing Features
Blinov, observing from the Navy, got a technical solution from the designers, in which the thickness of almost all the elements of the hull was at least 8 millimeters. By the way, it was much more than required by the calculated indicators. Due to such know-how, these Russian warships are characterized by increased durability. But everything has its flip sides: due to the used design solutions, the displacement (when compared with the ships of Project 1134B) grew immediately by 28%.
In fairness, it is worth noting that comparing these machines is not too correct in principle. The fact is that such Russian warships and anti-submarine vessels are very similar only in appearance and some technical solutions.
Initially, Moscow and other Atlantes were armed with P-500 Basalt missiles. The fire control system is Argon. Initially, ships had 16 of these missiles. They were mounted in eight twin mines located on the upper deck. In the course of further modernization, obsolete missile weapons were replaced by the P-1000 Volcano. These missiles can hit targets already at a distance of about 700 kilometers.
Basic information on combat systems
The fire control system allows a combat launch mode, including the simultaneous launch (to hit one target) of all 16 missiles. By the way, not one aircraft carrier in the world can withstand such a salvo. How do these naval warships get the coordinates of targets at such long-range launches? Everything is simple: either from satellites, or from Tu-95 aircraft, or through the operation of its own reconnaissance and targeting system.
Cruiser anti-aircraft weapons
To effectively repel air attacks on the ship, two air defense systems are mounted at once. The first, S-300F, is intended for a collective or zonal air defense system. The second, Osa-M, is intended solely to repel the attacks of aircraft, helicopters and enemy missiles on the ship itself.
Eight drum- type launchers are designed for the S-300F air defense system at once, allowing for relatively quick reloading and missile maintenance. They are placed both in the upper deck area and at the stern of the cruiser. To effectively manage the launch and guidance process, a special radar was included in the ship’s gun system. Its feature is the antenna, made according to the scheme "phased array".
As we already said, the Osa-M complex is used for ship self-defense, which allows you to confidently hit targets at a distance of about ten kilometers. It consists of two launchers (with a homing system that works in two planes at once). Unlike older ships, the self-defense kit also has its own control system. The total ammunition of the two Osa air defense systems is exactly 48 missiles. Accordingly, for the S-300 provides 64 ammunition.
Additional anti-aircraft systems
But the capabilities
of the cruiser
anti-aircraft installations are not limited to this. To make it a truly multi-functional combat unit, the design included a universal (can also shoot at coastal and marine targets) 130 mm installation (automatic, of course) AK-130. To increase its effectiveness, the Lion radar detection system is included with it.
Among other things, the ship has a whole battery of 30 mm AK-630M six-barrel guns. The battery contains two installations, each of which is controlled by the Pennant target guidance and tracking system. The state of the airspace near the ship itself, as well as the supply of information to the airborne anti-aircraft weapons, is the responsibility of the Flag radar, which includes two other radar installations: Frigate and Voskhod. Their antennas are rigidly mounted on the forearm and mainmasts of the “Killer Aircraft Carriers”.
Fighting enemy submarines
Soviet designers did not forget about how formidable the enemy submarines could be. Despite the shock specialization, the cruiser is well protected from them: there is a well-proven Platinum sonar system, which includes a towed and bulb antenna. For a direct attack of enemy submarines, two 533 mm vehicles for launching torpedoes are provided at once.
On the contrary, the two RBU-6000 installations (missile and bomb) are precisely designed to protect the ship from torpedo volleys from the enemy side.
Overall rating of all project ships
Altogether, four ships were laid down under the Atlant project. Only three were commissioned. Each of the ships is currently in service. They serve in the Black Sea, Pacific and Northern Fleets. In principle, the Atlant project turned out to be really worthy and deserving of attention, unlike its predecessors, the 1144 Orlan type. Project 1164 ships had a much smaller displacement, but in terms of armament they were no worse, and in most cases better than their predecessors.
In addition, already at creation, the priority of offensive weapons was set. Despite this, the new cruisers have enough weaknesses. So, on the ships of the Orlan project there were 96 rockets for the S-300 complex, while the Atlants had only 64 of them. In addition, the Osa-M air defense system was once an advanced tool for self-defense of ships against air attacks, but already at the time of the creation of the cruisers their capabilities were clearly not enough. Finally, on the ships of the project 1144 there were immediately 16 launchers “Dagger”.
Thus, the project 1164 cruisers ideally met all the requirements of the late Soviet doctrine on the use of the Navy, when warships were planned to be sent into battle only if they were reliably covered from the air. Unfortunately, such a doctrine does not fit the current state of affairs. It is far from always possible to provide ships with reliable air defense, so their own air defense system is of particular importance.
The main disadvantages of the project vessels
The most significant drawback (in addition to the nuances described above) is the presence of only one multi-channel radar ("Wave"), designed to capture and indicate targets complete with the S-300 complex. In addition to the fact that if the installation fails, the ship is almost completely deprived of more or less adequate protection against air attacks, the Wave cannot reflect attacks from more than one direction. If we talk about similar cruisers of the Americans (built according to the Ticonderoger project), then each of them has four (!) Independent radars mounted, which can automatically lead and shoot down targets in several directions at once.
Thus, the presence of only one radar station not only makes the Atlanta a relatively easy target for promising enemy fighters, but also makes NATO anti-ship missiles extremely dangerous, which in recent years have shown excellent capabilities in the field of multi-sector attack.
These ships were created in Nikolaev. The shipyard is currently located not only in the territory of another country, but also in distress, so such ships are unlikely to be built there. One can only hope for the domestic defense industry, which will be able to establish the construction of something like that.