The Navy is the lot of only the most developed militarily and industrially countries. You can buy a ship, but to create all the necessary infrastructure for it will not work. It is not surprising that the state of the shipbuilding industry in our country caused the deepest despondency among sailors: new ships were not built, old ones gradually developed their resources. Fortunately, the situation gradually began to improve. A clear confirmation of this is the frigate Admiral Gorshkov.
He was launched on October 29, 2010. This event is unique in that it is not only the first ship launched after the collapse of the Union, but also the first model of this kind of equipment that was designed “from scratch”, without the use of Soviet developments.
About the history of creation
Immediately after the country had money to launch a new shipbuilding program, submarines of projects 955, 885 and 667 were laid down and launched. Soon the turn of surface ships arrived. The new frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” of project 22350 was created by specialists of the Severny Design Bureau. The chief designer of the project was P.M. Shraiko. The laying of the ship took place in 2006. As expected, the first frigate of project 22350 was built much longer than anticipated, but nevertheless shipbuilders managed to meet the deadlines, despite all the difficulties.
The project of the new ship was created and approved back in 2003. When a state tender was announced for its construction in 2005, there were immediately three major performers who really wanted their competitors to not get such a tidbit: Severnaya Verf, Yantar, and Sevmash Enterprise. In the end, the construction right remained with St. Petersburg Severnaya Verf. As practice has shown, this was the right decision.
The importance of the ships of project 22350 for the country's defense
No one will be surprised by the words that the coastline of our country differs both in length and in its complex relief. The problem of our fleet is that it includes a lot of morally and technically obsolete ships, which, in the event of a massive attack by a probable enemy, simply cannot protect such a huge area, or even interact normally with each other and other naval units of the Russian Navy. The frigate Admiral Gorshkov against this background is in a favorable position, as it is a multi-purpose combat unit.
Thus, Russia as soon as possible needs to launch as many modern coast guard ships as possible, which are equipped with effective missile and anti-ship missiles. This will allow you to build a normal coastal defense without resorting to the use of more expensive weapons. The United States is following a similar path today. The military leadership of this country precisely focuses on the construction of a large number of relatively inexpensive and functional ships designed to protect coastal waters.
It should be noted that the Black Sea Fleet especially needs them. The fact is that this group of ours is located at a great distance from other military fleets. During the "management" of Ukrainians in the land of Crimea, there were practically no normal air defense and missile defense systems there. And those of them who nevertheless remained could not effectively cover the remaining territory from a possible enemy strike. The only ship that more or less meets the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, GvRKr project 1164.5 "Moscow". Not only is he alone, but also the combat systems of the ship obviously do not meet modern requirements.
It is equipped with the S-300F Fort air defense system, which is fully unified with the S-300PS anti-aircraft missile system. The maximum height of the target being hit is up to 27 kilometers. At the same time, you can capture up to six air targets at a distance of 90 kilometers. As you can see, our air defense forces in the new region of the Federation cannot boast of anything outstanding. To rectify this situation, in recent years, intensive
construction of a new type of
ship has begun, and one of the most impressive is the frigate of project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov.
Distinctive features
The ship is good in that it is designed to work both in the near and distant sea zones, as well as for conducting military operations in oceanic conditions. Displacement - about 4,500 tons, the greatest length - at least 130 m, the width of the hull in the widest place - 16 meters. The length of the course is more than four thousand nautical miles, the navigation season is not limited. In addition to powerful artillery and missile weapons, there is a platform for receiving a combat helicopter (Ka-28).
Among other things, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov is unique in that at least 30% of completely new technologies and materials are used in its design. Competing in this with the Americans, the aft superstructures and chopping were created using the stealth technology, which provides strong dispersion of radar waves, guaranteeing the ship a high degree of stealth. It is not surprising that the degree of secrecy in its design was “at a level”: only designers and shipbuilders knew about the appearance of the “Admiral”. Nothing leaked into the press until the launch.
Airborne weapons
The frigate Admiral Gorshkov (photo of 2014 convincingly prove this) carries an impressive combat complex on board. It includes a whole battery of anti-ship missiles (Mosquito), an artillery mount with a caliber of 130 mm (rate of fire of 30 rounds per minute), as well as an anti-aircraft missile battery and an anti-submarine missile system. Thus, the frigate of project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov is distinguished by impressive security and is able to fend for itself in any conditions.
Ship anti-submarine protection
Anti-submarine weapons immediately consists of two Medvedka-2 launch complexes. They are located in the middle of the ship. Each launcher is loaded with four active-guided missiles. The sonar system ZARYA-M is responsible for detecting enemy submarines. Subsequently, it is planned to replace the station of this type with its improved analogue, VIGNETKA-M.
The composition of these devices includes a flexible antenna (GPBA) and emitter, which can provide effective detection of low-noise submarines of the latest generation. Among other things, the same systems can effectively detect torpedoes and surface ships of the enemy at a distance of up to 60 km. Thus, knocking down the Admiral Gorshkov frigate using an ordinary torpedo attack is almost impossible.
Defense Aviation
The real highlight of the ship is the installation 3S14U1 (UKSK). Missile, of course. This complex is unique in its "omnivorous": you can replace the ammunition at any time, as a result of which the specification of the ship will also change. In addition, it is worthwhile to dwell on the characteristics of the anti-aircraft installation, Rif-M. Let us tell you that in the press it is often called "Poliment-Redoubt."
So here. The Reef does not differ in any impressive combat characteristics, but it is completely unified with the land Vityaz. Of course, this is in the hands of both sailors and their land "colleagues", since the ammunition can be replenished almost everywhere where there are air defense units. In order not to leave a single chance to flying enemies, a new type of radar has also been installed on the ship, which is distinguished by enhanced characteristics in the field of early detection of aircraft.
Four phased arrays (AFAR) “Poliment” are responsible for this at once. Experts believe that in the future on ships of this type will be installed a unified fire control system, as well as the A-192 and Zak Broadsword. By the way, the latter are already installed on the frigate Admiral Gorshkov (whose photo is in the article). Their task is to cover the regular Ka-28 helicopter during its take-off and landing. All available combat elements operate in a single circuit, providing the frigate with reliable protection against enemy combat aircraft and helicopters.
The ship’s protective circuit can capture and conduct 16 flying objects at once in one “approach”. Those firing at their interception - up to one missile per second. Even if someone manages to break through, frigate 22350 Admiral Gorshkov will almost certainly knock him out of artillery systems. The combination of an automatic gun with a caliber of 130 mm and an automatic guidance system is a terrible thing. Do not forget about the powerful airborne electronic warfare, which is able to almost completely suppress the computer guidance system of enemy missiles. All this not only significantly increases the Admiral’s level of protection, but also dramatically reduces the load on the crew in a combat situation.
And more about anti-aircraft weapons
Not so long ago it became known that the Altair Research Institute of Radioactive Energy is in full swing developing a new small-sized system designed to protect warships with a displacement of 1,000 to 4,500 thousand tons. The new anti-aircraft gun will be built on the basis of the well-proven Rif-M air defense system. It is assumed that she will use 9M96E missiles, characterized by active homing, as well as an inertial target capture system. The combination of these systems will create a truly formidable weapon capable of intercepting highly maneuverable aircraft with a high probability of their destruction.
This is what distinguishes the frigate Admiral Gorshkov from its competitors. A ship’s photo is able to immediately prove to experts that it is able to easily cope with most combat aircraft of a potential enemy.
Power point
In general, there is nothing surprising in it: a diesel gas turbine installation, whose power is about 65,000 hp. It belongs to the CODAG type, the diesel engine itself belongs to the DGTA-M55MR family (all in one housing). Such a design solution made it possible to combine both high maximum power and the best efficiency when moving in low speed (sea trials of the frigate Admiral Gorshkov clearly demonstrated this).
The gas turbine unit is located in the bow, the diesel is traditionally located at the stern.
Detailed characteristics of the diesel installation
The manufacturer of well-proven 10D49 diesel engines is the Kolomensky Zavod. The power of each is 3825 kW (5200 hp), they are fully automated. Each one has a two-speed gearbox, which is responsible for the separate or joint operation of two engines. Finally, there is a local control system. The gas turbine units themselves, the gas turbine engine M90FR, were developed at once by two famous enterprises - NPO Saturn and NPP Zarya-Mashproekt.
Without these companies, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov would have been impossible. 2014 proved that the fleet management is very grateful to them, since both enterprises received generous government orders. It is hoped that such a favorable trend will continue in the future.
Only on diesels alone the propulsion system of the ship will immediately deliver 10,400 hp, which is enough to accelerate to 10-13 knots. If diesel engines and turbines are running at the same time, the power rises immediately to 64800 hp, so that a colossus with a displacement of four thousand tons is accelerated to 30 knots. Why are we all listed in such detail? Why do you think this design of ship power plants was not used in the ships of the Soviet Navy? It's simple: no one wanted to take the responsibility of developing such a complex system. A system that was supposed to be not only powerful, but also extremely reliable.
In this area, Russian shipbuilders managed to get around their Soviet colleagues, which is good, since the Admiral Gorshkov ship is the real “first-born” of post-Soviet shipbuilders. In this, it is similar to the T-50 fighter. This aircraft was also developed “from scratch” by Russian developers.
Some results
Generally speaking, the Fleet Admiral Gorshkov is a frigate, which in many respects is a fairly typical representative of the Soviet-Russian shipbuilding school. However, for the first time in the history of our fleet, a missile weapon was deployed in mines on a surface ship. By the way, our American "colleagues" have long come to the need for just such a deployment of this type of weaponry, since in this case it is possible to eliminate the "zoo" of the launch facilities, which is so characteristic of the Soviet fleet. This will significantly reduce the cost of operation of ships, since it will be necessary to train far fewer specialists.
Alas, until the year 2010, the domestic Navy did not have unification in this area at all. Moreover, each (!) Missile system had its own specific application. The latter fact practically put an end to the idea of creating multifunctional ships. If our shipbuilding industry follows the path that the Admiral Gorshkov ship paved, the fleet will finally receive truly universal, flexible and powerful weapons that can be effectively used throughout the Russian coastline.
Because of what, “Admiral Gorshkov” was commissioned for so long?
The main problem, due to which we constantly had to postpone the deadlines, was a chronic delay with the delivery of individual systems. Yes, the St. Petersburg shipyard built the cruiser Admiral Gorshkov, but all the weapons, radar systems and sonar systems were provided by completely different contractors! It is they who bear the lion's share of responsibility for postponing the deadline for the delivery of the frigate. In particular, air defense systems and hydroacoustics brought a lot of problems. In addition, a couple of times the supply of components for the new artillery system was disrupted, without which the frigate Pr. 22350 Admiral Gorshkov would be little superior to ships of a similar class.
How does the domestic admiralty solve the shortage of ships?
In principle, there is only one correct solution, which is actively used today. We are talking about the hasty "breeding" of ships that could operate in one tactical niche. Since at the moment the frigates of project 22350 are not being built quickly enough, it was decided to activate the construction of cheaper ships belonging to the 11356 family (six of them were previously acquired by India). Despite their unification, they will be used in different fleets. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to completely dispense with the confusion in the nomenclature even now. The only consolation is that it will not be as confusing as it was in the days of the Union.
If we evaluate the degree of readiness of the frigates of project 22350, intended for the re-equipment of the Black Sea Fleet, the following should be said. In total, it is supposed to launch six ships. The frigate Admiral Grigorovich is supposed to be commissioned around the second half of 2015. His "brother", "Admiral Essen," will begin to plow the waters of the Black Sea in 2016. The ship "Admiral Makarov" is unlikely to be ready before 2017.
Even if we take into account the sharply increased state allocations to the shipbuilding industry and the loading of industrial enterprises in the Crimea, the re-equipment of the fleet runs the risk of a long drag. Thus, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, whose tests have shown impressive results, is in many ways the only worthy alternative. One can only hope that domestic industry will withstand the pace.
Conclusion
Whatever the case, the construction of the frigate Admiral Gorshkov clearly proves the sharp activation of our shipbuilding industry. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the fleet has never received so many new ships. That's just because of frequent supply disruptions, the Navy gets more and more the same type of frigates, which can often be used in only one tactical niche. As you can imagine, this state of affairs is not too good for the country's overall defense.
To some extent, the military themselves are to blame for this, who are far from always ready to provide manufacturers with a clear and detailed statement of work. In addition, even when the frigate Admiral Gorshkov was being built, adjustments were often made to its appearance, which cannot be in other countries. There are also problems with newly developed projects of new classes of ships for which adequate weapons have simply not yet been created. Finishing them up "on the fly" leads not only to a catastrophic rise in the cost of construction, but also to stretching the deadlines to exorbitant amounts.
Projects are also transferred from plant to plant, bypassing a huge number of bureaucratic obstacles. The adjustment of equipment, programs and the adjustment of projects to the characteristics of each shipbuilding enterprise is carried out almost in manual mode. The situation is especially deplorable in the Pacific Fleet, where ship repair facilities either do not exist at all, or they exist, but are equipped with morally and technically obsolete equipment that is simply not suitable for modern frigates. The combination of all these problems over time can lead to very unpleasant consequences.
In principle, there is more pleasant news. Thus, Western sanctions will not have any effect on the re-equipment of the fleet, since the construction of ships is carried out using exclusively domestic technologies. Of course, the import of some technological solutions could solve many problems, but such an option is practically unrealistic in the light of current foreign policy realities. Whatever it was, but the cruiser Admiral Gorshkov is the real pride of our shipbuilding.