In the first decades of the XXI century, the military fleets of European countries made a breakthrough to nowhere.
The number of ridiculous and absurd projects such as the German F125, the Danish Absalon or the American LCS has exceeded all reasonable limits. A sign of a battleship is increasingly the lack of weapons on board.
If the tasks of the modern navy are really reduced only to participation in police and humanitarian operations, then it is worth going to the end and renaming the naval forces into the Emergencies Ministry's fleet.
If we take the cutting of the defense budget as the main task, then Zamvolt will shine as a guiding star. A mountain of promises that gave birth to a mouse.
But every rule is not without exceptions.
Among the unarmed destroyers and "cabin carriers" armed with rubber boats, there are a number of units demonstrating a completely different level of capabilities.
A prime example is the De Zeven Provincien series of missile / command frigates from the Dutch Navy.
The appearance of the "Seven Provinces" in conditions when the very possibility of a naval conflict with a developed enemy is denied seems like real magic.
And from the point of view of the domestic Navy, the Dutch project is generally a standard. Its concept should be the basis for the design of a promising next-generation destroyer ("Leader").
To many, this statement will seem controversial. To understand what this is about, you need to properly understand the situation.
Why are frigates and destroyers built?
Nowadays, when small missile ships have demonstrated the ability to deliver strikes over thousands of kilometers and have taken "at gunpoint" a good half of Europe, many have a logical question. Why spend money building larger ships?
A large ship is a lot of weapons. Good seakeeping ability. Long range.
This is true, but only partially.
Many weapons … But what class and purpose? The number of strike weapons at the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" and MRK "Karakurt" differs only by half (16 instead of 8 cruise missiles "Caliber") at sevenfold difference in displacement.
Adequate seaworthiness in open ocean conditions is also ensured at a much smaller size than those possessed by modern frigates and destroyers.
With a displacement of 6,000 tons, the frigate is much more comparable in size to light cruisers ("Kuma", "Nagara", "Dido") than the destroyers of the war years ("Fletcher", only 2,500 tons).
Ensuring seaworthiness and autonomy is not a sufficient explanation for the size of surface ships, which in our time are usually classified as frigates and destroyers.
With all the importance of the above parameters, when the conversation comes about thousands of tonnes of displacement, seaworthiness, autonomy and the number of "Calibers" on board fade into the background.
The displacement of surface ships depends to the greatest extent on the quantity, quality and height of the antenna posts
In other words, a ship of considerable size is required for the deployment of radar systems that allow detecting and firing at air targets at a distance of hundreds of kilometers.
Any RTO can be armed with "calibers". But to accommodate a zonal air defense system, a much larger platform is needed. In this case, the radars should be located as high as possible, ideally at a height of 25 meters or more from the waterline level. It turns out a ship as high as a nine-story building!
The main role of frigates and destroyers of the XXI century is to provide air defense of ship formations. All other tasks of the Navy can be confidently performed by ships of other classes, both smaller in size and superior to the frigate, but having a much lower cost.
As the example of "De Zeven Provincien" shows, a ship with a total displacement of at least 6,000 tons is required to accommodate a full-fledged air defense / missile defense system.
Its main radar is at the top of the foremast. Antenna post APAR with four active PAR, created by the Dutch branch of "Thales Group". The anti-aircraft fire control complex provides tracking of 200 target tracks and control of 32 launched missiles, with the possibility of illuminating 16 targets. Whether these values correspond to any chosen direction or whether they should be divided by four (according to the number of antennas with a 90 ° field of view) is not reported. In any case, four targets fired from one direction is more than most of his peers could have.
The second radar with a rectangular black antenna is designated SMART-L. It also uses AFAR technology.
The power and range of the SMART-L are selected from its main task - a long-range radar, whose area of responsibility extends from the troposphere to near-earth space. It is capable of tracking targets at a distance of up to 2000 km. This is nothing more than a missile defense station.
In 2015, in the Pacific Ocean, during the next missile defense exercise, the Dutch frigate provided target designation for the US Navy ships. Based on his data, the Americans launched their Standard-3 interceptor missiles. It is indicated that the frigate's capabilities "exceeded all expectations."
It is this function that is reflected in the designation of the Seven Provinces - an air defense command frigate. No one commands the invading armies from its bridge. The task of the frigate is to distribute air targets between the ships of the formation and, if possible, destroy them with their own weapons.
The next feature needed to be mentioned earlier when it came to the need for large surface ships.
To ensure the operation of a radar of such power, energy is needed. Lots of energy.
Four Finnish Vyartsila V12 diesel generators provide De Zeven Provincien with an electrical capacity of 6, 6 MW.
For comparison: the Sheffield-class destroyer (4300 tons, 1970) had four diesel generators on board with a total capacity of only 1 MW.
Created in the late 80s. the destroyer "Arleigh Burke" was equipped with three gas turbine generators with a total capacity of 7.5 MW. This is only 15% higher than the performance of the "De Zeven Provincien", which is inferior to the destroyer in displacement by as much as 40%.
But as you know, a ship cannot be judged by its size alone. The Dutch frigate is a combat vehicle riddled with energy flows. Emitting hard quanta into the surrounding space.
The combined power plant of the frigate consists of two 26-cylinder cruising diesel engines manufactured by Vyartsila and two British Rolls-Royce Spray gas turbines. Their combined work provides a speed of 28 knots (according to other sources, 30 knots).
Like other western ships, the frigate was not spared by the "European values". The design possibilities of the "Seven Provinces" allowed clearly more than the political ambitions of the Netherlands.
Armament was artificially reduced to the frigate - it was decided to abandon some of the rocket launchers. Therefore, instead of the sixth section of the UVP, there is a patch on the deck.
Ammunition is limited to 40 UVP cells. In the calculated version, it consists of 32 long-range anti-aircraft missiles "Standard-2" and 32 short / medium-range missiles ESSM, four in one cell.
The possibility of equipping "De Zeven Provincien" with transatmospheric kinetic interceptors "Standard-3" is being considered.
And the modernization of its "medium caliber" can already be considered a settled issue. The place of the former medium-range missiles will be taken by the ESSM "Block-2" with active guidance heads.
The third and last argument in dealing with air defense issues is the "Goalkeeper". The most powerful seven-barreled artillery system, similar to the 30-mm cannon of the A-10 attack aircraft. "Goalkeeper" is perhaps the best development in the field of means of active defense of ships in the near zone. The complex has been in service with the Netherlands Navy since 1980.
Initially, it was assumed that there will be two "Goalkeepers" to ensure a closed air defense circuit. In practice, due to savings, the frigate was left with only one automatic anti-aircraft gun, covering the aft corners.
The dimensions of the air defense frigate allow moderately versatile by ship.
Its 127-mm artillery - licensed Italian installations "Oto Melara", which the Dutch acquired during the "dismantling" of the decommissioned Canadian frigates. It is planned to replace them with modern artillery systems of the same caliber.
Eight anti-ship "Harpoons" are also planned to be replaced with small-sized anti-ship missiles of the new generation (probably Norwegian NSM).
On board there is a multipurpose helicopter, a subkeeping sonar station and an MK46 anti-submarine weapon system (324-mm torpedoes of the American production).
The ship is equipped with a pair of all-aspect optical detection systems, including those for operation in the thermal range. The countermeasures include two French electronic warfare systems, an American SRBOC complex for setting curtains of dipole reflectors and a towed anti-torpedo "rattle" (Nixie).
The approximate number of the crew is 230 people.
Common sense dictates: this is exactly the look a modern missile frigate (destroyer) should have.
The most expensive and technically rich class of surface warships of the 21st century, with the exception of nuclear supercarriers
The series of four frigates "De Zevin Provincien" was not intended to create the best ship. And those frigates never were.
There are even more powerful and sophisticated air defense ships - the British destroyers Type 45 Daring, so expensive that they seem to be made of gold.
The Americans are leaping with all their might on the construction of the eighth dozen "Arlie Berks" - whoppers with 90 rocket launchers. Which, however, do not have that superiority in close air defense due to the lack of an APAR analog.
Strictly speaking, "De Zevin Provincien" is not alone. It is closely related to the German Saxony-class air defense frigates and the Yver Huetfeld-class Danish frigates. All are equipped with the same radar system (APAR + SMART-L), but have a different hull design, power plant and differ in the composition of weapons.
At the same time, Iver Huetfeld is newer by as much as 10 years and is more perfect in a number of secondary issues.
The following illustration shows the Danish Peter Villemos, built in 2009-2011. Handsome! A 35-mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon" is visible in the aft part of the superstructure, firing programmed projectiles. The impression of the project is spoiled by two launchers of different sizes. As a result, the flexibility of the use of weapons that is characteristic of Dutch frigates is not achieved. Plus pointless artillery of 76 mm caliber.
With all due respect to similar designs, none of the creators of surface ships of the 1st rank of our time was able to achieve that wonderful balance of characteristics that was achieved in the project "De Zeven Provincien".
The Dutch frigate cannot be replicated in our conditions. And there is no negative connotation here
The study of the design itself, representing the international "vinaigrette", does not give anything that could be of value to the Russian Navy.
We are not interested in technical solutions or methods used in the design and construction of "De Zeven Provincien".
He was not threatened with either sanctions or fears associated with foreign-made components. The Netherlands could count on help and cooperation with European countries and the United States. After all, a little friend is always convenient to pat on the shoulder.
Therefore, one should not be surprised at the pace of construction: less than four years from the moment of laying to entry into operation.
The aforementioned air defense complex, the main element of the frigate, was created not only in the interests of the Dutch fleet. Other elements of the De Zeven Provincien were also proven solutions that had been used for decades on the ships of Western countries.
In this sense, we have nothing to learn from the Dutch.
The only thing that is a reason for imitation is the very understanding of the situation: why a large surface ship is needed.
The Dutch put into practice the idea of an outstanding air defense ship. And for anything else, a frigate of this size is not needed
In a less categorical form, this idea can be formulated differently: all the rest of the functionality (PLO, Caliber, helicopter) will inevitably be present on board a ship of such a large size. As a smart addition.
The main thing is not to get carried away and not build another monster.
The creators of the Russian frigate of Project 22350 (lead - "Admiral Gorshkov") generally share this point of view.
The key difference between the "Gorshkov" and other carriers of the "Caliber" is the "pyramid" in the bow of the superstructure, soaring 25 meters above the waves. There is a radar complex consisting of two radars, short-range and general detection.
And somewhere far below, under the deck, covered with waterproof covers, the fairings of 32 Redoubt anti-aircraft missiles gleam dimly …
As for the news about the development and the planned bookmark of the destroyer "Leader", I was always amazed at the announced values of its displacement. 18, 20 and even 30 thousand tons!
In what century do those who believe that a destroyer should be of this size live?
Twenty years ago, a frigate with a total displacement of 6050 tons was enough to accommodate the most bulky existing weapon for surface ships (a long-range air defense system with air defense / missile defense radars) and a full range of auxiliary weapons.
