Today, destroyers are the most versatile and widespread class of warships. They are used to protect aircraft carriers from air attacks, cover landing ships, and destroy submarines. Today, the United States of America has the largest destroyer fleet, and if we take into account the pace of construction of ships of this type in other countries, the US leadership will continue for a long time. At the heart of their naval forces are destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class. What is the secret of the success of these vessels, and who are their main competitors?
The Arleigh Burke destroyers are among the fourth generation guided missile destroyers and are rightfully considered the best in the world, and in some respects they surpass all existing ships. A modern American destroyer can simultaneously detect a significant number of targets, as well as take them for escort. At the same time, there are no impossible tasks for a destroyer.
The main combat missions of destroyers "Arleigh Burke" include: protection of naval strike and aircraft carrier groups from massive missile attacks; air defense (of convoys, naval formations or individual ships) from enemy aircraft; the fight against submarines and surface ships. In addition, they can be used to provide a naval blockade, artillery support for amphibious operations, tracking enemy ships, as well as to participate in search and rescue operations.
The development of the Arleigh Burke destroyers began in the late 1970s. The main requirement that the military made for the new ship was versatility. The main task of destroyers is to escort aircraft carriers and the new ship was supposed to easily cope with any targets: torpedoes, missiles, coastal installations. Fire detection and control systems had only seconds to make a decision on the use of weapons.
The destroyer "Arleigh Burke" demonstrates new approaches to shipbuilding. One of the most impressive changes was the reshaping of the case. Traditionally, destroyers were narrow and long. The designers of this ship solved this problem in a different way. Arleigh Burke's naval architecture has retained one unique value - the length-to-width ratio, which means increased stability. Operating experience has shown that the new design has a number of advantages. In rough seas of up to 7 meters, the Arleigh Burke is able to maintain a speed of up to 25 knots.
In addition to the unique shape of the hull, American destroyers received other changes in ship architecture. For example, the structure has become steel again. The fact is that during World War II, destroyers were made of steel, and by the 1970s, steel had replaced aluminum. The change in material was due to the weighting of the radars and other sensors placed on the masts. Aluminum is an excellent alternative to steel, however, it has certain disadvantages, including vulnerability to fire. The designers of the destroyer "Arleigh Burke" decided to return to steel, but at the same time they retained many of the modern electronic systems. Vital spaces of this class of vessels are additionally protected by 25mm armor plates and covered with Kevlar.
The design of the Arleigh Burke is more compact than its predecessors. Their superstructures are less cluttered, quieter than those of the previous structures.
Initially, the ships were designed to protect American aircraft carrier groups from missile strikes (primarily from strikes by ship missiles) that the USSR Navy could inflict. That is, these are missiles that were based on air platforms, missiles of surface ships and missiles launched from submarines.
The combat information and control system (BIUS) Idzhes makes the destroyer Arleigh Burke practically invulnerable. The unique information and control combat system of the destroyer Arleigh Burke can simultaneously conduct anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-ship defense. The main element of the BIUS is a powerful radar station that is capable of automatically detecting, tracking and tracking several hundred targets simultaneously. Its main feature is that it collects information not only from the main antennas installed on the towers of the ship, but also from a hydroacoustic station that scans the underwater space and quickly detects enemy submarines.
This system is capable of detecting aerospace targets at ranges of 380 thousand meters, air and sea targets at a range of 190 thousand meters. Up to 1000 targets can be tracked simultaneously with eighteen missiles for various purposes.
Arleigh Burke ships are equipped with weapons that have no analogues in the world. This includes the Mark 41 vertical launch facility, which consists of 100 compartments that store missiles. However, the main feature of this installation is not the number of missiles, but the ability to combine them. For example, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, cruise missiles or torpedoes can be simultaneously deployed, which makes it possible to prepare the ship to repel any danger. Ammunition can be combined depending on the task at hand. If Soviet ships had their own separate launchers for each type of missile, then the Arleigh Burke provided a single system for them. This technical solution made it possible to minimize the amount of "dead" weight, that is, installations that will not be used for a specific mission.
The armament of the Arleigh Burke destroyers of various sub-series (Series I, IΙ and IΙA) is quite different. The main weapon of all active ships of this type is 2 vertical launch units Mark 41 VLS. Armament set for UVP destroyers of I and IΙ series:
8 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 74 anti-aircraft missiles RIM-66 SM-2, 8 anti-submarine missiles RUM-139 VL-Asroc (multipurpose version).
In addition, the ships could be equipped with 56 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 34 RUM-139 VL-Asroc and RIM-66 SM-2 missiles in the attack version.
The number of missiles carried on the IIA series destroyers has increased to 96. Standard set of weapons for the air defense missile system:
8 anti-submarine guided missiles RUM-139 VL-Asroc, 8 BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 24 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, 74 RIM-66 SM-2 missiles.
In 2008, an Ijes SM-3 rocket launched from a US base in Alaska shot down an object in outer space. The target was a falling military satellite. The performance of this rocket is fantastic. The designers claim that the missile is capable of destroying a target at a distance of up to 500 km. This shot was fired from the Lake Erik-class destroyer Arleigh Burke. Today, almost all ships of this class have received this powerful weapon. According to Russian experts, these firing were carried out to test the anti-missile system.
On board the Arleigh Burke class destroyers, in addition to launchers, a 127mm artillery mount (680 rounds of ammunition), 2 six-barrel 20mm Phalanx anti-aircraft artillery mounts and 4 Browning machine guns of 12.7mm caliber are installed. On board, in addition to deck armament, 2 SH-60B "Seahawk" helicopters with anti-submarine and anti-ship weapons kits can be placed, extending the range of the destroyer. The use of helicopters makes it possible to detect and attack targets tens of kilometers away. This arsenal makes it possible for ships not only to protect the squadron, but also to deliver high-precision strikes against the enemy. In other words, "Arleigh Burke" is not just a tactical, but an operational-tactical unit of weapons, that is, they are capable of hitting targets in the depths of the enemy.
Undoubtedly, the Arleigh Burke is the best ship of this class, however other maritime states are constantly improving their destroyers. For example, in Great Britain there is a Type 45 destroyer. According to its creators, one Type 45 can replace an entire fleet of destroyers of the previous generation in terms of firepower. Its latest weaponry is capable of destroying an aircraft, helicopter, aerial bomb or UAV without any problems. The accuracy of the guidance system is so great that the cannon is capable of shooting down a flying tennis ball. These ships are equipped with a European fire detection and control system, developed quite recently.
The main armament of these destroyers is the PAAMS anti-aircraft missile launcher with Aster-30 and Aster-15 missiles. Also on the warship is six Sylver systems serving for vertical launch of eight Aster missiles with each installation. In addition, the destroyer is equipped with artillery armament - one 114-mm installation, which serves to strike at coastal fortifications and two 30-mm guns on manpower.
The most powerful missiles in the Type 45 destroyer's arsenal is the Aster-30, but their maximum range is 120,000 meters. These missiles can perform certain functions of anti-missile defense, short-range missiles, intercept and illumination. Of course, this weapon cannot be compared with that of the Arleigh Burke. The British are losing on all counts.
Despite this, the Type 45 has its own unique features. This includes an integrated energy system. The ship has two gas and two diesel turbines. A liquid fuel engine supplies power to the electric motors that rotate the propellers. Due to this, the ship's maneuverability was increased and the consumption of diesel fuel was reduced. In addition, four turbines are capable of replacing an entire power plant.
Arleigh Burke specifications:
Displacement - 9, 3 thousand tons;
Length - 155.3 m;
Width - 18 m;
Power plant - 4 gas turbines LM2500-30 "General Electric";
Maximum speed - 30 knots;
Cruising range at a speed of 20 knots - 4400 miles;
Crew - 276 sailors and officers;
Armament:
Vertical launch units (missiles SM-3, RIM-66, RUM-139 "VL-Asroc", BGM-109 "Tomahawk");
Artillery 127-mm mount Mk-45;
Two automatic 25mm Phalanx CWIS mounts;
Four 12.7mm Browning machine guns;
Two three-tube torpedo tubes Mk-46.
Technical characteristics of the "Type 45" class destroyer:
Displacement - 7350 tons;
Length - 152.4 m;
Width - 18 m;
Cruising range - 7000 miles;
Speed - 27 knots;
Crew - 190 people;
Armament:
Anti-aircraft missile systems "PAAMS";
Six Sylver VLS launchers;
Rockets "Aster-30" - 32 pcs. "Aster 15" - 16 pieces;
Artillery 114-mm installation;
Two 30mm artillery mounts;
Four torpedo tubes.
Helicopter "EH101 Merlin" - 1.
