In early March 2017, the next test launches of AGM-114L-8A Hellfire short-range multipurpose tactical missiles were made from the American littoral battleship LCS-7 USS "Detroit" ("Freedom" class). The possibility of a vertical "hot" start of the "radar" version of the "Hellfire" was tested, and then its declination and flight towards the target selected by the weapons control complex. As launchers, promising vertical launch modules SSMM ("Surface-to-Surface Missile Module") were used, which have maximum lightness and compactness, which makes it possible to place this weapon complex on almost all types of missile boats, frigates and other surface ships. I would like to note the fact of submission of distorted information about the date of the first successful launch of AGM-114L-8 from the magazine "Janes Missiles & Rocket", whose editors attributed it to March 2017, because in reality, field tests of the above version of "Hellfire" were still in the summer of 2015, and they ended with quite successful destruction of high-speed surface targets of the "boat" type with dummies on board. The SSMM Increment 1 multipurpose tactical complex belongs to the third generation of the Surface Wafare (SUW) Mission Package modular weapons for coastal LCS-class warships.
During the development and fine-tuning of the SSMM vertical launcher, the special attention of the specialists of General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin was focused on the design and stability of the chambers for the outgoing jet streams, as well as to the gas vents located close to the rocket guides. There was a likelihood of burnout channels causing significant damage to the neighboring AGM-114 in the guides and further disabling the entire ammunition load, but the problems passed by and the shipboard "Hellfire-Longbow" became one step closer to gaining initial combat readiness, expected by the end of 2017 - the beginning of 2018. It is worth noting that modular 1x12 SSMM launchers with AGM-114 will become an excellent multipurpose self-defense weapon for American littoral battleships of the LCS type; moreover, no operating destroyer or cruiser of the US Navy possesses such weapons.
Considering that the main sea / ocean areas of the American "coastal" operations are located in the near sea zone, where the LCS crews must prevent the launch of enemy sabotage and assault boats and other flotation devices of the "mosquito fleets" (posing a threat to the orders of friendly AUG / KUG), the SSMM complexes can be used both to repel massive attacks from the above-mentioned surface assets, and to suppress the enemy's fortification activities on the section of the coastline where the US ILC units are planned to land. To ensure the all-weather complex, an upgraded version of the Hellfire missile with the AGM-114L-8A index was developed, equipped with a standard active radar seeker operating at a frequency of 94 GHz developed by the British company Marconi Electronic Systems. The ship variant "8A" differs from the helicopter-based missile in the updated hardware and software base for unification with the data bus of the ship's fire control system.
Meanwhile, no matter how much the "mattress" specialists fought over the technical perfection of the promising shipborne SSMM launcher, bringing the rate of fire to 3 or less seconds, the complex will not allow to operate confidently at a distance of more than 9-10 km, which is due to the range limitations of the Longbow-Hellfire missile ". For this reason, LCS will not be able to independently resist enemy coastal artillery units equipped with long-range large-caliber artillery mounts of the "Coast" type, etc. Here, the speed parameters of littoral warships are unlikely to help. Moreover, the approach speed of AGM-114L-8A is approximately 1150-1250 km / h, due to which its interception by modern ground-based air defense systems such as the Tor-M1 / 2 air defense missile system or the Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system is not a complicated procedure. Can't be considered a panacea "Helfire" and in terms of defense against some specialized high-speed vehicles of the enemy, for example, from semi-submerged / diving reconnaissance and torpedo boats of the "Taedong-B" ("Kajami") and "Type-D" type, which are in service Iranian and North Korean navies. When submerged to a depth of 3-20 m, these boats become invulnerable to the AGM-114L-8, and can reach the LCS attack range with two available light 324-mm torpedoes. In this case, the Mk-50/54 torpedoes with a range of 2.4 to 15 km are the only means of defense for the Freedom and Independences.
Unlike the Aegis destroyers / cruisers equipped with the advanced AN / SQQ-89 sonar systems and the RUM-139 VL-Asroc anti-submarine guided missiles, the existing littoral combat classes Independence and Freedom are practically helpless in the face of a sudden massive torpedo or an anti-ship strike of the enemy's ultra-low-noise diesel-electric submarines / diesel-electric submarines. The anti-missile umbrella of the American warships of the coastal zone of the LCS-1/2 types is represented by the only 1x21 combat module Mk 49 mod 3 of the ship's short-range anti-aircraft missile system of the ASMD type with the RIM-116A / B missile defense system. The maximum speed of the targeted target for this complex is only 2550 km / h, while the anti-ship version of the Caliber - 3M54E1 accelerates to 3100 km / h on approaching the target, and therefore ASMD has very small chances in confrontation with the latter, especially considering the maneuverability of its supersonic combat stage.
With the existing architecture of installed weapons, ships of the LCS-1/2 ("Littoral Combat Ship") types are absolutely not ready to independently perform their main combat missions in the near sea zone in conditions of saturation of the theater of operations with modern anti-ship missiles, an enemy underwater component, as well as long-range coastal enemy artillery installations.
The auxiliary multipurpose tactical missile systems XM-501 NLOS-LS (also in the LCS arsenal), presented by even more compact than SSMM, vertical launchers of the CLU type with dimensions of 114x114x175 cm, will slightly correct the situation. Only one such modular launcher contains 15 transport and launch containers for tactical missiles of the PAM and LAM type, in the 16th cell there is the CLU radio-electronic control equipment, including a data bus for communication with the combat control point.
The PAM missile (point strike ammunition) has a developed straight X-shaped folding wing and a subsonic flight speed, which makes it structurally similar to the MGM-157 anti-tank missile of the FOGM tactical complex. Meanwhile, the 40-kilometer flight range makes it possible to strike at the enemy's over-the-horizon sea and coastal targets, while remaining outside the detection radius of his radar equipment. This ability is achieved only if the enemy does not have manned and / or unmanned aircraft reconnaissance and target designation systems. On the cruise phase of the flight, the 53-kilogram PAM is controlled according to the data of the GPS module and the inertial navigation system, and on approach, an infrared or semi-active laser homing head is activated. This increases noise immunity in the event the enemy uses optical-electronic countermeasures. Meanwhile, due to the lack of an active radar guidance channel, the all-weather missile is not achieved.
The LAM missile (loitering ammunition) has a design similar to the PAM, but instead of a solid-propellant rocket engine, a compact non-afterburning turbojet engine and a large fuel tank are installed. The missile is equipped with two large wings, due to which the aerodynamic design matches the larger tactical and strategic cruise missiles. The range of the LAM reaches 200 km with a direct trajectory to the selected object. At the same time, it has numerous flight modes with loitering in the area of accumulation of equipment or fortified areas of the enemy.
The missile can circle for more than half an hour in the battlefield area at a distance of 60 km from the location of the NLOS-LS battery. The LAM rocket has a specialized TV homing head based on a high-resolution CCD or CMOS matrix. The TV channel allows for visual reconnaissance with a telemetric radio channel for transmitting data to the LAM missile combat control point. Also, its seeker has an integrated laser rangefinder-designator channel, thanks to which a loitering missile can illuminate a target for a semi-active laser spot recognition sensor of a high-precision PAM missile. This quality ensures the complete self-sufficiency of the XM-501 NLOS-LS complex from additional unmanned or manned reconnaissance and target designation aircraft (their tasks are fully performed by the LAM missile). Long-term loitering of the latter makes it possible to provide alternate target designation to several PAM missiles at once, as well as several air-to-ground missiles such as AGM-65E / E2, AGM-114K / P or bombs with a semi-active laser homing head. Having transferred the necessary tactical information to the command post and issued target designation for friendly air defense elements, the LAM, just like its short-range version of the PAM, strikes at the target selected by the operator.
Despite all the advantages of the XM-501 NLOS-LS complex, including the versatility of the PAM and LAM missiles, their large over-the-horizon flight range and compactness, allowing a small ship to accommodate up to 15 CLU launchers with 150 missiles, their shock capabilities are extremely limited by subsonic flight speed and low the weight of modular combat "equipment", represented by concrete-piercing, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation warheads weighing up to 5 kg for the PAM modification and 3, 63 kg for the LAM modification. And this makes them vulnerable to modern anti-aircraft missile systems and ineffective against thick reinforced concrete fortifications of the enemy. The destruction of well-protected bunkers and command posts by the NLOS-LS complex is out of the question (even during massive use).
In view of such tactical and technical shortcomings of littoral battleships of the LCS class, the command of the US Naval Forces formed a working group to consider methods for increasing the anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities of the following serial ships of the LCS-1 and LCS-2 classes. One of the techniques is the installation of a 1x16 vertical launcher Mk 48 VLS complex ESSM ("Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile"). The details of such a modernization have not yet been reported, but it is obvious that we are talking about an under-deck version of the Mk 48 mod 2 launcher, which will significantly reduce the number of radio contrast elements on the LCS deck, reducing its total RCS. Similar built-in vertical launchers are installed on South Korean destroyers of the Kwangetho Tewan class (project KDX-I). But anti-aircraft guided missiles of the RIM-162C ESSM version are capable of providing only medium-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense (from 30 to 50 km) from medium-altitude and high-altitude air attack weapons. At the same time, outside the radio horizon, RIM-162C will be useless against low-altitude anti-ship missiles, since it is equipped with a semi-active radar seeker, which requires not simple target designation, but illumination of multifunctional radars.
For this reason, the main option for enhancing the combat capabilities of the American "coastal" is modernization using standard universal vertical launchers of the Mk 41 VLS family. American sources report that the ships can receive only 1 module Mk 41, which includes 8 transport and launch containers Mk 13/14/15/21 6700 long and 635 mm wide, but in reality, the bow of the deck is quite capable of accommodating much more modules. So, LCS-1 (body width 17, 5 m) has volumes for accommodating a standard 8x8 UVPU Mk 41 for 61 operating cells (TPK) of three modifications. As for the three-hull trimaran of the LCS-2 "Independence" class, the bow of its front deck is about 7-10 m wide, which will make it possible to place only 4 modules in 1 row (29 operating TPKs). It is worth noting that 3 units less number of operating transport and launch containers in the Mk 41 launcher is observed due to the presence of a loading device in these containers instead of rocket equipment.
Representatives of the US Navy are focusing on the use of "Standard Missile-2" anti-aircraft guided missiles by the improved littoral battleships LCS. The most advanced version of the missile defense system in the rich SM-2 range is the RIM-156B long-range interceptor (SM-2ER Block IV A). It will bring the now insignificant (in terms of air defense) capabilities of the American warships of the coastal zone to a new level, making it possible to operate effectively in the naval air defense and missile defense system of the American fleet, which corresponds to the network-centric concept of "NIFC-CA". The range of the RIM-156B is 240 km, and the height of the targeted target is about 32 km. Also, the noise immunity of the semi-active radar seeker in the conditions of active radio countermeasures and the maneuverability of the missile defense system have also been significantly improved. But SM-2 is only the tip of the iceberg; After all, the Americans, as usual, are not inclined to draw close attention in advance to their vital modernization programs for the Navy and Air Force.
Transport and launch containers of the Mk 21 type (this TPK index is intended for "long-range" extended versions of "Standards") are also adapted for the use of exostratospheric interceptor missiles of the SM-3 family (RIM-161A / B) and ultra-long-range anti-aircraft missiles RIM-174 ERAM … These interceptors will introduce littoral LCS warships into a full-fledged anti-missile link in the US Navy in naval or oceanic theaters of operations. In addition to everything, littoral warships will be able to reach the lines of anti-missile missions 1.5 times faster than the Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers and the Arley Burke destroyers. A very good start to building up the combat capabilities of an ordinary littoral ship. Nevertheless, for the self-sufficiency of the LCS in the tasks of detecting, tracking and destroying aerodynamic and ballistic targets, it may be necessary to install a "lightweight" version of the "Aegis" combat information and control system, as well as a specialized simplified modification of the AN / SPY-1F 4-sided multifunctional radar (V). This station is an analogue of the AN / SPY-1D (V) version, but it has 2.37 times less number of PPM elements in comparison with the main version (1836 versus 4352). Consequently, the energy capabilities make it possible to detect typical targets at a distance of only 175 km.
Meanwhile, the SPY-1F (V) retains all the best qualities of modifications "B" and "D (V)" in terms of detecting and tracking low-flying anti-ship missiles with a low RCS in conditions of the enemy's EW, as well as in terms of work on high-speed diving aircrafts of the type Anti-radar missile. The station uses additional adaptive algorithms for the formation of beams for high-speed small-sized objects approaching under the cover of enemy radio-electronic jamming. Antenna arrays AN / SPY-1F (V) can be placed on the edges of an additional pyramidal superstructure at an altitude of about 25 - 27 m above sea level, which will increase the radio horizon for the "SM-2/3/6" complex. TPK Mk 13/21 launcher Mk 4, in the presence of a large number of modern subsonic and supersonic high-precision weapons in the theater of operations, can quickly be converted to use the RIM-162 ESSM missile defense system, and in the future, the RIM-116 Block II. In the case of the Sea Sparrow, the ammunition load of each TPK, and therefore of the entire Mk 41, can be increased by 4 times. In the case of RIM-116 - 9 times. If Aegis and AN / SPY-1F (V) are not installed on the LCS, missiles from Mk 41 will be launched on target designation from Arley Burkes, Ticonderoog and airborne radar, and the coastal operator will be used only in as a high-speed carrier (the operating TRS-3D surveillance radar installed on LCS-class ships has extremely limited capabilities).
Equipping coastal LCS ships with the aforementioned radar and Aegis BIUS, in addition to the Mk 41, will significantly enhance the capabilities of the US naval missile defense system to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles and ICBMs in the initial phase of flight, since they can operate in shallow water and approach ground positions the launch of enemy missiles is much closer than the Ticonderogi or Arley Burke, the high-speed capabilities will allow you to do this one and a half times faster. But this advantage can become a threat only for small states, where there is no possibility to place the launching positions of the ballistic missiles at a distance of 1 thousand kilometers or more from the coastline.
Meanwhile, the upgraded LCSs can be used not only in the naval missile defense system, but also in the strategic strike "backbone" of the American fleet. Mk 41 launchers installed on ships can be partially or completely modified for the strike version. The basis for this is the equipping of transport and launch containers Mk 14 mod 0/1. These cells are designed to launch strategic surface-based cruise missiles RGM-109E Block IV (range 2000 - 2400 km) and stealth ultra-long-range anti-ship missiles AGM-158C (800 km). Thus, a series of littoral ships will be able to perform strike functions previously inherent in cruisers and destroyers of missile control, which is another significant stage in the build-up of the offensive capabilities of the US Navy. For us, this is a very tangible threat and another "goal" against a smaller fleet; all the more so as our Navy does not have and is not expected to have a single surface platform capable of delivering strategic air defense and missile defense elements to the required area of the theater of operations at a speed of 40-45 knots.
The anti-submarine capabilities of littoral warships will also increase. For this, transport and launch containers with the Mk 15 index can be installed in Mk 41 cells. They are designed to accommodate anti-submarine guided missiles RUM-139 "VL-Asroc" with a firing range of more than 40 km, which will allow attacking enemy submarines in the first distant acoustic zone. illumination (as you know, the Mark 50/54 torpedoes, present today in the LCS ammunition, allow you to operate only in the near zone of acoustic illumination).
Meanwhile, the sonar capabilities of LCS-class warships leave much to be desired. We will consider this position in detail. At the moment, the AN / VLD-1 (V) 1 underwater drone-submarine of mine defense continues to be the only hydroacoustic device of littoral warships. This unmanned underwater sonar drone is represented by a semi-submerged 7, 3-ton RMV (Remote Minehunting Vehicle) vehicle, which is also the carrier of the more compact AN / AQS-20A VDS (Variable Depth Sensor) module. RMV is a fairly large unit with a length of 7 m and a diameter of 1.2 m, moving at a very shallow depth, allowing the snorkel to remain on the surface and a special mast with antennas for transmitting acoustic information to the PBU of the littoral battleship LCS. The RMV is equipped with a powerful directional active-passive SAC for detecting mines, as well as a television camera for visual identification of detected objects. This unit is powered by a 370-horsepower diesel engine, providing a maximum speed of 16 knots and an operating speed of 10-12 knots; the capacity of the fuel system allows you to scan the allotted underwater area for 40 hours at an economical speed.
The smaller sonar reconnaissance, underwater orientation and situational awareness apparatus AN / AQS-20A VDS in stowed mode is fixed on a special suspension point under the RMV hull. At the start of the mission, the VDS is dismounted and towed by the “mine hunter” RMV using a long cable. In addition to the forward-looking SACS, the AQS-20A also has additional viewing stations for lateral hemispheres and lower hemispheres, which makes it possible to accurately determine the depth in shallow water, as well as identify objects at the bottom and in the water column. The VDS module is an invaluable companion for the "mine hunter", allowing him to better navigate difficult hydrological conditions, as well as in conditions of difficult bottom relief. The power of hydroacoustic stations of the towed VDS module is much less than that of a single bow station of the leading RMV, nevertheless they are more versatile and allow you to "look" in such directions that are technically unfeasible for RMVs. But as you already understood, the AN / VLD-1 (V) 1 complex is a highly specialized tool, "sharpened" for the implementation of mine action tasks. It is not intended for direction finding, tracking and target designation of enemy submarines operating at a torpedo attack distance, and therefore the research laboratories of the US Navy are working on equipping the LCS with additional hydroacoustic means, which in the future may be useful for information support of the RUM-139 Asroc PLUR. deployed on upgraded ships.
As it became known at the end of 2016 from the head of the "LCS Mission Module" program, Captain Casey Moton, the standard hydroacoustic appearance of the littoral warships of the US Navy may undergo modernization in the coming years. We are talking about equipping this class of ships with low-frequency SACs with a flexible extended towed antenna (GPBA) of the AN / SQR-20 MFTA (Multi-Function Towed Array) type. The "sleeve" of the AN / SQR-20 equidistant towed acoustic array has a diameter of 3 inches, and includes a huge number of piezoelectric pressure transducers that receive both sounds generated by underwater objects and sound reflected from them generated by their own low-frequency radiator. These sonar systems operate in the frequency range of 0.05 - 0.5 kHz and can be integrated into the most advanced state shipborne GAS AN / SQQ-89 (V) 15.
A similar domestic complex is "Vignette-EM", it is capable of detecting submarines in the first and second distant zones of acoustic illumination and issue target designation for torpedoes with active-passive hydroacoustic homing. Consequently, similar abilities can be obtained by the American "coastal" class LCS after being equipped with AN / SQR-20 MFTA sonars. Moreover, GPBA can detect enemy torpedoes and issue target designation for anti-torpedo systems with an accuracy of 1º. But performing the intense maneuvers that are quite typical of the LCS class will make the use of an extended antenna very difficult (especially in shallow water); It also takes a decent amount of time to deploy the GPBA, and therefore there is nothing better than the latest version of the AN / SQS-53D hull sonar station, located in the nose bulb fairing of the LCS ship (as was done on the Ticonderogs and Arley Burkes). This GAS operates at frequencies from 3 to 192 kHz and is capable of detecting mines in the second near zone of acoustic illumination (about 20 km), which may eliminate the need to use the AN / WLD-1 (V) 1 unmanned GAS. The acoustic antenna array of the AN / SQS-53D station is represented by 576 transmit-receive modules that scan the space in a sector of 120 degrees. The peak power of this sonar is 190 kW.
At the same time, the hulls of the LCS-class ships are not structurally adapted for the installation of powerful bulbo HACs, and therefore nothing, except for the towed GAS AN / SQR-20 MFTA, should not be expected in the existing version of the project. According to Captain Casey Moton, this complex may begin to be tested in the LCS weapon system as early as 2017. But in view of the above tactical and technical incompatibility between the zones of use of the LCS and this GAS, even modernized littoral ships may require third-party target designation from remote cruisers, URO destroyers and anti-submarine aircraft, without which there will be little sense from Asroca.
After the placement of the Mk 41 launcher, with the ability to use all types of transport and launch containers to give the improved LCS ships proper multitasking, the coastal workers will require a radical upgrade of the avionics. Such a program will require an additional $ 200-300 million (for each new ship) from the US defense budget, after which each unit will cost approximately $ 750-800 million. How much such a program will pay off is not yet entirely clear, but judging by the apparent modernization backlog of LCS, it will make a big leap towards the versatility of the latest versions of the Arleigh Burke destroyers, estimated at $ 1.5-1.7 billion. Even if only the Mk 41 UVPU will be used as an upgrade for littoral warships, they will be able to fire at numerous types of targets by means of target designation from other classes of warships and air reconnaissance aircraft systems through the Link-16 tactical network or its "overwhelmed" implementation " JTIDS ". The appearance of a 50% faster and more flexible surface delivery system Tomahawks and SM-3/6 interceptors will create another threat of strategic importance for our facilities of the Navy, Aerospace Forces and Strategic Missile Forces, which will need to be countered with existing and new means of air attack.
