From the bridge command “Full speed ahead!”, The mechanic standing on the lower deck increases the speed of the turbine. Where to go? What enemy? He still sees nothing, except for the steam control wheel. Most of the team members are silent cogs in the system, their participation in the battle is limited to the transfer of commands from the bridge to the machines and mechanisms. And then what?
"After 54 minutes of the battle, a warhead exploded on the cruiser, and he died along with the entire team: 919 people."
Why risk your lives? Couldn't many functions be transferred to automation, leaving people only the most important tasks of controlling the ship and choosing targets in battle?
So they reasoned at the beginning of the last century, but then it seemed like a pipe dream. This is becoming a reality today. The crew of the largest and most modern destroyer in the world has been reduced by three times, compared to the crews of ships of a similar class of the Cold War era.
A team of 140 people is enough to control a 15,000-ton "destroyer" with powerful and varied weapons. (according to other data, 180).
The breakthrough is associated with the comprehensive automation of the tasks of collecting and processing tactical information, combat maneuvering, reproduction of the external situation, the use of weapons, navigation, remote control of technical means and movement. The second critical point is the increase in the overhaul life of all mechanisms, systems and equipment. The Zamvolt crew is relieved of the need to carry out repair work on the high seas. No workshops, brigades of foremen or electricians. All maintenance will be carried out only at the base - before and after the end of the hike. Finally, one more serious point, which no one paid attention to before, is the automation of the processes of loading ammunition, food, spare parts and consumables in preparation for the campaign.
The race to reduce crew size has its negative side. Will the Zamvolt crew be able to organize damage control in the event of an emergency situation on board? Who will liquidate the consequences of the accident if the already small team suddenly loses some of its sailors?
Once again, the comprehensive automation of the destroyer comes to the rescue. Automatic survivability control systems with monitoring of the situation in each of the compartments (water and smoke detectors, video cameras). Capable of automatically locking hatches and doors, preventing the spread of water and fire. Turn on fire extinguishing systems and run water pumps.
But what if the damage is too great? Will “Zamvolt” be able to return to the base on its own, as did the seriously injured “New Orleans” and the German LKR “Seydlitz”? Where the mechanics died, standing waist-deep in boiling water, ensuring the operation of the turbines. And the crew, who had not slept for four days, struggled with the flow of water.
All hope of the creators of "Zamvolt" is on the SAFFiR (Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot) complex and similar systems. In the summer of 2014, the robot successfully coped with a test arson aboard the Shadowwell landing craft. With a height of 177 cm and a weight of 65 kg, the SAFFiR had the strength and intelligence to haul a fire hose, overcome rubble and open doors. In addition to a smoke detector, the android is equipped with infrared stereo sensors and a rotating laser rangefinder (lidar) that detects light sources. Thanks to this, the machine can move even in smoky rooms, and the stabilization system allows it to maintain balance even with heavy rolling. The "humanoid" form of the android is a consequence of the working conditions. The tracked platform is not optimal when navigating steep ramps and narrow aisles inside the ship.
Seaworthiness
"Well, stupid-s-e"
- classic
“Will it bury its nose in a wave”?.. Contrary to doubts of skeptics, “Zamwalt” is designed to pass through the water shafts, cutting them with its sharp inclined stem. As a result:
a) parasitic pitching disappears;
b) speed increases and seaworthiness improves;
c) the range of restrictions on the use of weapons in a storm is reduced;
d) efficiency increases - it is easier to pass through the wave than to climb it every time.
In terms of seaworthiness, Zamvolt is an ideal ship.
Why are they so smart? Why such good and obvious solutions have not been used on other ships until now?
Ships of past generations traditionally had a straight or overhanging stem and side collapse. Thanks to this, their decks were less flooded with water, allowing brave sailors to be on the upper deck and look through the sights of the guns.
“Zamvolt” does not have this problem: the deck is completely empty, in the bow there is not even a fence. Only sealed UVP covers and 155 folding automatic guns. All radar antenna posts and fire control facilities are installed on top of the superstructure, as high as a 9-storey building.
The hippopotamus does not see well, but this is not his problem (s). Show a wave that can sweep a 180-meter ship with a side height of 15 meters. And if even the small 300-ton destroyers of the Russo-Japanese War were able to bypass the Earth without losses, what to expect from 15 thousand. ton leviathan?
Roughly from the same series of doubts about the lack of stability of "Zamvolt".
The V-shape of the underwater part of the hull corresponds to that of conventional ships. While the ᴧ-shaped shape of the topside and superstructure does not in any way violate the stability of the destroyer. Due to its pyramidal shape and heaped sides, the Zamvolt structure is maximally concentrated around the center of mass, which, in turn, only increases its stability.
Turboelectric transmission
Turboelectric transmission was used at the beginning of the last century on many types of military and civilian ships, incl. aircraft carrier Lexington and battleships of the Colorado class. It eliminates the need for complex and noisy gearboxes (GTZA), while improving efficiency. And, at the same time, increasing the cost of the entire system.
Conceptually, the Zamvolta transmission is not distinguished by its novelty, but it impresses with the level of its technical performance.
The most powerful shipborne GTE Rolls-Royce MT-30 (up to 40 MW). Each of the two turbines of the Zamvolta generates twice the power of the entire power plant of the battleship Colorado!
But the main feature of the power plant is its full integration into the destroyer's power supply system. This allows in a matter of moments to redirect up to 80% of the generated power to one specific consumer (for example, a railgun).
Stealth
A characteristic blockage of the sides (reflection of radio waves upward, into the void), a solid superstructure “from side to side”, an empty deck with a minimum number of radio contrast elements. All of the listed elements of reducing the visibility have been used in shipbuilding for 20 years.
Russian frigate "Admiral Grigorovich"
The only thing that distinguishes "Zamvolt" is that in its design, the techniques of reducing the visibility have reached their apogee. How does this affect his combat capabilities. At the very least, it doesn't make the destroyer weaker. Ideally, it will make it difficult to capture it with missile homing heads, especially in conditions of strong waves.
How does this affect seaworthiness? The answer is no way. Details in the previous chapter.
Radar is the primary detection method in modern warfare. Nevertheless, the creators of "Zamvolt" took care of reducing the ship's signature in other ranges.
Infrared: a well-known solution for mixing turbine exhaust with cold air.
Acoustic: low noise transmission, propellers in ring nozzles (fenestrons).
Optical: the shape of the contours in the underwater part of the hull, coupled with the long-used MASKER system (supply of air bubbles to the screws and the underwater part of the hull). The creators of "Zamvolt" promise that the destroyer will have a short and weakly pronounced wake - the main unmasking element when detecting ships from space.
Armed and extremely dangerous
The 155 mm round of the Zamvolta cannon is twice as heavy as the shells of a conventional six-inch gun (102 versus 55 kg). Due to its unique capabilities, the guided munition with a bottom gas generator can be considered the equivalent of the Caliber / Tomahawk cruise missile.
The Caliber data is classified, while the Tomahawk is equipped with a 340-kg warhead. Despite the threefold difference in the warhead mass and 10 times the lower range, the 155 mm LRLAP projectile, in a number of situations, can become a direct replacement for SLCMs.
First, art. the projectile has its own strengths: minimum reaction time and high flight speed (2.5 times the speed of sound against a subsonic missile). Small size and high speed make the projectile less susceptible to enemy air defense systems. Also, the projectiles can fly in any visibility and weather conditions. At the same time, even the most high-tech LRLAP costs 10 less than a cruise missile. Economy and efficiency.
Rate of fire. Not even an entire Aegis destroyer force would be able to launch Tomahawks at a rate of 20 missiles per minute. And the Zamvolt's cannons can.
And, of course, the ammunition load is 900 rounds. 10 times more than the number of cruise missiles aboard any cruiser or destroyer. And for a snack - 80 more missile launchers.
Combat operations near the coast do not require ultra-long ranges. A third of the world's population lives in a coastal strip 50 km wide. More than half of the world's megacities are concentrated on the coast: Istanbul, New York, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo …
While to defeat a wide range of sea and ground targets, the power of 102-kg art. shells.
In the current reality, if the Yankees have a fleet of 60 missile destroyers, the appearance of 2-3 "Zamvolts" will not do the trick. The Missile and Artillery Destroyer can be viewed as a technology demonstrator.
And yet, with all the obviousness of the situation, it would be too naive to consider Zamvolta as peaceful floating laboratories. When compared in a “spherical vacuum,” such a destroyer alone is stronger than most of the world's fleets.
It remains to add that on December 7, 2015, the lead destroyer USS Zumwalt entered the Atlantic Ocean for sea trials.
