From the explanatory note to the modernization project of the captured cruiser "Invincible" (formerly "Zamvolt"):
… the dismantling of obsolete weapons will free up 3,500 cubic meters of space under the deck of the ship. Instead of vertical missile silos and rail-mounted electromagnetic cannons, the Invincible's weapons will be made up of a new generation of systems created within the framework of the special theory of relativity. The most promising way to protect a cruiser from air and underwater attacks is to distort space-time.
Among the proposals made:
- withdrawal of an approaching anti-ship missile into space with a different metric, followed by endless circling of the missile in pseudo-Euclidean space (Mobius strip);
- reflection of an enemy rocket from the "light cone", with the creation of its exact copy, flying back in time, back to the enemy;
- tachyon weapon that kills the enemy even before the fight started (tachyons are hypothetical particles moving faster than the speed of light, violation of cause-and-effect relationships). Victory is inevitable!
This would look like a spherical object moving faster than the speed of light. The left side (phantom) moves in the opposite direction from the observer.
Alas, so far one can only dream of such a superweapon. Nowadays, designers would have to use much more prosaic methods to increase the security of the "Invulnerable" and radically enhance its combat capabilities.
So, "Invincible". The 1st rank missile and artillery cruiser with a total displacement of 18-20 thousand tons.
Length at design waterline - 180 meters.
The crew size is ~ 200 people (for comparison, the regular crew of the huge "Orlan" with many systems and combat posts hardly exceeds 600 people, despite the fact that this project was created 40 years ago).
The power of the power plant is ~ 80 MW (110 thousand hp).
Power plant type. The best option is a full electric propulsion (FEP) scheme based on two gas turbines (similar to the ship's high-power Rolls-Royce MT-30 GTE, based on Boeing-777 aircraft engines). Such a solution, proven in practice, combines extremely high power, efficiency and safety of operation of a power plant.
Taking into account the outstanding successes of the domestic nuclear power industry (and no less “outstanding” successes of the domestic engine-building industry), the Russian version of the “Invulnerable” must certainly be equipped with a nuclear power plant. Despite the high cost and associated problems (increased security measures, difficulties with entering some areas of the world's oceans), this is the only way to create a truly combat-ready ship of this class. The atomic “Peter” rushes around the world without stopping, while its non-nuclear colleagues do not get out of repairs. Additional advantages of the nuclear-powered ship will be increased autonomy and cruising range. Finally, the presence of a nuclear power plant on a large warship with a displacement of 20 thousand tons looks at least justified from the point of view of fuel costs.
Full speed - 25 knots.
Artillery duels are a thing of the past. The notorious "race for speed" has lost all meaning in the age of radars and guided weapons. The speed of the ship is proportional to the square of the power of the power plant (otherwise, an increase in speed by 1.5 times requires an increase in the power of the turbines by 2.5 times!). Each additional node is tens of thousands of kW.
Why are there additional difficulties if ships rarely move at full speed? Affected by the catastrophic wear of mechanisms at 30 nodes, as well as various navigation restrictions.
The cruising range is 10,000 nautical miles at an operational speed of 15 knots. (from Murmansk to Rio de Janeiro). If the cruiser is equipped with YSU, its autonomy will be limited only by the reliability of its mechanisms and the endurance of the crew (as well as ammunition and food supplies on board).
Armament
Load items and ship displacement are related by a non-linear relationship. The larger the ship, the smaller the proportion, in% ratio, is taken by the mass of engines and hull structures. And more and more reserves remain for weapons, fuel and ammunition. In other words, a ship with twice the displacement carries three times more weapons.
According to the most rough estimates, on board a 180-meter 20,000-ton cruiser can accommodate up to 200 missile silos (UVP), similar to the cells of the universal shipborne firing complex (UKSK) for Caliber missiles, cells of the Redut air defense system or below deck cells of the American Mk system.41 (the entire range of missile weapons in service with the US Navy: KR "Tomahawk", anti-ship missiles LRASM, missiles, transatmospheric interceptors, anti-submarine missiles, etc.).
The overgrown destroyer Zamvolt (14.5 thousand tons) is equipped with only 80 airborne projectiles, however, the load reserve has not disappeared without a trace. In turn, the reserves went to the installation of two 6, 1 "long-range artillery systems and a huge superstructure of a super destroyer, as high as a 10-storey building (inside the bulky structure, in addition to the bridge and combat posts, there are the exhaust pipes of the gas turbine engine, and outside on the walls of the pyramid" hung up "antennas of radars with HEADLIGHTS). This decision, according to the developers, helps to reduce the radar signature of the "destroyer of the future".
The "invulnerable" does not need such a structure, because its combat stability is ensured not only by low visibility. However, the stealth technology is also present in its design: a blockage of the sides, a solid superstructure “from side to side”, a minimum of mechanisms on the upper deck, and a decrease in the heat signature due to heat exchangers. The later the enemy discovers it, the better.
The air supply system to the underwater part of the hull, along with the contours themselves, not only reduces the hydroacoustic signature of the ship (which is also facilitated by electric propulsion), but also weakens the wake. The "invulnerable" will become a hard-to-find target for the surveillance satellites.
But the cannon idea was undoubtedly a good decision. The advantages of artillery are obvious:
- absolute cheapness. Even the most high-tech guided missile is now cheaper than a simple aerial bomb. Projectiles do not require carrier aircraft and trained pilots;
- cannons hit in any weather;
- shells will fly through any air defense;
- flight time - a few minutes;
- a third of the world's population lives no further than 50 km from the coast.
Taking into account the evolution of artillery technology, it would not hurt to have on board a pair of automated installations of 152 … 203 mm caliber with an effective firing range of 100 miles. Ammunition - 1000 rounds (for comparison, the "Zamvolt" has 600 LRLAP rounds in the main cellar + 320 in the additional ammunition rack, while the LRLAP is twice as heavy as conventional six-inch ammunition).
A set of self-defense equipment: four Swiss machine guns "Oerlikon Millennium". High-tech compact mount from a reputable weapons supplier: 35mm automatic anti-aircraft gun with programmable shells that detonate near the target.
Active jamming systems: German MASS (Multi-Ammunition Softkill System) for shooting reflector traps. It interferes in all ranges: radio wave, visible, UV, IR.
Electronic countermeasures. As an example - the American shipborne electronic warfare system "slick-32" (AN / SLQ-32).
Aircraft armament: hangar for two anti-submarine / multipurpose helicopters, landing pad.
Additional features. Anti-sabotage weapons and remotely controlled machine guns, unmanned vehicles for reconnaissance and making passages in minefields. Optional.
Detection tools. The most important paragraph!
A keel GUS and a towed low-frequency antenna with a variable immersion depth. A typical modern kit for countering threats from under the water.
Radars:
- multifunctional centimeter range station for tracking the horizon and illuminating air targets (like the Russian "Polyment" or the British SAMPSON);
- observation station of the decimeter range (similar to the American AN / SPY-1 or the European SMART-L).
If the necessary means and technologies are available, combine both radars into a single dual-band detection system with 6-8 stationary AFARs (like the American Dual Band Radar, for Zamvolt and the Ford aircraft carrier).
The possibility of placing an additional radar on a tethered balloon is interesting. A compact radar, similar to the radar of fighters, raised to a height of 200 meters, will allow to move the radio horizon a hundred kilometers and carry out continuous monitoring of the environment for many days.
I would pay dearly to see aircraft attack such a ship. All existing tactics (getting close to the target at an extremely low altitude and suddenly hitting with a volley of missiles, guided by data from external systems) are instantly devalued. On board the cruiser - 200 missile silos, some of which are occupied by missiles with active radar seeker.
In the end, the "Invincible" will be sunk, but by that time the war may already be over, and half of the enemy squadrons will lie on the seabed.
The radar balloon idea was despicably stolen from the Pentagon. In 2014, the American army adopted JLENS radar balloons to protect important objects from low-flying cruise missiles.
I propose to all skeptics to prove the impossibility of placing such a balloon on a large warship.
Security. According to Murphy's Law, whenever an enemy attack follows, the ship's crew sleeps peacefully, talks on satellite or dines kosher (Sheffield 82, Stark 87, Cole 2000, Hanit 2006). As practice shows, even the most modern active means of defense are not given any guarantee. The rocket will fly through, pierce the cardboard board and cause damage worth a couple of hundred million dollars.
“Invincible” is invulnerable for that. Citadel booking with the use of modern technologies. The protection elements are integrated into the power set of the case. Materials: armor steel with a case-hardened outer layer, ceramics, Kevlar.
Thickness differentiated armor belt (100 … 127 mm) in the middle of the hull. The height of the armor plates is from the waterline to the top of the "pyramid" of the superstructure integrated into the ship's hull (after all, the height of the "Invincible" deckhouse is two times less than that of "Zamvolt" for the above reasons).
The blockage of the sides (stealth technology) will provide rational angles of inclination of the armor and its increased resistance to weapons of destruction.
Upper deck thickness - 100 mm. Again, due to the characteristic blockage of the sides, the area requiring protection will be small.
The extremities are not armored - let them be blown to hell, this can not pose a serious threat to the cruiser. The main thing is to preserve the high-tech "stuffing" of the ship: reactors and high-tech turbines, generators, switchboards, missile silos, a combat information center, BIUS and radar signal processors, all kinds of mechanisms and assemblies.
LM2500 gas turbine
CIC of the destroyer "Zamvolt"
Protecting external antenna posts is a headache. You can again look back at “Zamvolt” and use lifting (retractable) antennas for communication systems. It will not be possible to destroy them all at once, they cannot be used simultaneously under the terms of electromagnetic compatibility.
To protect the flat phased antenna array of the radar from a nearby explosion, a radio-transparent cowl-fairing or frequency-selective surface (as in aviation) will allow. In addition, modern AFAR retain their performance even when several independent modules are “knocked out”. And microelectronics itself is extremely resistant to strong vibrations.
Finally, even a complete loss of the radar will in no way affect the ability to launch cruise missiles and fire cannons at targets over the horizon.
No matter how cynical it may sound, the lives of the crew members are not worth anything in comparison with the expensive equipment. However, the load clauses of the "Invulnerable" make it possible to ensure the protection of the sailors themselves.
Let's go further.
Mandatory anti-splinter bulkhead on the opposite side of all compartments and passages along the side (“puff” - 5 mm steel + 50 mm ceramics + 5 mm steel).
The installation of numerous anti-fragmentation bulkheads in the hull and superstructure (25 … 50 mm steel or Kevlar) will allow localizing the scale of the pogrom even after the penetration of a special armor-piercing warhead into the hull.
Double bottom. The total thickness of the PTZ is at least 3 meters. A weak excuse for modern torpedoes, however, the specifics of the use of the "Invulnerable" will avoid such a threat. And the torpedoes themselves are not so popular in our time, the main and main weapon remains air attack weapons.
As you can see, no state-of-the-art technologies are required for protection. The hull with the armor integrated into its structure cannot be the main cost item and an obstacle to the construction of the "Invulnerable". Armored monsters were massively built 100 years ago, when metalworking technologies and labor productivity were at an embryonic level.
Wunderwaffe cost
The cost of building a series of three "Invulnerables", taking into account all research and development work (primarily related to the power plant, weapons and electronic stuffing of cruisers) is $ 30 billion.
In this case, the author focuses on Zamvolt, where the total cost of the program has reached 21 billion, as a result, the cost of each of the three destroyers jumped to 7 billion dollars (like half of a modern aircraft carrier!). Nevertheless, the direct cost of materials and construction costs for the lead USS Zumwalt was quite realistic 3.5 billion. In the event of an increase in orders for their construction, the Yankees had a chance to reduce the total cost of their promising ships.
Something like that might have been expected by Invincible. Bulk product is always cheaper.
Costs like three modern destroyers. Carries weapons like three destroyers. In terms of operating cost, it is more profitable than three destroyers. In terms of combat stability, it has no equal in the world.
Tasks of the "Invincible":
- strengthening the combat stability of ship groups;
- participation in modern local wars, inflicting devastating attacks on targets on the coast;
- control of "oil-bearing" regions and patrolling in hot spots (Syrian coast, Persian Gulf, APR);
- Air defense and missile defense of theaters of military operations;
- a demonstration of strength around the world.
He doesn't care about existing anti-ship missiles. He is insensitive to provocations. The thick-skinned monster knows his worth and will break the neck of anyone who gets in his way.
Anyone who does not believe in the possibility of building such a heavily armed and protected ship with a given displacement is invited to take a look at THIS:
Heavy cruiser "Des Moines" model 1946
Crew of 1800 people.
Speed 33 knots.
The cruising range is 10 thousand miles at an economical speed of 15 knots.
The power of the power plant is 120 thousand hp.
Armament:
- nine 203-mm guns in three rotating turrets (each weighing 450 tons, excluding barbets).
- 12 paired five-inch guns and 24 paired 76-mm anti-aircraft guns.
It should be noted that, unlike modern UVP, all the weapons of the old cruiser were located ABOVE the deck, which worsened stability and required a thousand tons of additional ballast to be put along the keel.
Reservation:
- belt - 152 mm;
- deck - 90 mm;
- barbets of the GK towers - 160 mm;
- conning tower - up to 165 mm.
The photograph itself speaks of the number of radars and the height of the antenna posts on Des Moines.
And what is the answer to this problem? And the answer is 20 thousand tons.
