On the slipways, from the echoing void, through lines no thicker than a spider web, smooth lines suddenly appear, as if on a decal … waves.
Military shipbuilding is one of the most complex, labor intensive and expensive industries. The best technologies and the latest developments from related fields of science are implemented here: engine building, metallurgy and the physics of composites, radio electronics, rocketry, precision mechanics … The quantitative and qualitative composition of the Navy is objective indicators of the economic situation in any country (geographical embarrassment a la Mongol Navy or the Swiss Navy - a rare exception to the general rules). The navy is a symbol of the power and prestige of the armed forces: ships are always in sight, they are huge and beautiful, real Leviathans of our time.
That is why all events related to the Navy, be it the launch of a new submarine or the purchase of Mistrals, receives such a wide public response.
During the Soviet era, the situation was somewhat different - military shipbuilding was shrouded in a haze of secrecy, no public discussions were held on this topic, and there was no need for this: everyone already knew that the fleet of the Land of Soviets was the largest in the world. And as for secrecy - let the "probable enemy" puzzle over how many ships we have: 1250 or 1380 (this is exactly how many were in the USSR Navy in 1989! Let's be realistic - 30% of them were combat-ready, but this was enough in abundance to lay siege to any enemy).
The era of the onset of capitalism, privatized enterprises, holdings and corporations dictates different rules of conduct: shipbuilders are forced to declare all their successes and achievements as loudly as possible. Sometimes this leads to annoying consequences: corrupt officials and unscrupulous counterparties deliberately delay construction and sometimes overstate the cost of materials and equipment. An explosive corruption mixture is superimposed on the inevitable technical difficulties in the creation of new equipment, which ultimately has an even stronger effect on the timing of construction.
At the same time, in order to create the illusion of "intense work activity", they trumpet at all corners about "great accomplishments", which, upon closer examination, are quite everyday events that do not require excessive applause.
A contract for the construction of a frigate has been signed! Applause!
The laying of the frigate took place! Applause!
The frigate has been launched! Applause!
Mooring tests have taken place! Applause!
The frigate has entered the factory sea trials! Applause!
Usually these events occur at intervals of a year, during which everyone forgets the name of the ship and last year's conversation. As a result, the inexperienced man in the street gets the impression that the fleet has been replenished with five new ships. In fact - one, and he has not yet passed the state tests.
It is worth remembering that history knows thousands of laid down ships that, for various reasons, never touched the water. A concrete example is the Ulyanovsk nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, dismantled on the slipway when 18% ready.
And not every ship launched into the water was completed and accepted into the fleet. A concrete example is the Luttsov heavy cruiser, bought in Germany for the USSR Navy, but remaining unfinished due to the outbreak of the war. Or missile cruiser "Ukraine", quietly rusting in Nikolaev at 95% readiness
"Entering sea trials" is also not a sufficient criterion for the ship's readiness. Sea trials can easily fail and again get stuck at the outfitting wall of the plant for another whole year, as did the Indian aircraft carrier Vikramaditya.
“The acceptance certificate has been signed. The ship is accepted into the Navy "- these are the magic words, hearing which you can throw a hat in the air and make a toast" seven feet under the keel."
Of course, one should not neglect information about the construction schedule: laying, launching - important information that can shed light on the fate of the ship and the prospects of the fleet.
Nobody demands from shipbuilders Stakhanov's pace - it is enough to lay down several warships annually (2nd, 3rd rank, ideally - 1st rank). If everything is done correctly, without delays and the pernicious influence of corruption, then in 10 years there will be a strong squadron of two dozen pennants on the roadstead. And in 20 years - a mighty oceanic fleet.
How can you tell honest contractors from scoundrels? It's very simple - just look at the dimensions of the ship and correlate them with
terms of construction. Adjust calculations based on international experience and nuances in the form of technical risks when applying innovative solutions and innovations (if any).
The picture becomes visible at a glance. If a year after the laying of the frigate, a message follows that the ship was launched, and a couple of years later a white cloth with blue lines crossed diagonally soared above it, then the entire team of shipbuilders and officials responsible for fulfilling the contract is worthy of respect and a solid premium.
If the most ordinary frigate is launched five years after laying it at 40% readiness, and at the same time the responsible persons have enough conscience to rant about "strengthening the defense of the Motherland" - this situation smells like a criminal case.
Now, having outlined the "basic points" of our conversation and taking into account the presented gradation, we will proceed to the announcement of the results of the activities of the Russian state holding OJSC United Shipbuilding Corporation.
So, in 2012, 5 ships were accepted into the fleet:
Strategic missile submarine cruiser K-535 "Yuri Dolgoruky" (project 955 "Borey")
Displacement surface / underwater - 14,500/24,000 tons.
Working immersion depth 400 m.
Armament: 16 R-30 Bulava ICBMs; 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber.
Patrol ship "Dagestan" (project 11661K "Gepard-3.9")
The first ship of the Russian Navy, armed with the Kalibr-NK missile system.
Full displacement 2000 tons.
Armament: missile system "Kalibr-NK" (ammunition - 8 cruise missiles designed to destroy surface or ground targets at a distance of up to 300 km), anti-aircraft missile system "Palma"; universal artillery mount AK-176 (caliber 76 mm).
Small artillery ship "Makhachkala" (project 21630, code "Buyan")
A specialized tool for strengthening the surface forces of the Caspian Flotilla in the near sea zone and taking into account the special conditions of the Volga delta.
Displacement 500 tons.
Armament: universal artillery mount AK-190 (caliber 100 mm), multiple launch rocket system A-215 "Grad-M" with 40 guides (caliber 122 mm), anti-aircraft missile system ZM47 "Gibka" (4 launch containers MANPADS "Igla ").
Anti-sabotage boat P-191 (project 21980, code "Grachonok").
Anti-sabotage boat P-349 (project 21980, code "Grachonok").
The boats are designed to counter saboteurs and terrorists in the waters of the basing points and close approaches to them, as well as to assist the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation in solving the tasks of protecting and protecting the state border of Russia. Displacement of boats is 140 tons. Armament: heavy machine gun, 2 DR-64 and DP-65 grenade launchers, Igla MANPADS.
Another 3 ships are undergoing sea trials, which means that their adoption into service is a matter of the near future:
Strategic missile submarine cruiser K-550 "Alexander Nevsky" (project 955 "Borey").
Multipurpose nuclear submarine K-329 "Severodvinsk" (project 885 "Ash").
Guided missile corvette "Brisk" (project 20380). The tests of this ship were overshadowed by an unfortunate incident - while mooring in the harbor of Kronstadt, the corvette collided with the oceanographic vessel "Admiral Vladimirsky". Fortunately, there were no casualties or destruction.
In 2012, 4 ships were launched:
Strategic missile submarine "Vladimir Monomakh" (project 955, code "Borey")
Corvette with guided missile weapons "Steady" (project 20380).
It is intended for operations in the near sea zone and for fighting enemy surface ships and submarines, as well as for artillery support of assault forces during amphibious assault operations.
Full displacement of 2200 tons.
Armament: 8 anti-ship missiles X-35 "Uran", universal artillery mount AK-190, 2 anti-aircraft guns AK-630M, 8 anti-submarine torpedoes of 330 mm caliber.
Large landing ship "Ivan Gren" (project 11711).
Displacement 5000 tons.
The large landing craft "Ivan Gren" is designed to solve a wide range of tasks - from assisting in amphibious operations to transporting various cargoes in peacetime in the interests of the Ministry of Defense. BDK "Ivan Gren" can transport modern Russian military equipment, including advanced weapons for the marines and coastal troops.
Payload: 13 main battle tanks or 300 Marine personnel.
Armament: 76 mm and 30 mm artillery systems, 2 multiple launch rocket systems. There is a Ka-29 helicopter on board.
Rescue vessel "Igor Belousov" (project 21300).
Displacement 5000 tons.
The specialized vessel "Igor Belousov" is designed to evacuate and rescue crews from damaged submarines lying on the ground, supply high-pressure air, electricity and rescue equipment to submarines and surface ships. In addition, the vessel can search for emergency objects in a given square, including as part of international maritime search and rescue teams.
In 2012, 7 ships were laid down:
Strategic missile submarine Knyaz Vladimir (Project 955 Borey).
Due to some peculiarities of modern Russian shipbuilding, the nuclear-powered ship "Prince Vladimir" has some differences from the three previous SSBNs "Borey". It is no longer a secret that ready-made sections of unfinished multipurpose submarines of project 971 and submarine "killer aircraft carriers" of project 949A (of the same type of the destroyed nuclear submarine "Kursk") were used to speed up the construction of Boreyev. As a result, all "Boreas" are somewhat different from each other - but only for the better. The "Prince Vladimir" especially stands out, carrying on board not 16, but 20 ballistic missiles "Bulava"!
Diesel-electric submarine B-262 "Stary Oskol" (project 636.6 "Varshavyanka")
Multipurpose frigate of the far sea zone "Admiral Golovko" (project 22350).
The third ship of its type. Full displacement: 4500 tons. In the next 10-20 years, the ships of Project 22350 will certainly form the basis of the surface forces of the Russian Navy.
The frigates 22350 have been pre-balanced in the direction of enhancing their armament, the Kalibr-NK universal missile system for 16 launch cells, the Polyment-Redut air defense system, the Paket-NK anti-submarine complex, the 130-mm A-192 gun mount, and ZRAK "Broadsword". Aircraft armament - helicopter KA-27PL.
Multipurpose frigate of the far sea zone "Admiral Makarov" (project 11356).
The third ship of its type. Full displacement 4000 tons. On the technical side, the frigates of project 11356 represent a deep modernization of the patrol boat of project 1135 "Burevestnik" with modern weapons and radio electronics.
Frigates 11356 are a simpler and cheaper alternative to frigates 22350 - in many ways new and innovative ships, whose construction took significantly longer than previously thought. This circumstance led to the emergence of an ersatz frigate project based on well-known technologies and technical solutions. The construction of frigates 11356 will sooner saturate the Russian Navy with new ships of the far sea zone, in addition, they are designed specifically for the Black Sea Fleet, operations in the Mediterranean Sea and the fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa - you must agree, using large warships for these purposes is too wasteful.
Corvette with guided missile weapons "Loud" (project 20380)
Corvette with guided missile weapons "Thundering" (modified project 20385)
Universal amphibious helicopter dock "Vladivostok".
Full displacement of 21,300 tons.
The composition of the air group: 8 Ka-52 attack helicopters and 8 anti-submarine (multipurpose) Ka-27 or Ka-29.
In February last year at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire began cutting metal for the first Russian Mistral-type UDC. By now, the assembly of the first block of the bow of the hull has been completed.
The modular structure of the Mistral allows the construction of different sections of the ship at the same time at different shipyards. On December 2, 2012, in St. Petersburg, on the stocks of LLC Baltic Shipyard - Shipbuilding, the production of aft sections of the Vladivostok UDC began - in total, according to the contract, 12 aft sections of an amphibious assault helicopter carrier will be built in Russia (about 20% of the ship's structure).
Ships under construction
Of course, this list is far from complete - it did not include ships under construction, which are in varying degrees of readiness - laid down or launched a few years ago, but still not accepted into the Navy. Among them:
- multipurpose nuclear submarine with cruise missiles "Kazan", laid down in 2009 according to the improved project 885M "Ash";
- small rocket ship "Grad Sviyazhsk", laid down in 2011;
- frigates of projects 22350 and 11356 - two ships of each type;
- diesel-electric submarines of projects 636.6 (Varshavyanka) and 677 (Lada) - two boats of each type;
- small hydrographic vessel "Victor Faleev" (project 19910);
- Project 12700 base minesweeper Alexandrite, laid down in 2011.
Also, the special facilities of the Navy were not taken into account, for example, the floating transport dock Sviyaga (project 22570 Kvartira), which was laid down at the end of 2012, and the naval support vessel Akademik Aleksandrov (project 20180).
We built, we built, and finally we built
Even if the current pace in military shipbuilding is maintained, the promises of the Russian government to replenish the Russian fleet with 50 new ships by 2016 look quite realistic and achievable. The second positive point is that despite all the skeptics' fears, the dynamics of shipbuilding over the past few years has not only been preserved, but even improved - this year the fleet received 5 ready-made ships with a total displacement of more than 20 thousand tons! For comparison: in 2011 this figure was at the level of 3 thousand tons - progress is evident.
Such a sharp increase in the pace of construction was mainly due to the transfer of the Yuri Dolgoruky K-535 strategic missile carrier to the fleet. A doubly joyful event - the Russian Navy received the first nuclear submarine after a long hiatus since 2001, when the multipurpose K-335 Gepard was accepted into the Northern Fleet.
In 2013, we can safely predict a twofold increase in the number of ships accepted into the Navy: the second strategic Borey - K-550 Alexander Nevsky and the multipurpose K-329 Severodvinsk have long been built and are being tested. They are only one step away from adoption. Let's hope that the Admiral Gorshkov, the lead frigate of Project 22350, will finally be completed. The active construction of new corvettes and small rocket ships continues, and somewhere far away, on the other end of Europe, French welders are sparking with electrodes, assembling the landing ship "Vladivostok".
Criticism? Yes, there are a couple of hard-hitting moments in this whole story. The timing of the construction of the ships still arouses little optimism - the strategic missile carrier "Yuri Dolgoruky" has been under construction for almost 16 years - since November 1996. The lead diesel-electric submarine of Project 677 "Lada" has failed the tests, it seems that it will forever remain in trial operation. An amazing New Year's "gift" was made by the Ministry of Defense - the fulfillment of the contract for the construction of two Mistrals in Russia was postponed from 2013 to 2016.
Time will tell what will happen next. It remains only to congratulate everyone on the New Year 2013 and wish more good news in the New Year.
