Dear connoisseurs of the naval theme, those who are not indifferent to the fresh breeze and smoke of naval battles; those who managed to stand on the ship's deck that was leaving from under their feet or hear amazing stories about service in the Navy - for all of you, on the eve of the upcoming Navy Day, I hasten to present a short essay-study on the confrontation between the two largest fleets of the Cold War.
Action-thriller based on the American writer Tom Clancy, famous for his works in the genre of alternative history - I wonder how the military conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States would develop with the use of tactical weapons? Only tanks, cannons, ships and planes - the nuclear arsenals remained intact: none of the leaderships of both countries dared to issue a suicidal order.
The further plot is taken from the pages of the Internet portal "Voennoye Obozreniye" - it was there, a few days ago, that a discussion broke out about the possibility of a detachment of surface combatants of the USSR Navy against the American fleet as of the mid-1970s. Usually such discussions are connected with the question of the possibility of detecting and destroying the all-powerful American AUG, but this time everything is different - no one is going to look for "Elusive Joe".
Let Elusive Joe come and try to stop the Russian convoy.
So, imagine a completely unusual situation: It's 1975. The Soviet troops somehow captured a bridgehead on the coast of Alaska. They landed, entrenched … Now they need help - they need to transfer a marine division / airborne forces / motorized riflemen with standard equipment, fuel, provisions and equipment by sea. Of course, tanks, heavy armored vehicles, artillery and military air defense systems are awaiting on the "other side" …
Personnel, weapons and supplies are loaded onto container ships and turbo-ships of the Soviet merchant fleet ("Alexander Fadeev", "Saryan", "Leninsky Komsomol"). Armored vehicles are lifted under their own power aboard the Project 1171 Tapir large landing ships. Loading in the port of Okha (Sakhalin) was successful, and now, a convoy of 10 transports and a large landing craft, under the cover of warships of the USSR Navy, goes to sea. Course Nord, 15 knots.
BDK pr. 1171 "Tapir"
Large anti-submarine ship (according to NATO standards - missile cruiser) of project 1134B ("Berkut-B")
A hypertrophied anti-submarine weapon system and 4 short and medium-range air defense systems in a hull with a displacement of 8,500 tons. In total, the USSR Navy included 7 ships of this project.
From this moment on, the real ACTION begins. In the Bering Sea, a Soviet convoy awaits a United States Navy carrier strike group led by the invincible Enterprise, which will do everything to disrupt the delivery of military supplies to Alaska.
The salt of the story is that at that time the American naval aviation did not yet possess any long-range anti-ship weapons - the Yankees would take the aircraft version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile system into service only in 1979.
And in 1975, the US Navy had nothing but subsonic attack aircraft and a set of very primitive air attack weapons - free-fall bombs, NURS, anti-radar Shrikes and short-range air-to-surface missiles … That's the whole simple arsenal of cowboys.
It seems that the American pilots will have an unforgettable adventure - they will have to "jump on the pitchfork" of modern naval anti-aircraft missile systems and shove "bare chest" on automatic anti-aircraft guns with radar guidance. Will the Yankees give up on a dangerous mission?
But on the ships of the USSR Navy, a painful silence also reigns - everyone knows that there are two full-blooded air regiments on the deck of the Enterprise, and the air defense systems of Soviet ships are still too weak and imperfect to effectively repel such massive attacks. Will our sailors be able to hold out against the beastly power of the American aircraft carrier?
The first warning sign appeared in the sky - electronic warfare systems intercepted the work of an enemy radar … and here it is, in person: an E-2 Hawkeye long-range radar detection aircraft. The air combat patrol "uncovered" the position of the convoy … now wait for a quick attack. "Hawkeye" looms all the time somewhere on the horizon, closely studying the situation - it hangs, you bastard, a hundred miles from the Soviet ships, completely confident in its own impunity. Ehh … and there really is nothing to get it - the most powerful of the domestic air defense systems hits only 30 miles.
… The preparation for Operation Intercept is in full swing on the aircraft carrier: the first strike group has been formed on the flight deck: the most experienced pilots will lead 10 attack aircraft A-7 "Corsair" and A-6 "Intruder" into battle. Covering group - 2 EA-6B Prowler electronic jammers.
12 aircraft - this is the maximum number of machines in a launch cycle from Nimitz, in which one pair is on standby for 5 minutes, and the rest are on standby from 15 minutes to one hour. It is not possible to increase the number of the strike group, otherwise it will be necessary to clutter up the landing zone with equipment. And this is strictly prohibited - after all, a Hawkeye has been loitering in the air for several hours - the same one that found the Soviet convoy, its fighter cover (a pair of F-14 Tomcat), as well as the S-3A Viking anti-submarine aircraft - in their the tanks are rapidly melting fuel, and they should soon return to the ship.
In total, there are more than 45 units * of aircraft on board the super-aircraft carrier: two squadrons of attack A-6 and A-7, a squadron of Tomcat fighters, three AWACS aircraft, four Prowlers, four Viking anti-submarine vehicles and several Sea King helicopters.
* the formal number of aircraft assigned to the Enterprise may reach 80-90 units. In reality, the ship's load rarely exceeded 45 aircraft; the composition of the wing is determined by the tasks facing the AUG (strike operations, cover, evacuation, etc.). The rest of the aircraft was waiting at the coastal air bases, ready at any time to change aircraft on board the aircraft carrier
A line of gray ships is moving alongside the aircraft carrier Enterprise - the nuclear-powered cruiser California, three Belknap-class URO cruisers, four Knox anti-submarine frigates, a tanker and a multipurpose supply vehicle. Below, deep under the arches of cold water, another shadow is moving - a multipurpose nuclear submarine of the Sturgeon class. A typical AUG is ready for battle.
What can the Soviet Navy oppose this colossal power?
It is logical to assume that the most advanced of the serial Soviet ships will be used to cover the convoy. Three large anti-submarine ships of project 1134B (code "Berkut-B") - "Nikolaev", "Ochakov" and "Kerch". And three patrol ships (BOD II rank) of Project 1135 (code "Petrel"). Modest but tasteful.
Project 1135 patrol ship (missile frigate) "Burevestnik". Despite its 3200 tons of full displacement, it was a formidable force: a set of anti-submarine missiles, 2 air defense systems, 2 universal gun mounts and various "tricks" in the form of RBU and conventional torpedoes. In total, the Soviet Navy had 32 such gunners.
Of course, the author gives an account of the fact that in reality in 1975 there was no Berkutov-B in the Pacific Fleet - all three ships were serving in the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, the concept of "alternative history" considers it possible to make a minimal assumption - some kind of military tension arose in the Far East, and the USSR Navy urgently strengthened the Pacific Fleet with ships from the Baltic and the Black Sea (as they tried to do in 1905, but at a higher organizational level).
So, there are six surface combat ships in total. Will they be able to organize a reliable "barrier" in the path of enemy aircraft? How long will the convoy last? What are his chances of success?
At 200 miles to the east, attack aircraft begin to rise into the air - in an hour the first wave of several Intruders will hit the target. Soviet sailors are still in the dark about the exact time of the attack, but the radio interception systems installed on board the Berkuts have already detected the operation of enemy transmitters: the Hawkeye is actively communicating with someone invisible beyond the horizon, it seems that the AWACS aircraft is aiming at them a strike group.
… The convoy rebuilds into an air defense order and increases speed, the outer contour forms a "triangle" of ships of the radar patrol - the modest "Petrel" are ready to be the first to meet the enemy, and, if necessary, play a "radio game" with him. Behind them are covered by "Berkuts" with long-range air defense systems.
Missiles are fed to the guides of anti-aircraft complexes - they are aimed at the sky:
- 6 medium-range air defense systems M-11 "Storm-M".
In total in a salvo - up to 12 missiles. Reload time is 50 seconds. Two-channel radio command guidance, maximum firing range - 55 km. The range of working heights is from 100 to 25,000 meters. Ammunition - 80 missiles on each of the "Berkuts".
- 12 short-range air defense systems "Osa-M".
In total in a salvo - up to 24 missiles. Reload time is 20 seconds. The maximum firing range at an air target is 15 km. The minimum height of an air target is 5 meters. Ammunition - 40 missiles on each of the "Berkuts" and "Petrel".
Anti-aircraft missile V-611 of the M-11 "Shtorm" complex.
"Baby" has a length of 6 meters and a weight of 1800 kg. Equipped with a rod warhead weighing 120 kg. 80 of these fireworks were kept in the cellars of each BOD.
In addition to naval air defense systems, the appearance of enemy aircraft is eagerly awaited:
- 12 universal artillery mounts AK-726.
Caliber 76 mm. Rate of fire - 90 shots / min. Automated guidance based on radar data. Anti-aircraft shells ZS-62 with a radar fuse of the AR-67 type are used (an accurate hit is not required; to initiate the fuse, the projectile needs to fly a dozen meters from the target). The maximum firing range is 11,000 meters.
- 12 robotic anti-aircraft guns AK-630 with a rate of fire of 5000 rds / min. On board each of the Berkuts, there are two batteries, consisting of two gun mounts and a Vympel fire control radar. Effective firing range - 4000 meters.
Analog drives AK-630 are not very accurate, but this is quite enough to hit the huge slow A-6 Intruder - just one hit of 30 mm ammunition, and the American vehicle will burrow into the water in the middle of the boiling ocean.
The convoy's short-range air defense system is complemented by a number of firing points on the large landing craft and transports (ZIF-31B, 2M-3M, ZU-23-2); among the landing units there are many Strela-2 MANPADS - an aircraft that breaks through will be greeted with a flurry of fire.
… So, a dozen "suckers" on the subsonic attack aircraft "Corsair" and "Intruder" are trying to break through the echeloned air defense system of the Soviet convoy in a row, well, let's see what happens.
As of 1975, the US Navy carrier-based aviation had only four ways to "get" Russian ships - one worse than the other.
1. "Smart" missile AGM-45 "Shrike"aiming at radio sources. The plan is simple: to smash all the radars of the Berkuts with them, and then throw ordinary bombs at the helpless ships. However, there are a number of questions here:
The primitive Shrike could not boast of efficiency: in Vietnam, the average consumption of missiles per one radar reached 10 pieces - the inevitable errors in the operation of the seeker affected,insufficient speed of microcircuits and rocket drives.
In the case of a Russian convoy, the task becomes more complicated - you need to hit a moving maneuvering target! How many "Shrikes" will be required to disable at least one "Berkut-B"?
The “smart missile” seeker itself will cause a lot of problems - after all, it is designed only for a narrow frequency range, while there are dozens of radars for various purposes on ships and ships of the convoy. It is also unclear how the Shrike will behave in the conditions of many radar stations - I recall the joke about the blonde who "got entangled in a crossword puzzle and fell to the floor."
In the characteristics of the "Shrike" it is indicated in bold: the launch range is 52 km - outside the enemy's air defense zone. The real situation turned out to be much less rosy: the homing head of the "smart" Shrike missile has a too narrow field of view - the missile had to be launched with extreme accuracy in the direction of the radar source, otherwise its seeker simply would not capture the target. In Vietnam, US Air Force pilots usually fired Shrikes from a range of about 15 km, while being at an altitude of 2-3 kilometers.
A carrier-based attack aircraft, which risked attacking a Russian convoy in the same mode, will turn into an ideal target for the Storm air defense system - it will hardly have time to go on a combat course, as it will receive 120 kg of explosives and steel striking elements of the V-611 missile in its wing.
2. Tactical missile AGM-12C "Bullpup"
A pitiful resemblance of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, with a range of 19 km. Particularly impressive is the radio command guidance system - the aircraft will have to prance for a couple of minutes near the convoy, serving as a target for zeroing in all types of air defense systems and anti-aircraft artillery of Soviet ships. To effectively use AGM-12C against the Soviet Navy, the Pentagon will have to open courses for kamikaze pilots.
3. Tactical high-precision missile AGM-65B "Maverick"
When dropped from a high altitude, "Maverick" is able to independently overcome 25-30 kilometers to the target, but in reality its launch range was limited by the sensitivity of the television guidance system - 4 … 6 km for small targets under ideal weather conditions. The large anti-submarine ship "Berkut" is not a small target, however, the weather conditions in the Bering Sea are also far from ideal: deepening twilight, low clouds, fog, rain or snow charges, limited visibility, excitement.
Do not forget that systems for shooting passive radar and optical false targets were routinely installed on the ships of the USSR Navy: 2 PK-2 installations on each Berkut and Petrel with a rate of fire of 15 volleys / min. In addition, there is always an old "grandfather" method in stock - a smoke screen. Limited visibility will not in any way affect the efficiency of the air defense missile systems and anti-aircraft artillery - after all, our BODs do not use optical guidance systems, at the same time, all these measures will inevitably complicate or make impossible the operation of the Mavericks guidance systems - we will have to fly up to the ships at close range (closer, than 10 km).
In this case, the American aircraft comes under fire, in which the chances of surviving single "Intruders" fall to zero.
4. Low-level attack
The only way to avoid "communication" with Soviet air defense systems is a high-speed breakthrough at an extremely low altitude, followed by an attack by NURS ships, aircraft cannons and free-fall bombs of the Mk.80 family.
But neither the height of 30 meters, nor desperate maneuvers will save the Corsairs and Intruders from the fire of anti-aircraft guns - the AK-630 and AK-726 metal cutters will shred them into pieces.
As for the terrible EA-6B Prowler electronic jamming planes, which the Yankees threaten to "stun" all Russian radars, the situation is as follows:
In conditions when the time difference between the takeoff of the first and the last pair of vehicles of the strike group is more than an hour, the two Prowlers will be unable to provide cover throughout the attack - the vehicles overloaded with electronic units simply will not have enough fuel to cover hundreds of miles to the target.and then circling in the air for an hour, covering up the attack aircraft of the strike group with interference. On the way back, the Prowlers will fall into the ocean with empty * tanks.
And will the two Prowlers of the 1975 model be able to provide serious electronic countermeasures to the squadron?
* The attentive reader will surely notice that the aircraft carriers of the US Navy used the KA-6D air tankers. But there are two tough conditions to keep in mind:
- the maximum number of cars in one take-off cycle does not exceed 12 units;
- max. the number of aircraft on board a ship rarely exceeds 45.
Firstly, there are most likely no tankers on board the Enterprise - preference is given to more important vehicles (fighters, attack aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft); secondly, an attempt to include KA-6D tankers in the take-off cycle will automatically reduce the number of attack vehicles.
As a result, we come to a rather strange conclusion: a super-ship with a displacement of 85 thousand tons, whose price today exceeds $ 6 billion, is unable to deal with six "tubs" of the USSR Navy! However, such a situation is easily explainable - attacking well-defended targets "head-on" with small forces always leads to heavy losses among the attackers. And the combat capabilities of the carrier group are hardly enough to defend themselves.
Even using suicidal attacks "head-on" on air defense systems and anti-aircraft artillery, the Yankees will not achieve anything - "Berkuts" and "Petrel" will use both squadrons of attack aircraft of the US Navy (only 20-25 "Corsairs" and "Intruders") and will continue to lead the convoy to their destination. Even if the Americans are lucky, and before their death, they will be able to sink / damage several Soviet ships - this is clearly not the effect that could be expected from the "invincible" AUG.
After all, 6 patrols and a BOD is the minimum the Yankees can count on. It cost the Russians nothing to strengthen the security of the convoy, including a couple of "Berkuts-A" (a slightly less perfect modification of the "Berkut" with similar weapons; at that time, the USSR Navy had 10 ships of this type) and heels of "singing frigates" 61- second project (19 units in the Navy) - such a convoy will not be stopped even by two AUGs with the Enterprise and Nimitz.
And this is just the beginning! In 1977, a multi-channel anti-aircraft complex "Fort" was installed on the Azov BPK instead of the Shtorm aft air defense system - nothing more than a naval version of the legendary S-300. And just a few years later, the Eagles and Atlantes, new BODs of Project 1155 (code "Udaloy") and the destroyers of Project 956 "Sovremenny" with multi-channel SAMs "Dagger" and "Uragan" will appear …
The moral of this tale is as follows: with due attention to the Navy and when moving in step with the times, a surface ship can turn into an impregnable fortress for enemy aircraft. Of course, there are no invincible warriors, but the enemy will need colossal efforts to destroy the "difficult target". And the early gray-haired US pilots will forever remember what a modern naval air defense system is.
Epilogue. In a real conflict, neither the Enterprise nor the Berkut-B will cover 100 miles - all of them will be overwhelmed by merciless underwater killers - multipurpose submarines of the Tresher / Permit, Sturgeon, Skipjack types, Project 671 "Ruff", Project 671RT " Salmon ", pr. 670" Skat ", etc. etc. But, this is a completely different story.
Characters:
Nuclear-powered missile cruiser USS California (aircraft carrier escort)
Knox-class frigate (aircraft carrier escort)
BOD "Kerch" and patrol ship "Pytlivy"
It was supposed to deliver troops on such turbo-rovers (without any irony - this is standard world practice)
Bukar, aka "Berkut-B"
