The Nobel Committee noted that B. Obama has fired more cruise missiles than all other Nobel Peace Prize winners combined
The orange disc of the sun rolled into the waves of the Libyan Sea, and the night haze thickened over the silent water. At midnight GMT, the USS Florida Headquarters received an order from Washington - "Get Started!" A missile submarine waiting in ambush moved in an invisible shadow towards the Libyan coast. Operation Dawn of Odyssey has begun.
… An alarming ruby light flashed and shone on the control panel of the missile weapon. The commander and senior officer of the submarine simultaneously turned the launch keys - the missiles entered a combat platoon. The guidance systems woke up, data on the location of the launch position flowed into the Tomahawks' on-board computers (the coordinates of the targets and digital maps of the elevation along the flight route were previously entered into the memory of the missiles during the stay at the Diego Garcia naval base).
- The key to the start! - one after another winged devils jump out from under the water and rush upward. Infernal flashes of torches rush over the surface of the sleeping sea, and the boat continues to shoot and shoot. There seems to be no end to the USS Florida ammunition supply …
The starting booster tosses the Tomahawk 1000 feet. On the descending branch of the ballistic trajectory, the air intake of the main engine extends, the rocket spreads its short wings and lays down on a combat course.
… The coastline curved under the wing - "Battle Ax" arrived in the area of primary correction. The TERCOM and DSMAC guidance systems are activated, the radar and optical sensors carefully "feel" the terrain. After checking the received data with satellite images, "Tomahawk" swung the short planes of the rudders and rushed in the direction of the chosen target.
A swarm of cruise missiles flies with a roar over the sands of the Sahara. The Libyan air defense system occasionally sees flashes on the radar screens, but is unable to take any measures to repel a missile attack. Lighting is cut down, chairs are thrown over with a roar - the Libyans are noisily leaving the control posts of the S-200 air defense system. The complex is useless when firing at low-flying missiles, but it will surely become the target of an American strike - people are running away from military equipment, it has become mortally dangerous to stay near it.
Unbeknownst to Libyans, their panic is being watched closely by three pairs of eyes - "tak pi" from the French Foreign Legion (TACP - spotter aircraft controllers). It is they who will direct the Tomahawks to the position of the anti-aircraft missile battery. Special forces groups were secretly dropped by helicopters into Libya a few hours before the first missile and bomb strike.
UGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile. The launch weight is 1.5 tons. The flight range is 1600 km.
The modern "Tomahawk Block IV" has learned to: reprogram in flight; patrol the battlefield in anticipation of suitable targets; hit moving targets; used as anti-ship missiles
… The cannon antiaircraft artillery rumbled, the gunners are trying to catch the "comet" rushing in the sky in the crosshairs of their sights. "He goes too low and fast, the angular movement is too great, I do not have time to turn the trunks" - probably this is what the Libyan soldier wanted to say, but instead of a long phrase, a desperate cry "Alla Akbar!"
"Tomahawk" deftly slipped through the position of the ZU-23-2 and all the way into the radar installation. The explosion of a 454 kg warhead tore the ground from under his feet, the starry sky shuddered, overturned and carried away somewhere into the night, into the night, into the night …
On March 19, 2011, the US Air Force and Navy launched a massive missile and bomb attack on Libyan strategic targets. Aircraft and sea-based cruise missiles burned radars and air defense missile systems, destroyed equipment and fuel depots at airfields, hit military bases and command centers, disorganizing the control of the Libyan army. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi suddenly lost control of the situation in his country.
Having fulfilled its mournful mission, USS Florida silently disappeared into the vastness of the Mediterranean Sea. 93 smoky trails from the released Tomahawks slowly melted in the air …
US Navy rocket launchers
The submarine with monstrous destructive power USS Florida (SSGN-728) is one of the four submarine arsenals of the US Navy, the result of the successful conversion of SSBNs of the Ohio class into cruise missile carriers.
In 1994, a new doctrine for the development of the US strategic nuclear forces (1994 Nuclear Posture Review) was adopted, largely as a result of the START I and START II treaties. Under the new doctrine, the number of Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) was reduced from 18 to 14.
However, the Yankees were in no hurry to dispose of their "extra" boats. By the time the decision was made to reduce SSBNs, the most "elderly" of the missile carriers intended for decommissioning had barely marked 12 years old, and "Georgia" was only 10 - a ridiculous age for ships of this class.
After thoroughly analyzing the situation, the Americans figured out how to save the new ships without violating the terms of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties. Instead of ballistic missiles, boats will be equipped with other weapons, turning them into ships for special operations. The optimal means for fire support in local conflicts and not only …
By 2002, a detailed conversion plan was prepared - the Trident-1 missiles were unloaded from the boats and the Mk.98 fire control system was dismantled. Instead of 33-ton ballistic missiles, new 7-charge cups were inserted into the launchers to accommodate the Tomahawk SLCM - a total of 22 silos with 7 cruise missiles in each.
In reality, the composition of the armament looks a little different - only 14 missile silos are regularly used as multiple-charge launchers (No. 11 - No. 24, ammunition - 98 sea-based cruise missiles).
Eight more mines (# 3 - # 10) are commonly used as storage bays for weapons and special equipment for special operations forces - the SEALs. If necessary, 7-round launch canisters can be inserted into them for storing and launching Tomahawks, increasing the boat's maximum ammunition to 154 Battle axes. Solid.
Airlock of the submarine "Florida"
The remaining two bow missile silos (No. 1 and No. 2) have been converted into airlock chambers for combat swimmers (saboteurs, light divers) - each is designed for simultaneous access to the outboard space for up to 9 people in appropriate diving equipment.
Outside, in the cockpit area, they mounted a mount for Dry Deck Shelter containers used to transport mini-submarines, experimental UAVs and other special equipment. In the interior of the ship, a cockpit is equipped to accommodate a detachment of 66 "navy seals" (it is reported that the landing can be increased to a hundred in the short term).
In addition, torpedo armament remained on the submarines as self-defense - four 533-mm torpedo tubes with ammunition for 10 Mk.48 torpedoes.
Using the Dry Deck Shelter
As a result, the fleet received a unique combat ship for carrying out special operations - fire support (98 … 154 Tomahawk is a real underwater rocket launcher!), Secret deployment of saboteurs and special forces groups, transportation of equipment, covert surveillance of the enemy coast (boats of the Ohio type are traditionally considered one of the "quietest" US nuclear submarines), finally, if necessary, the boat can be used as a conventional torpedo submarine.
The most striking and expressive characterization of the modernized "Ohio" was given by a high-ranking representative of the US Navy, who stated in an interview with the Defense Weekly newspaper literally the following: "within the framework of one submarine, we have the opportunity to choose either the" hammer "(154" Tomahawk "), or the" scalpel "(60-100 people of the naval special forces).
The Ohio has a serious sonar system: the entire nose is occupied by an AN / BQQ-6 spherical antenna manufactured by IBM. In addition, the boats are equipped with AN / BQS-13 active sonar, short-range AN / BQS-15 sonar for safe navigation under the ice shell of the Arctic, as well as towed TB-16 and TB-23 passive antennas to exclude the possibility of enemy submarines' sneaking into the dead sector behind the stern of the submarine (1400 sonar sensors of the TB-16 antenna are placed in the form of a thick, 9-centimeter cable 60 meters long - the antenna is towed astern at a distance of 800 meters behind the submarine).
The Ohio is a fairly large ship. Surface displacement of the boat is 16 800 tons, submarine - 18 750 tons. The length of the submarine is 170.7 m; the greatest width of the body is 12.8 meters.
The boat has a mixed design - a strong cylindrical hull, divided into 4 compartments, supplemented by streamlined ends, which contain ballast tanks, a spherical GAK antenna and a propeller shaft. The upper part of the robust hull is covered with a permeable lightweight superstructure, inside which towed antennas and other auxiliary equipment are located.
As for the range of operating speeds and depths of the Ohio, the US Navy never advertises this information, limiting itself to vague phrases:
Max. submerged speed 20+ knots;
working depth of immersion is 240+ meters.
Indirect evidence indicates that the real speed of the boat in the submerged position is in no way less than 25-30 knots. - Ohio is equipped with a single 220 MW S8G water-cooled reactor, driving two turbines with a total capacity of 60,000 hp. (the mass of the reactor compartment is 2750 tons, one recharge is enough for 20 years). For comparison, the Russian Project 955 Borey strategic missile submarine is equipped with an OK-650V nuclear steam generating unit with a thermal capacity of 190 MW. The power of the turbines of the Russian nuclear-powered ship is 50,000 hp, the declared underwater speed is 29 knots.
With regard to the depth of immersion, a number of sources indicate for "Ohio" the maximum depth of the order of 500 meters.
The conversion of the Ohio into attack / multipurpose submarines lasted from 2002 to 2008 and was associated with a planned overhaul of nuclear-powered ships. In total, four units underwent modernization - Michigan, Florida, Georgia and the lead boat of the project of the same name - Ohio. The updated ships received a rare designation for the US Navy SSGN - submarine, guided missile, nuclear powered (literally - submarines with cruise missiles). Prior to that, only one American submarine, the Khalibat (SSGN-587), had such a title, which was launched back in 1957.
Head "Ohio" is undergoing modernization
Taking into account the conducted R&D, the cost of modernization and conversion of each of the "Ohio" cost the US budget 800 million dollars (for comparison - the same is the cost of building a new UDC of the "Mistral" type).
As for the continuation of the construction (conversion) of similar submarines, no plans have been heard in this regard. This is understandable - four shock "Ohio" can unleash on the enemy in a salvo of up to 600 sea-based cruise missiles (not counting the Orly Burke destroyers and dozens of other submarines). How much more ?!
In addition, the capabilities of the US Navy information centers to develop flight missions for the Tomahawks are limited - the Yankees are unlikely to be able to prepare more than a thousand cruise missiles in a short time.
The boats serve regularly "in the name of spreading democracy." It is no coincidence that the first foreign "presentation" of the modernized "Ohio" was held in 2008 at the Busan Naval Base (South Korea) - in one of the "hottest" corners on the planet.
However, the matter is not limited to one "demonstration of the flag". Less than five years have passed since its adoption, when the Florida nuclear submarine had to take part in a real combat operation. The boat distinguished itself when striking Libya in the spring of 2011: 93 Tomahawks released per night - the result, frankly, is impressive.
Epilogue
Amazing business! The Americans finally managed to create a successful, and at the same time relatively cheap and economical ship.
It is no secret that most of the time the US Navy is drowning in "technological glamor", mastering the budget of powerful and modern warships, however, possessing a completely exorbitant cost and excessive design complexity. Aircraft carrier Gerald Ford ($ 13.2 billion excluding R&D and aircraft wing), stealth destroyer Zamvolt ($ 3 billion excluding R&D). The newest Virginia-class multipurpose nuclear submarines (to date, the construction cost has exceeded $ 2.5 billion) …
And suddenly, in the midst of all these miracles, a project appears to modernize rather elderly submarines at a ridiculous price for the US Navy - only $ 0.8 billion per unit. On the technical side, "Ohio" is a sturdy warship, without any frills and "nanotechnology". A harsh calculation of nuts and steel during the Cold War, saturated to the limit with precision cruise missiles and diving equipment.
