Delay in the fight against submarines is like death. In combat conditions, as soon as the boat is discovered, it is necessary to immediately take measures to destroy it. Hardly established contact can be lost at any second, and then expect trouble: the submarine will have time to discharge its ammunition in the cities on the other side of the Earth or rush into a counterattack, firing six or eight torpedoes at the sluggish destroyer, evading them will be extremely difficult and risky. …
Already in the first post-war years, the designers were faced with an acute question about the discrepancy between the capabilities of the hydroacoustic means of ships and the capabilities of their anti-submarine weapons. Under favorable conditions, the GAS provided a decent detection range for those times (up to 1 mile in active mode and up to 3-4 miles in noise direction finding mode), while the main anti-submarine weapons of the ships were still bomb releasers and rocket launchers of the British Hedgehog type. "(" Hedgehog "). The former made it possible to attack the boat with large-caliber depth charges, rolling them into the water directly behind the stern of the ship. In this case, for a successful attack, it was required to be exactly above the boat, which is unlikely in most encounters with an underwater threat. Reactive multi-barrel bombers of the war years made it possible to fire volleys of depth charges directly on the course, but the range still remained unsatisfactory - no further than 200-250 meters from the side of the ship.
All this time, the submarine developers did not stand still and continuously improved the design of their offspring - speed / range in the submerged position / snorkel (RDP), detection equipment and weapons. The horizon has already been colored by the dawn of the atomic era - in 1955 the first submarine "Nautilus" will go to sea. The fleet needed a powerful and reliable weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines at previously inaccessible distances, while having a minimum reaction time.
Bearing in mind that the most effective means during the war years were rocket depth charges, engineers began to develop this idea. By 1951, the US Navy had adopted the RUR-4 Alpha rocket launcher, a powerful weapon capable of throwing 110 kg of explosives at a distance of over 700 meters. The launch mass of the rocket bomb is 238 kg, the flight speed is 85 m / s. The rate of fire of the system is 12 shots / min. Ammunition - 22 ready shots.
RUR-4 Weapon Alpha
Similar weapons were installed on the ships of the USSR Navy - rocket launchers of the RBU family (1000, 1200, 2500, 6000, 12000). The index in most cases indicates the maximum firing range. Unlike the American RUR-4, domestic RBUs were multi-barreled - from five (in the primitive RBU-1200, 1955) to ten to twelve barrels (RBU-6000/12000). In addition to its main function - the fight against enemy submarines, RBU could be used as an effective anti-torpedo system, allowing one salvo to "cover" a torpedo going to the ship or set up a barrier from false targets. Powerful and unpretentious RBUs turned out to be such a successful system that they still stand on the decks of most surface ships of the Russian Navy.
Small anti-submarine ship fires from RBU-6000 "Smerch-2"
But all efforts were ultimately in vain. The use of depth charges at long distances did not give the desired result: the inaccuracy of the detection means, superimposed on the circular probable deviation of jet ammunition, did not allow hitting modern nuclear-powered ships with due efficiency. There was only one way out - to use a small-sized homing torpedo as a warhead. The once primitive "Hedgehog" has turned into a complex combat system, a true demon of two elements: missile technology and torpedo weapons, held together by the fusion of the most modern technologies in the field of microelectronics.
The first such RUR-5 ASROC (Anti-Submarine ROCket) complex appeared in 1961 - the Mk.16 box launcher became the hallmark of the US Navy and allied fleets for many years. The use of ASROK gave a huge advantage to the anti-submarine forces of the "potential enemy" and brought the combat capabilities of US Navy destroyers and frigates to a completely different level.
The system quickly spread throughout the world: ASROS could be installed on board warships of most classes - torpedo missiles (PLUR) were included in the ammunition of nuclear cruisers, destroyers and frigates, were massively installed on outdated destroyers of the Second World War (FRAM program for converting old ships into hunters behind Soviet submarines). They were actively supplied to allied countries - sometimes as a separate technology, sometimes complete with export ships. Japan, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan … There are 14 countries in total among ASROK users!
RUR-5 ASROC. Launch weight 432 … 486 kg (depending on the version and type of warhead). Length - 4.5 m. Ammunition speed - 315 m / s. Max. firing range - 5 miles.
The main reason for the success of the ASROC complex, in comparison with similar systems, was its balance. At first glance, the American PLUR lacked stars from the sky: max. the firing range was only 9 km. This solution has a simple explanation - the range of the PLUR flight is primarily determined not by the duration of the rocket engines, but by the capabilities of the ship's hydroacoustic detection equipment. Indeed, why should a PLUR fly tens of kilometers - if it is impossible to find a boat at such a distance ?!
The range of the first ASROC exactly matched the effective detection range of sonars (primarily AN / SQS-23 - the base GAS of all American ships of the 60s). As a result, the system is relatively simple, cheap and compact. Subsequently, this greatly helped to unify the torpedo missile with new systems of naval weapons: several generations of small-sized torpedoes, special W44 warheads with a capacity of 10 kt, three variants of launchers. In addition to the 8-charge container Mk.16, the rocket torpedoes were launched from the Mk.26 beam launchers (the Virginia nuclear cruisers, the Kidd destroyers, the first Ticonderoog sub-series) or from the MK.10 launcher (the Italian missile cruiser Vittorio Veneto).
The destroyer Agerholm is watching the aftermath of her shot. Tests of ASROK with nuclear warheads, 1962
Ultimately, the excessive enthusiasm for standardization turned out to be disastrous: to date, only one RUM-139 VLA submarine remains in service with the US Navy, whose capabilities (first of all, the firing range, 22 km) no longer fully meet the needs of the modern fleet. It is curious that ASROC for a long time could not adapt to vertical launch installations - as a result, all modern cruisers and destroyers for 8 years (1985-93) went without anti-submarine missile systems.
It is curious that the ASROC launcher could also be used to launch the Harpoon anti-ship missile system.
Even more interesting was the situation in the overseas submarine fleet - in the mid-60s, the UUM-44 SUBROC submarine anti-submarine missile entered service with the US Navy. Large two-ton ammunition, launched from a standard torpedo tube, was designed to destroy enemy submarines at distances exceeding the range of the torpedo weapon. Equipped with a 5 kt nuclear warhead. Max. firing range - 55 km. The flight profile is similar to ASROC. It is curious that the first SUBROC set delivered to the fleet was lost along with the lost Thresher submarine.
By the end of the 80s, the outdated system was finally withdrawn from service, and there was no replacement: the promising UUM-125 "SeaLance" complex, which was in development, did not go beyond the sketches. As a result, for a quarter of a century, US Navy submarines have been completely deprived of the ability to use anti-submarine missiles. I wish them the same in the future. Moreover, no work is underway on this topic.
Among other foreign anti-submarine complexes, the Ikara complex (Australia / Great Britain) should be noted. Unlike the simple-minded ASROC, which simply flew along a ballistic trajectory in the indicated direction, Icarus was a real unmanned aircraft, whose flight was continuously monitored throughout the entire time. This made it possible to make operational changes to the trajectory of the carrier aircraft - in accordance with the updated sonar data, thereby clarifying the place of the torpedo drop and increasing the chances of success. Having separated the warhead by parachute, the Icarus did not fall into the water, but continued its flight - the system took the carrier aircraft to the side, so that the sound of its fall would not distract the torpedo guidance system. Max. the launch range was 10 miles (18.5 km).
Ikara
Ikara turned out to be exceptionally good, but the British Admiralty turned out to be too poor for serial purchases of this complex: out of the planned ships equipped with the Ikara submarine missile systems, it was possible to build only one - the destroyer type 82 Bristol. Another 8 complexes were installed during the modernization of old frigates. Also, several complexes appeared on Australian ships. Subsequently, the ships with the Icara submarine missile system passed through the hands of New Zealand, Chilean and Brazilian sailors. This concludes the 30-year history of Icara.
There are other "national" missile and torpedo systems that have not found widespread use - for example, the French submarine missile system "Malafon" (currently withdrawn from service), the modern South Korean complex "Honsan'o" ("Red Shark") or the Italian, remarkable in every sense MILAS is an anti-submarine missile based on the Otomat anti-ship missile with a range of 35+ km, equipped with one of the world's best compact torpedoes MU90 Impact. At the moment, the MILAS complex is installed on board five ships of the Italian Navy, incl. promising frigates of the FREMM type.
Domestic supertechnology
The missile theme was the main trend in the development of the domestic navy - and, of course, the idea of anti-submarine missile and torpedo systems here grew up in a truly exuberant color. At different periods of time, 11 PLRKs were in service, differing in weight and size characteristics and basing methods. Among them (listing the most interesting features):
- RPK-1 "Whirlwind" - nuclear warhead, ballistic trajectory, two versions of launchers, the complex has been installed on anti-submarine and aircraft-carrying cruisers of the USSR Navy since 1968;
- RPK-2 "Vyuga" - underwater basing, launch through a standard 533-mm apparatus;
- URPK-3/4 "Blizzard" - to equip surface ships: BOD pr. 1134A, 1134B and patrol ships pr. 1135;
- URC-5 "Rastrub-B" - a modernized complex "Blizzard" with a firing range of 50 … 55 km, which corresponds to the detection range of the GAS "Polynom". It is possible to use the PLRK as an anti-ship missile (without separating the warhead);
- RPK-6M "Waterfall" - a unified complex for launching from NK and submarine torpedo tubes, firing range over 50 km, equipped with a deep-water homing torpedo UGMT-1;
Fantastic launch of Vodopad-NK from the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko. Jumping out of the torpedo tube, the ammunition is immersed in the water (unification with submarines!) In order to jump out of the waves a second later and, fluffing up its fiery tail, rush behind the clouds.
- RPK-7 "Wind" - underwater basing, launching through a standard 650 mm torpedo tube, nuclear warhead, launch range - up to 100 km with the issuance of the control center using its own sonar equipment, data from other ships, submarines, aircraft and satellites;
- RPK-8 - is an improvisation based on the widespread RBU-6000. Instead of RSL, small-sized PLUR 90R are used, which makes it possible to increase efficiency by 8-10 times in comparison with the original system. The complex is installed aboard the Neustrashimy and Yaroslav the Wise patrol ships, as well as the Shivalik-class Indian frigates;
- RPK-9 "Medvedka" - a small-sized anti-submarine complex for equipping the MPK. In the 1990s, an experimental sample was tested from the IPC on hydrofoils, project 1141 "Alexander Kunakhovich". According to some reports, an upgraded version of Medvedka-2 with vertical launch is currently being developed to equip promising Russian frigates, project 22350;
- APR-1 and APR-2 - airborne anti-submarine missile and torpedo systems. They were launched from the board of Il-38 and Tu-142 aircraft, Ka-27PL helicopters. In service since 1971;
- APR-3 and 3M "Eagle" - aircraft PLUR with a turbo-water jet engine;
URC-5 "Rastrub-B" on a large anti-submarine ship
PU "Rastrub-B" (or "Blizzard") on board the TFR pr. 1135
Domestic developers are not going to stop there - it is proposed to include new PLUR 91R from the Caliber missile family in the armament of future ships of the Russian Navy. Ballistic trajectory, launch range 40 … 50 km, flight speed 2..2, 5 M. Homing torpedoes APR-3 and MPT-1 are used as warheads. The launch is carried out through the standard UVP of the universal shipborne firing complex (UKSK), which is planned to be installed on promising corvettes of project 20385 and frigates of project 22350.
Epilogue
Nowadays, anti-submarine torpedo missiles remain one of the most effective and effective anti-submarine weapons that allow you to "keep at a distance" enemy submarines, not allowing them to reach the distance of a torpedo salvo. On the other hand, the inclusion of PLUR in the submarine ammunition provides solid advantages for the submarine fleet, allowing them to quickly hit their "brothers" at distances that are many times greater than the effective use of torpedo weapons.
No anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters can compare with PLUR in terms of response time and salvo power. The use of PLO helicopters is limited by weather conditions - with waves of more than 5 points and a wind speed of more than 30 m / s, it is difficult to use a lowered HAS, moreover, a helicopter HAS is always inferior in power and sensitivity to the hydroacoustic stations of ships. In this case, only the proven combination of GAS + PLUR can effectively carry out anti-submarine defense of the compound.
The schemes of the ASROC, Ikara anti-submarine systems, the LAMPS helicopter and the coastal / aircraft carrier-based aircraft are shown. In the closest, most critical zone, anti-submarine missiles are confidently leading
