This week a popular article by shipbuilding engineer A. Nikolsky appeared on the Internet, "The Russian fleet is going under water", in which the author diligently explained why an aircraft carrier strike group is the most effective form of organizing a modern fleet and why American destroyers are capable of shooting down hundreds of anti-ship missiles at once., and the combat information system "Aegis" has no analogues in the world.
This article, being a response to A. Nikolsky, does not set itself the goal of embarrassing, offending or proving the ultimate truth. Only a number of logical paradoxes from the previous article were considered and the situation was interpreted from a different point of view.
According to the efficiency-cost criterion, the most effective means of deterring aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG) is the APRK. It is on these arguments-legs that a colossus stands, crushing any aircraft carrier inclinations in the Russian fleet. Only now, aren't his feet made of clay?
No. The legs of the Russian fleet are made of high-strength austenitic steel AK-32 with a yield strength of 100 kgf / mm2.
Multipurpose nuclear submarine K-560 "Severodvinsk" (project 885 "Ash")
Air defense AUG in the early 80s, depending on the tactical situation, could shoot down 70-120 Granit or Kh-22 missiles.
Damnation seize my soul!
Which of the American AUGs in the early 80s had a chance to fight off a flock of 120 Soviet missiles? Who will undertake there to catch dozens of flying Granites, Amethysts, Malachites and X-22s?
Could it be the fearless Belknap cruiser with a single bow beam-type launcher to launch Terriers and Standerd-2s?
Or maybe the destroyer "Spruance", which had a single 8-round launcher with short-range missiles and therefore classified by the US Navy as DD (instead of DDG, as the air defense ships were designated)?
The frigate "Oliver H. Perry" with "one-armed bandit" Mk.13 and "castrated" radar AN / SPS-49 (V) 2 without sidelobe suppression? IS THIS SUPER HERO?
When the Yankees noticed the inclusion of the sighting radar of the Iraqi "Mirage" - all illusions were dispelled, the frigate began to prepare to repel the attack. The direction of the threat was known to within one degree. In stock, the Yankees had a minute before the missile was launched and a couple more minutes to destroy the flying anti-ship missiles. The newest warship of the US Navy, which was on full alert in the war zone (Persian Gulf, 1988). As seen in the photograph, the USS Stark frigate successfully shot down both Exocet subsonic anti-ship missiles. And then the Yankees drank a glass of coffee and shot down another 10 Soviet anti-ship missiles "Amethyst"
This is war, comrades. Laughter is not enough there. 37 sailors gave their lives fighting for the ideals of freedom and independence. The bodies of two were never found
Anti-submarine frigates "Knox"? Missile destroyers Farragut and Charles F. Adams, early 1960s? Yes, these clowns and five of us will not shoot down one "Granite".
As of the beginning of the 80s, the huge nuclear-powered Long Beach stood at the Puget Sound docks, undergoing many years of repair and modernization.
The only ones who could pose a threat to the flock of Granites are four Virginia-class nuclear-powered missile cruisers and four Kidd-class destroyers. Only 8 ships in the entire world ocean!
However, their bulky beam launchers Mk.26 did not have a high rate of fire, and the AN / SPG-60 based fire control system made it possible to fire at targets with an RCS = 1 sq. meter at a distance of as much as 10 miles.
Do you think a lot of Granites will hit this superman?
Director with manual guidance MSA Mk.115 anti-aircraft complex "SeaSperrow", aircraft carrier "D. Eisenhower ", 1981
The first Aegis cruiser "Ticonderoga" was born only in 1983, but instead of the UVP MK.41, it still had the outdated Mk.26. Yes, and the combat information system "Aegis" itself was distinguished by remarkable intelligence and ingenuity - in 1988 the cruiser "Vincennes" crashed the Iranian passenger "Airbus", recognizing it as a "fighter".
A typical AUG of those years, even in ideal conditions of the test site, with the massive use of air defense systems and electronic warfare means, could not shoot down and steer off course even 1/3 of the declared number of 70-120 Soviet missiles.
At a time when the USSR Navy, with the help of a combination of several SSGNs and "diesel engines" with the CD, could provide a quite hefty salvo from hundreds of anti-ship missiles, filling up the entire American order with them. Aircraft carrier, destroyers, auxiliary ships and high-speed supply transports …
A couple of tens of "Amethysts", P-6, "Malakhites", "Granites" and other "cobblestones" that have broken through will be enough for everyone.
Here they are, "knockers":
Missile cruiser "Belknap"
Oliver H. Perry-class USS Simpson frigate
SM-1MR launch from "one-armed bandit" frigate "Perry"
The Spruance-class destroyer and the Knox-class frigate are full oak trees in terms of air defense. Two SeaSperrow for two
Nuclear cruisers Virginia and South Caroline. Particularly impressive is the "South Caroline" with the "one-armed bandit" Mk.13. In fact, this is an enlarged frigate "Perry" with all the ensuing consequences
Prepare your rocket for battle! 120 Soviet anti-ship missiles are flying at us!
Back in the late 70s, it became clear to the leadership of the USSR Navy that it was impossible to guarantee the exit of several APRKs at a distance of 50-60 miles from the AUG.
What can be added here … It is impossible to guarantee anything in our life. But submarines, a priori, are the most secretive and dangerous naval enemy - for 100 years since their appearance, no means have been found to effectively counter the underwater threat.
American boats brazenly tapped Soviet communication cables in the Sea of Okhotsk and the White Sea, where water and air were buzzing from the ships and aircraft of the USSR Navy. British boats cut sonars aft of Soviet anti-submarine ships (Operation Waitress, 1982). Russian boats suddenly surfaced in the midst of NATO anti-submarine exercises and reeled up the antennas of secret sonar stations on the propeller, in the middle of the guarded training grounds of the US Navy.
Millions of square kilometers of the sea surface, a layer of salt water - who can predict exactly where an invisible underwater killer is hiding at a given moment?
All successes in detecting submarines are nothing more than an accident. In 2005, a middle-aged Swedish nuclear submarine of the "Gotland" type during the Joint Task Force Exercise 06-2 exercise was able to pass undetected inside the AUG order led by the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan. The Yankees were so excited about what had happened that they leased a Swedish submarine for two years, trying to understand how this underwater infection was able to pass through all the cordons and lines of the PLO.
We don't have Gotlands, but we have Varshavyanka. Real "black holes" of the oceans. And you say it's impossible, 50-60 miles …
These are the funny T-shirts worn by the sailors of the submarine "Valrus" of the Navy of the Netherlands. During the international exercises JTFEX-99, they managed to photograph 9 ships of the American AUG close by and escape unnoticed. In a real battle, this meant the loss of at least one US Navy ship from a small diesel-electric submarine, which is a good result.
"Onyxes" will go at low altitude. Then "Aegis" will detect them at a distance of 35-32 minus 2 km - a dead zone for "Standards-2"
How was the value of 32-35 km obtained?
The earth is round, the radio waves emitted by the AN / SPY-1 radar propagate in a straight line. Where is the conditional horizon line, because of which "Onyx" will suddenly appear? And after it the second, third, fourth missiles … The range of the horizon (radio horizon) is calculated according to the well-known formula:
The height of the AN / SPY-1 antenna arrays on the Orly Burke is only 15 meters above the waterline. This is considered an indecently low result and a major disadvantage of the super destroyer.
The detection range directly depends on the missile flight profile. Accurate data on domestic missiles are classified, therefore we will choose a neutral example - the well-known American anti-ship missile "Harpoon".
"Harpoon" flies in the direction of the target at a height of 15 meters, guided by the data of the radio altimeter and INS. The missile's radar head confidently engages a destroyer / frigate-class target from a distance of 10 km - then, the Harpoon drops sharply to an altitude of 2-5 m above sea level and rests on a combat course. Already when approaching the target, a cunning rocket performs a "slide" and painfully hits the enemy on the deck or on the superstructure.
The main weapon of the Project 885 Yasen submarines should be the Caliber missiles (and not the outdated Onyxes, which A. Nikolsky used in his calculations). If the calculation is based on open data on the "Caliber" (cruising altitude of 15-20 m), the missile seeker and the radar of the destroyer "Berk", at best, will detect each other when the missile rises above the radio horizon - at this moment, "Caliber "Will be located at a distance of about 30 km from the destroyer.
Further, the separation of the head stage of the rocket with the warhead will take place, with its subsequent transition to PMA and acceleration to three speeds of sound. The task of the destroyer is getting more complicated - will the AN / SPY-1 radar be able to effectively track such a fast small target? Moreover, she will not be alone - the ammunition of the Yasen submarine includes 24 missile defense systems of the Caliber complex.
The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missle is to intercept the Caliber.
The lightweight ESSM is specially designed to replace the heavy "Standerd-2" for intercepting modern anti-ship missiles - gas-dynamic rudders, short wings extended along the body, less inertia. Speed up to 4M. Maneuvering with overload up to 50g is allowed. The maximum interception distance is 50 km. The minimum is 1.5 km. Vertical launch, storage - 4 missiles in one UVP cell.
Of particular interest is the reaction time of the Aegis to the threat - how long will it take from the moment the flying Caliber is detected until the first ESSM anti-missile missile leaves the launcher.
How long will it take for the destroyer's computers and radars to determine the parameters of a high-speed low-altitude target, take it for escort and display the data on the monitors of the combat information center?
In how many seconds will the duty officer of the CIC, having dropped a glass of coffee on the floor, double-check the information and give the command to repel a missile attack?
How long will it take for the prelaunch preparation of the ESSM rocket (opening the cover of the UVP, turning on the on-board computer, spinning up the INS gyroscopes)?
Further, the rocket will rise up several tens of meters with a rumble and turn in the air in the direction of the target. Time has passed …
Suppose that the experienced and disciplined crew of the destroyer "Berk" will spend exactly 10 seconds on all their movements - this corresponds to the time in which you read the previous paragraph. During this time, the "Caliber" combat stage, moving at a speed of> 800 m / s, will approach the destroyer at a distance of 20 km.
The American destroyer has 25 seconds remaining.
And there are a lot of missiles - after all, a boat can shoot in a salvo with another boat … (or someone is seriously sure that to intercept the most powerful squadron of 10 US Navy warships - an aircraft carrier, destroyers and frigates that are part of the AUG, one single submarine ship)?
Somehow they write little about Aegis, but in vain. We'll have to fill the gap a little
Agree. Let's fill this gap
Complex "Aegis" has two radars: SPY-1 (general detection and "rough" guidance) and SPG-62 (final guidance) … Hence the striking "multichannel", theoretically up to 100 targets.
The Aegis, even in theory, is not capable of providing simultaneous shelling of hundreds of aerial targets.
The multifunctional AN / SPY-1 radar is capable of programming the autopilots of up to 18 anti-aircraft missiles on the cruising section of the trajectory and simultaneously firing at up to 3 air targets - according to the number of AN / SPG-62 illumination radars.
The reality turned out to be even worse - Orly Burke's radars are grouped as follows:
- heading angles are covered by one radar;
- the stern is protected by two;
- in an ideal situation, strictly perpendicular to the side of the destroyer, all three SPG-62s can participate in repelling an air attack.
As a result, "Burk" in real combat has only 1-2 guidance channels for anti-aircraft missiles when attacking from one direction. The duration of the "illumination" of the target, required for the guidance of the missile - 1-2 sec. The probability of destroying the target of one missile defense system is considered within the limits of 0, 6 … 0, 7.
Further, while the Aegis BIUS receives confirmation of the destruction of the target, while it gives the SPG-62 a new task, while the radar turns around and directs the beam to the specified sector of the sky (in the SPG-62, the azimuth and elevation angle change mechanically - the platform rotation speed is 72 ° / sec).
It would seem that five to ten seconds for the whole process … but this is at that critical moment, when the destroyer's crew has less than half a minute in reserve! And above the surface of the gray ocean, almost cutting off the tops of the waves, three or four dozen supersonic missiles rush.
Onyx will cover this distance in 37 seconds, and Arlie Burke will release 69 Standards-2 during this time.
To release 69 anti-aircraft missiles with semi-active guidance in 37 seconds, with only 18 guidance channels (and 1-2 at the final stage of flight), without taking into account the reaction time of the complex, is just an outrage against common sense.
If the attack is carried out from a distance of 100 km, that is, at low altitude, and from one direction, then only 3 "Arleigh Burks" will be able to take part in repelling the attack. In this case, the escort ships will shoot down 156 Onyxes. But this scenario is unlikely.
Certainly unlikely. Considering all of the above …
Time passed, the Aegis improved, in the 90s it learned to beat both Mosquitoes and the X-15, and in the 2000s it reached space, becoming the world's first air defense / missile defense ship complex.
Aegis can improve in anything other than intercepting low-flying targets. There are obstacles in the way of American sailors in the form of fundamental laws of nature - the AN / SPY-1 radar operates in the decimeter range (S) - it is ideal for detecting targets at high altitudes and in the extra-atmospheric space, but poorly distinguishes small-sized anti-ship missiles flying against the background of water (horizon search).
The Yankees raped the radar software several times, blocked interference and increased the number of beams in the moving target mode (Doppler shift), but they did not succeed in achieving acceptable results in the horizon scanning mode with a narrow beam with sidelobe suppression.
Dear author, who claims that Aegis, back in the 90s, learned to hit targets like the Mosquito anti-ship missile (speed 2, 9M, flight height 10 meters), could you give specific evidence of such miracles and references to the tests of the Navy USA?
Test launch of the KR "Caliber" from the submarine K-560 "Severodvinsk"
In the meantime, "Aegis" reigns in splendid isolation and breaks every conceivable record of longevity
Excuse me, but what about the European PAAMS? Or Japanese ATECS? On the British, French, Italian and Japanese destroyers have long been installed radars with active phased array, operating in the S and X bands - to control the airspace at long and short distances. For another 10 years, developed European countries adopted the Aster family of anti-aircraft missiles with active homing heads (they do not need a ship's radar at all to "illuminate" the target).
On April 4, 2012, at the missile range of the French General Agency for Arms (Direction générale de l’armement) off the Ile du Levant island near Toulon, the French naval frigate Forbin, equipped with PAAMS air defense systems, performed its feat - successfully intercepted a supersonic low-altitude target. Drone GQM-163A Coyote, flying at a speed of 2.5M at an altitude of less than 6 meters above the crests of the waves!
As for the American "Aegis", it … has long been outdated
To defeat the Aegis, you need 10M, and also to maneuver during the attack, otherwise the Standard-3 will shoot down the target at 10M.
What does the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 have to do with it?
The three-stage interceptor missile "Standerd 3" is NOT INTENDED to engage aerodynamic and ballistic targets in the Earth's atmosphere. Her path is low Earth orbits - everything above the Karman line. The kinetic warhead "Standerd 3" is a suborbital space probe with its own engine - using such a weapon against anti-ship missiles is completely useless.
So, the first leg - the aircraft carrier's weak combat stability - we crushed.
Firstly, not an aircraft carrier, but a naval air defense system, consisting of five powerful anti-aircraft platforms - Aegis destroyers of the Orly Burke class.
Secondly, we really crushed it.
PS
How many hits of Caliber missiles will be required to ensure the destruction of an aircraft carrier and how high the cost of the Nimitz is in comparison with domestic submarine cruisers, will be discussed in another article.
This is how the exocet homing head remembered the USS Stark frigate
