Recently, the news about the Russian Navy was very bleak, and we will not list them again, so as not to spoil the New Year's mood for the reader. However, a number of news that suddenly "appeared" just before the New Year, inspire cautious optimism: it is possible that the construction of ships in the far sea zone in the native Fatherland has nevertheless moved off the dead center, in which it has been for many years. We hide both hands behind our backs, cross the middle and ring fingers (for good luck!) And…. Go!
So, the first news: on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, news appeared that in 2019 the VKS will receive the newest anti-aircraft missile system S-350 "Vityaz". It was reported by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Lieutenant General Yuri Grekhov, neither more nor less.
It seems that the news is not connected with the fleet, but this is only if we forget that the long-suffering sea anti-aircraft missile system "Polyment-Redut", which became the main (although far from the only) reason for the colossal delay in the transfer of the lead frigate of project 22350 to the fleet "Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov "is a" chilled "version of the S-350" Vityaz "air defense system.
What is the "trick" of this news, because, as we know, the 12, 5-year-old epic of the creation of the "Gorshkov" this year ended successfully, and the ship, laid down on February 1, 2006, nevertheless raised the Andreevsky flag on July 28, 2018. ?
The thing is that many people who are not indifferent to the state of the modern fleet (including the author of this article) seriously feared that the ship was adopted by the fleet with an inoperative air defense system. This point of view seemed to have received confirmation - on November 27 of this year, "VPK Novosti" reported that the tests of the "Polyment-Redut" air defense system had not yet been completed, and its adoption was expected in the first half of 2019.
What could one think, reading this news? That the Poliment-Redut air defense missile system is still incapable of combat, and that in mid-2019, the timing of its adoption will be, for the umpteenth time, shifted to the right. Against this background, the optimistic news of October 22, 2018 about the tests of the missile system carried out in the Barents Sea somehow faded. Then the "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" successfully fired, destroying three air targets moving at different speeds and distances from the ship with Polyment-Redut missiles, as well as a shield that imitated a small surface ship. Alas, no details about these tests were given, which left the ground for various guesses, because the complex could not be tested in normal modes.
So, the news about "Admiral Gorshkov" and his "Polyment-Redut" was vague, and this never inspires optimism. And suddenly - out of the blue, a message about the delivery of the Vityaz air defense system to the Aerospace Forces.
"What's wrong with that?" another reader will ask: “This air defense system has been promised to the troops for many years. How is this news different from all the previous ones? " The difference lies in the fact that before they always promised to complete the tests, or to take them into service, now they are talking about delivery to the troops. The fact is that the production of air defense systems is actually not a quick matter, and in order for the ready-made complexes to enter the troops in 2019, work on them must go on now, or, as an option, begin in the very near future: how at a minimum, serial delivery must already be contracted.
Would the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation acquire and supply the Vityaz air defense system to the troops if it were not completely sure that the product is in a fully operational condition? Obviously not. It is one thing - the ill-fated "Gorshkov", in which the interests of various structures were intertwined - after all, the problems of "Polyment-Reduta" were given attention even at presidential meetings. In other words, one could assume that the "Gorshkov" was imposed on the sailors with a non-operational air defense system, but there is not a single reason why the Aerospace Forces would acquire an inoperable S-350. And, since the Aerospace Forces nevertheless acquire it, one can state: the Vityaz air defense system has taken place, and this, in turn, suggests that the Polyment-Redut air defense system has taken place (or will take place in the most reasonable time).
The delivery of the S-350 air defense system to the Aerospace Forces practically guarantees that the Gorshkov and three other frigates of the series under construction will still receive exactly the air defense that was originally conceived for them. Despite the fact that the Poliment-Redut air defense system has been balancing on the razor's edge for many years, today, perhaps, we can safely say that the complex has turned out after all. This is great New Year's Eve news, and the author of this article wholeheartedly congratulates all those who are not indifferent to the Russian Navy with it.
But … a quite sensible question arises - what next? It is no secret that the GPV 2011-2020. in terms of the construction of surface forces, it was disrupted almost completely. So, instead of 14 frigates (6 - "admiral" series of project 11356 for the Black Sea and 8 - project 22350) by 2020 the fleet will receive only five ships of this class: three frigates of project 11356, "Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov" and " Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov ". And the BODs and destroyers available today from the Soviet era are becoming obsolete morally and physically, the number of surface ships is rapidly decreasing. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral V. Chirkov quite rightly said that we need at least 18 frigates of Project 22350, but where are they? The third and fourth frigates of this project were started with construction in 2011-2013. accordingly, and there were no new bookmarks. And although the same "wiki" claims that two more ships have been contracted, this information has long been outdated (link to 2012 source). Yes, there was a moment when it was planned to build a series of 6 "Gorshkovs", but then it was reduced to four ships.
At the same time, we have already repeatedly written that frigates of the type "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" are not the optimal choice for our fleet. Project 22350 is an attempt to "cram" the destroyer into the size of a frigate: the result is a rather large and rather expensive frigate, which, nevertheless, is noticeably inferior in its combat potential to a modern destroyer. We also expressed the idea that larger ships with a total displacement of 8,000 - 9,000 tons, something like the destroyer of Project 21956 at the modern technological level, would be much more useful for the domestic fleet. Of course, criticism sounded that if we cannot build ships with a displacement of 4,500 tons within an acceptable time frame, then how can we count on success by creating ships that are almost twice as large. But the specificity of military shipbuilding (and not only it) lies in the fact that the required parameters of equipment are often much easier to obtain by increasing its size - in other words, some of the units, weapons and mechanisms for larger ships would be much easier to develop and create than “grind "for frigates of project 22350.
Perhaps we were right, because at some point the admirals started talking about a new series of improved ships 22350M, or, as they were also called, "Super-Gorshkovy", the total displacement of which could reach 8,000 tons. It would be good news, if not one "but" - as it was known until recently, talking about the 22350M business was limited, since the designers did not receive the corresponding order.
And now … let's say frankly that so far this news has not been confirmed either in the SPKB, or in the USC, or in the main command of the Navy. But still, a very serious online publication flotprom.ru, citing an unnamed (alas!) Source, reported that on December 25, 2018, the RF Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the Northern Design Bureau (SPKB) for the preliminary design of a frigate of project 22350M. At the same time, another source of the same publication reported that, according to this contract, the specified work will be completed no later than November 2019, but possibly earlier. In any case, it is reliably known that the SPKB conducted preliminary work on the 22350M project before, some of them commissioned by the Russian Navy, and others on an initiative basis.
Thus, the puzzle is slowly beginning to take shape: a persistent feeling that the series of frigates of Project 22350 was interrupted, among other things, due to uncertainty about the fate of the Polyment-Redut air defense missile system. But now, when it became obvious that this complex would nevertheless take place, work on 22350M began immediately.
And again, the design and construction of ships like the 22350M (our answer to Arleigh Burke) is welcome - the fleet will finally get the ocean-going ships it needs so badly. But here, too, our Navy is trapped, alas, by the "ambush" that has become traditional for our fleet, under the title: "The best is the enemy of the good."
The fact is that the design of the 22350M has just begun. Let's say that by the end of 2019 a new draft design will be created, but when it comes to working drawings? When will we lay down the lead ship of this series? How many different novelties would the admirals and designers want to "push" into it? And what about the power plant? Until recently, they were produced in Ukraine, then, as a result of the breakdown of relations, an urgent import substitution had to be carried out. Alas, it didn't work out urgently, but we can still say that we have mastered gas turbine units for Project 22350 frigates.
But the frigate of Project 22350M is much larger - does this mean that it will need a GTZA of a new project? And if so, how long will it take to develop and build? Or maybe another type of power plant will be used in the 22350M project, in which, for example, turbines will not work in tandem with diesel engines, but with electric motors?
Why all these questions? And all the same - it is quite possible that the project 22350M will again try to "cram" a bunch of "unparalleled in the world" equipment that has yet to be created, and the head 22350M will turn into a long-term construction cleaner than Gorshkov. But the fleet ran out of time. The Russian Navy is not able to wait another 2-3 years until a new frigate is developed, and then 12 years until it is built - during this time, the vast majority of the remaining surface ships of the 1st rank will leave the system, and we will be left with nothing.
Where is the exit? It is, and it is quite simple. It was very difficult for us to master the weapons and equipment of frigates of project 22350, but now we are quite ready to resume the construction of ships of this type. If we lay down another 2-4 "Gorshkov", then they will cost us less than the ships of the first four - at least simply due to proven technical solutions, well-established production of equipment, etc. This means that this is exactly what we should do - even if frigates of the type "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" are not the ideal of a battleship, but they are fully combat-ready, and, no doubt, will become a welcome addition to the fleet. Moreover, we have finally learned how to build them and, presumably, the time frame for creating new ships will be much shorter than that of the first four. And when it comes to laying down the lead frigate of Project 22350M, we will, as smoothly as possible, move on to building new ships of this class. This would be logical and correct, but when did logic and expediency rule the ball in the post-perestroika times in your native Fatherland?
However … Here is the news from November 15, 2018, and it sounds (with reference to two high-ranking sources) as follows: “The Russian Navy will order two more frigates of the Admiral Gorshkov class. Moreover, one of the sources clarified that it will probably not be about two, but about three or even four frigates of this type!
Have the Russian Defense Ministry and Russian Navy admirals finally made the right conclusions? Have the plans to build frigates for the Russian Navy finally become logical, reasonable and feasible? Oh, how I would like to believe this … However, according to the author of this article, we will find out all this in the very near future - probably, the RF Ministry of Defense will confirm (I do not want to write “or refute”) all of the above in the first months of 2019.
Hands behind your back, dear readers, cross your fingers! And may luck finally smile at our fleet - after all, it deserves it.
Happy New Year!
