In recent months, the supply of French landing ships of the Mistral project has been actively discussed. Simultaneously with this, the construction of the lead landing ship of project 11711 is being completed in Russia. The large landing ship (BDK) "Ivan Gren" has been under construction since 2004 and its delivery is scheduled for next year. According to domestic media reports, the construction of the second large landing ship of project 11711 will begin in the foreseeable future.
A few days ago, the TASS news agency published excerpts from an interview with Sergei Vlasov, General Director of the Nevsky Design Bureau (PKB). S. Vlasov spoke about the progress of the construction of the lead large landing ship of project 11711, as well as about further plans for ships of this type.
Last summer, it was stated that the Ivan Gren ship would be completed, tested and handed over to the Navy by the end of 2014. According to S. Vlasov, by now the final cost of the new large landing ship has been determined, as well as the deadlines for completing all the required works have been set. The ship is planned to be handed over to the customer next year.
Simultaneously with the completion of work on the lead ship of the project, the Navy and the Nevskoe Design Bureau are preparing to build a second large landing craft of a new type. The decision to build the second ship of Project 11711 has already been made. According to the general director of the Nevsky Design Bureau, the second ship will be built according to the original project 11711 with some modifications made during the construction of the Ivan Gren large landing craft. In addition, some other changes will be made to the project regarding the used components and equipment.
The main issue to be solved by the designers of the Nevsky Design Bureau concerns imported components. In light of the current events in the international arena, it is required to minimize the number of components supplied by foreign partners. For this reason, engineers are currently finalizing the original 11711 project, taking into account the new requirements for the origin of components. According to S. Vlasov, there were very few foreign components on the lead landing ship of the project, and besides, all of them were delivered earlier. As a result, import substitution issues are being resolved only for the second ship.
At the moment, the problem of replacing imported components is one of the most difficult. BDK project 11711 need a number of special equipment previously ordered abroad. Replacement of some systems is associated with certain difficulties. Thus, problems arise with the choice of suppliers of refrigeration machines and bilge and waste water treatment plants. Nevertheless, as the general director of the Nevsky PKB said, domestic manufacturers have already been found who can supply bilge water treatment systems and furnaces for the destruction of waste.
It should be noted that the construction of the second BDK project 11711 will actually continue, and will not start from scratch. Several years ago, some work was carried out, in particular, several sections of the hull of this ship were laid. However, due to problems with the head large landing craft "Ivan Gren", it was decided to suspend all work. As follows from the words of the general director of the Nevsky PKB, the Ministry of Defense has decided to resume construction and provide the fleet with a new BDK of project 11711.
The lead large landing ship of Project 11711, Ivan Gren, was laid down in 2004. Subsequently, the construction of the ship faced a number of specific problems of both economic and technical nature. Due to these problems, the construction of the ship was delayed, and the launching took place only in the spring of 2012. Preparations for the construction of the second large landing ship began in 2010, but soon stopped due to the need to finalize the project.
Large landing ships of project 11711 were to become a further development of the large landing craft of project 1171 and were created on their basis. Initially, it was planned to build six ships of this type, but their actual number may be different. The decision on a series of new large landing craft should be made based on the results of testing the lead ship.
BDK project 11711 should have a displacement of 5 thousand tons, a total length of 120 m, a maximum width of 16.5 m and a draft of 3.6 m. The ships are proposed to be equipped with a diesel power plant with a capacity of 4000 hp. Diesel engines must provide a speed of up to 18 knots and a cruising range of up to 3500 nautical miles. The declared autonomy for fuel and food supplies is 30 days.
The project 11711 BDK armament complex consists exclusively of artillery systems. The main weapon of the ships should be the AK-176 artillery mount with a 76 mm gun. Air defense is proposed to be carried out using two AK-630M installations of 30 mm caliber. For fire support of the landing troops, the ships are equipped with two launchers of the A-215 Grad-M multiple launch rocket system. The ships can carry one Ka-29 helicopter and ensure its operation.
Landing units and equipment should be located on the tank deck inside the ship's hull. Depending on the task set, the Project 11711 BDK can carry up to 300 people, up to 13 main tanks, up to 36 armored personnel carriers or 20 20-foot containers. Loading of equipment can be carried out through the bow ramp or through the four-door hatch in the deck. In the latter case, the ship must use a cargo crane. There are two boat cranes for working with boats and boats. During the landing, a hatch in the deck is used to ventilate the internal volumes of the ship in order to avoid filling them with exhaust gases.
Currently, the Nevskoye PKB is working on the issues of changing the project 11711 in connection with the required import substitution, and is also working on new projects. Experts are proactively engaged in the creation of a project for a promising large landing ship. Materials on this project are supposed to be submitted to the command of the navy, which will determine its further fate.
