Can naval ships fly? For the commander of the only skeg-type catamaran in the world, Dmitry Efremov, this is not at all a rhetorical question. His ship bears the name of the swift, very cold and terribly destructive wind of the northern Black Sea region - "Bora".
Just like the wind, it is able to suddenly appear out of nowhere at speeds inaccessible to any other ship, deliver a crushing missile strike with lightning speed, and just as suddenly dissolve into the vastness of the sea. But why is this ship a loner?
Skeg-type catamarans of the "Sivuch" class ("Dergach" in NATO terminology) are the last word in marine technology.
These are two hulls, 65 meters long and 18 meters wide, united by a common platform, forming the letter "P" - like in ordinary catamarans. But front and back they are equipped with a special elastic and very durable rubberized "skirt". Because of her, the ship is also called "catamaran in a skirt". If necessary, it goes down and up, increasing or decreasing the travel speed. When the "skirt" is lowered under the bottom of the catamaran, a pair of special fans blows air under enormous pressure. The ship rises above the wave to a height from 30 to 100 centimeters, thereby reducing the area of contact with water.
Powerful 70 thousand horsepower engines - two gas turbines and six propellers, three each
on each hull, and one of them is stationary, and two of them can be lowered and raised on special propellers, - the "Bor" is given a speed of more than 50 knots (more than 100 kilometers per hour). This is almost one and a half times higher than that of most modern nuclear cruisers and aircraft carriers, capable of reaching 35 knots at maximum speeds - about 60 kilometers per hour. Hence the comparison of the catamaran with the sea wind.
- Our ship is an operational means of the fleet, - says the commander of the "Bora" Captain 2nd Rank Dmitry Efremov. - We are ready to go to sea immediately. At full speed, we can reach any point of the Black Sea in 6-8 hours.
Speed is one of the main tactical advantages of Bora. Its task, without getting involved in hostilities, is to be on duty at the turn of the attack, out of the reach of the enemy's fire and radio equipment. And then suddenly fly up at speed to its strike group at a launch distance, fire a knockout salvo with the main complex of supersonic cruise missiles from all eight containers at once and leave immediately.
- The branded color of the ship, the gray-black patterns of the pattern ideally hide the ship against the background of the coastline, - says Efremov. - So it is very difficult to visually detect us. Well, then everything is decided by speed.
Bora's swiftness is also emphasized by the ship's wheelhouse. Its design and ergonomics are not at all "sea", but rather aviation: the commander, helmsman and navigator sit in a row in almost "flight chairs", and instead of the usual sea wheel with handles, there is an aviation steering wheel.
Take Sunstroke
The lead ship of the Sivuchey series, Bora, entered the fleet in 1990. Since then, despite the fact that it has long been accepted into the fleet, it has been in trial operation.
“The ship is unique,” says Dmitry Efremov. - Its full potential has not yet been revealed. Therefore, we constantly carry out scientific work. Once a year, the Bora designer comes to us without fail. We ourselves make suggestions for improvement. I am firmly convinced that the future of modern shipbuilding belongs to ships of this design.
The captain of the 2nd rank argues his views simply - in terms of the set of weapons, the Bora is comparable to the destroyer 956 of the Sovremenny-class project. But the destroyer has 200 crew members, while the Bor has only 80. The only difference is the absence of anti-submarine systems. They could not be placed due to the peculiarity of the movement of the Sivuch, when most of the ship's hull is above the water.
- In my opinion, it is also important that I have several power plants, - emphasizes Efremov. - If two of them are damaged, I will still save my turn. Even on one "air cushion" I can walk at a speed of 4 knots. Few. But I will move!
Due to the huge speed for warships, Boru practically does not swing even on a 4-point wave (in general, a ship can operate even in an 8-point storm), which creates quite comfortable conditions for both the crew and the use of weapons. Speed creates another effect - when moving, the ship is enveloped in a cloud of water spray, which makes it invisible to enemy radar systems.
Bor is equipped with 8 launchers of the most modern Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile 3M-80U Moskit. Today it is the only rocket in the world whose flight speed at low altitudes exceeds Mach two - 2800 kilometers per hour. Such speeds today are not monitored by any radar ship station.
The rocket travels above the sea surface at altitudes from 3 to 6 meters, making intense maneuvers both in height and in the horizon. That is, it is almost impossible to find the Mosquito. It is also impossible to evade meeting with him. The enemy will notice the approach of the missile only three to four seconds before its direct attack. And this time is negligible in order to make an anti-missile maneuver or take some other emergency self-defense measures. "Sunburn" is capable of burning through the hull of any ship, followed by an explosion inside it. Such a blow is capable of sinking not only a middle-class warship, but also a cruiser. And 15-17 Mosquitoes - even a ship group.
Except for the shock complex. Bora also carries the Osa-MA anti-aircraft missile system. Its system of reconnaissance, detection, capture and tracking of air targets, as well as fire control, due to the almost complete absence of longitudinal and lateral vibrations during firing, works very accurately, guaranteeing the defeat of any air target - from cruise missiles to enemy aircraft and helicopters. Especially in combination with the AK-630 artillery mount. Its rate of fire is four thousand rounds per minute. Sailors call it "metal cutters".
- When the second ship of our series "Samum" came to us in 2002, the Western press wrote that the combat potential of the Black Sea Fleet had quadrupled, "says Dmitry Efremov.
Why "Sivuch" does not go to the fleet
According to the results of rocket firing, Bora and Samum invariably occupy first places in the Black Sea Fleet. However, the Russian fleet should not expect new ships of this class. Despite its conceptual novelty and power, Bora is the "yesterday" day of the fleet. The ship was created as a weapon to counter the strike groupings of foreign fleets. Today the Russian fleet is solving completely different tasks - the protection of territorial waters, the fight against sea piracy. "Bora" and "Samum" are not quite suitable for this - they have a very short reserve of autonomy. Therefore, the Black Sea Fleet is waiting for "ordinary" Project 1135 frigates.
