Experts sum up the results of the naval show in St. Petersburg
28 countries have become participants in the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2015). 423 enterprises, including 40 foreign ones, have deployed their expositions in pavilions and in open areas at the berths of the Marine Station, in the water area adjacent to the Lenexpo exhibition complex.
Traditionally, the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) had the largest exposition. All of its major companies showcased their products in the form of models. Shipbuilders from Zelenodolsk and Rybinsk were exhibited at a separate stand. A large-scale exposition was shown by the Morinformsystem-Agat concern. Large stands were deployed by Okeanpribor, Krylov State Scientific Center (KGNTs), Granit-Electron, BraMos Aerospace. The Tactical Missile Armament Corporation (KTRV) acted as part of the MPO - Gidropribor concern.
Special flavor
Refusal to participate in IMDS-2015 of the manufacturer of "Mistrals" - the company DCNS is quite understandable. France was represented only by ECA Robotics, which supplies its systems to the mine defense ship being built at the Sredne-Nevsky shipyard for Kazakhstan. As for the participation of other European countries - Austria, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Croatia, they were represented by several suppliers of the second or third levels. The IMDS-2015 incident was overshadowed by the incident with the MiG-29 in the Krasnodar Territory, in connection with which the flights of the Strizhi aerobatic team did not take place at the closing of the salon. Otherwise, IMDS-2015 can be assessed as quite successful - in terms of the amount of information provided, the richness of the business program, the demonstrated equipment. Russian shipbuilding is recovering from the crisis, fulfilling a large state defense order for the supply of the latest models of naval equipment and, despite fierce competition, sends products for export.
A special flavor to IMDS-2015 was given by the ceremonies of the entry into the Russian Navy of the third submarine of project 636.3 "Stary Oskol" for the Black Sea Fleet and the landing boat of project 21820 "Denis Davydov". The entire Russian official delegation and a number of foreign guests took part in the ritual of raising the Andreevsky flag on the new ships. On July 4, in Baltiysk, a solemn ceremony of raising the Andreevsky flag was held on two other boats of project 21820 - Lieutenant Rimsky-Korsakov and Warrant Officer Lermontov.
More than 200 samples of naval equipment were presented to the guests and participants of the salon. At the open exhibition, one could see the submarine of project 636.3 "Stary Oskol", the corvette of project 20380 "Stoyky", the base minesweeper of the project 12700 "Alexander Obukhov", the landing craft on the air cushion of the project 12322, the anti-sabotage boat "Grachonok", the newest landing boat on the air. "Dugong" type cavern, "Serna" landing boat, which has no analogues in its class, speed boat BL-820, patrol boat of project 03160 "Raptor", modular multifunctional search and rescue boat of project 23370.
In addition, at the Rzhevka training ground, official delegations and media representatives were shown in action 10 naval artillery rifle systems, including 130-mm shipborne AK-130, 100-mm AK-100, 76-mm AK-176M.
Priorities
According to the results of the show, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, said that Russia intends to significantly increase the power of its fleet by adopting modern ships, modernizing those already in service, and creating a new naval infrastructure. The commander-in-chief assured that Russia would independently build landing ships to replace the Mistral-class UDC ordered in France. Speaking about the DC project presented at the Army-2015 exhibition earlier in the Moscow region, the admiral recalled that this ship provides for the basing of 16 helicopters. It will be able to carry 450 people and up to 80 pieces of equipment. “In terms of capabilities and characteristics, this ship even surpasses the Mistral,” stressed Chirkov.
The admiral also noted that the first corvette of the new project 22800 for the Russian Navy will be laid down by the end of 2015, and the fleet will receive 18 such ships in total.
Some of their parameters are already known, although the design has not yet been completed. In particular, corvettes will receive domestic power plants, their range will reach thousands of miles, autonomy - 30 days. In terms of armament, they will not be inferior to patrol ships (SKR) of project 11356. Speaking about replenishing the fleet with new models, Chirkov noted that the delay in construction is solely due to the need to replace imported components, primarily on those ships where gas turbine propulsion systems of Ukrainian production are installed.
The commander-in-chief also paid attention to projects for the modernization of ships in service. According to him, the first large anti-submarine ship (BOD) of project 1155 will complete rearmament with the Caliber and Onyx missiles in two years.
Chirkov called the nuclear submarine fleet a priority. In the foreseeable future, Russia will continue to improve its Project 955 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) (code Borei).
The state shipbuilding program provides for the continuation of the construction of Project 955 SSBNs after 2020 with the use of the latest developments in this area. An additional number of submarines will be determined later, depending on the situation and the development of international relations. Earlier, the commander-in-chief instructed the Sevmash defense shipyard to prepare capacities for the construction of fifth-generation nuclear submarines, which are being developed by the Malakhit St. Petersburg Marine Engineering Bureau and the Rubin Central Marine Engineering Design Bureau (CDB MT). These boats will differ from previous projects by the unification and inclusion of advanced robotic systems in the armament. The requirements for the new generation of nuclear submarines emphasize the versatility of their application, the effectiveness of control systems and weapons.
Sevmash General Director Mikhail Budnichenko said that by 2020 the Navy will receive eight Boreyevs and six Ash trees. This year, only one Project 955 SSBN ("Alexander Nevsky") will make the transition to the point of permanent basing Vilyuchinsk on Kamchatka, and not two, as previously planned. Subdivisions of the shipyard for servicing Boreyev and Yasenei are already being created both in the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) and in the Northern Fleet (Northern Fleet). At the Pacific Fleet, all the relevant infrastructure will appear by October 1. The pier for the submarine is ready, the installation of equipment is nearing completion, the weapons loading station is under construction.
The overwhelming majority of the details of the technical equipment of the submarines of projects 955 and 885 are still classified and not disclosed. It is safe to assume that the submarines receive the most modern equipment. In particular, Project 955 SSBNs and Project 885 SSBNs are equipped with the Parus-98 universal periscope complex developed and manufactured by the FSUE TsNII Elektropribor. The same is installed on diesel-electric submarines of project 636.1 for the Vietnamese Navy, project 636.3 for the Black Sea Fleet, and a submarine of project 677. The new UPC provides round-the-clock surveillance in adverse weather conditions, detection of radar and other radio equipment emissions, and measurement of the distance to observed objects. It is capable of receiving signals from GLONASS and GPS satellite navigation systems, and is equipped with a built-in video recording and control system. Parus-98UP has a detection range of 35 kilometers for sea surface targets and 90 kilometers for air targets.
New customers
On the first day of IMDS-2015 alone, Viktor Chirkov held more than a dozen meetings with foreign colleagues, including those from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Algeria. Foreigners are especially interested in the creation of a search and rescue support system (SAR) for submarines.
The commander-in-chief recalled that Russian shipyards are building submarines for foreign countries that want to learn from our experience. But the appearance of the PSO will also be beneficial to Russia, where there is already a corresponding center and modern rescue ships are being built. In particular, Igor Belousov, the lead ship of Project 21300S, will enter service in November.
Today Rosoboronexport's portfolio of orders for naval equipment includes contracts with foreign partners worth over $ 5 billion. In recent years, the “sea share” in the volume of arms and military equipment supplies abroad has been on average 15 percent. Over the past fifteen years, Russia has sold more than $ 21 billion worth of naval equipment and services to foreign partners.
Now USC is fulfilling five contracts for the supply of warships for five foreign customers, said Alexey Dikiy, director of the USC MTC Department, at the show. According to him, the corporation currently has 50 export contracts on naval issues.
USC plans in 2015 - early 2016 to obtain the right to independent foreign economic activity in terms of servicing previously delivered finished products. Dikiy noted that with the excellent quality of ships and submarines produced by USC, there are shortcomings in their after-sales service.
Due to the sanctions, the corporation has not lost a single foreign customer. “In military products, we mainly focused on our traditional partners - India, Vietnam, the countries of Southeast Asia, several states of the Mediterranean region. They all stayed with us,”Dikiy explained. In addition, the countries of the former Soviet Union are the traditional customers of USC.
The corporation's stand at the salon was visited by representatives of Venezuela, which is showing great interest in USC products. The Director of the MTC Department noted that USC is ready to explore new markets. “For us, this is South America, African countries, where we have historically been poorly represented,” said Alexey Dikiy. “Now we are trying to promote our products in the markets of these countries”.
Rosoboronexport is in talks with New Delhi on a new trio of Project 11356 frigates, and the possibility of partially transferring their production to the customer's site under the Make in India program is being considered. Earlier, Russia supplied this country with six such frigates, which were highly praised by the command of the national naval forces. According to Igor Sevastyanov, Deputy Director General of Rosoboronexport, Russia and India continue negotiations on Project 75I submarines. A specific decision has not yet been made, since an official tender has not been announced.
Several countries of Latin America and Southeast Asia are showing interest in purchasing Russian patrol boats "Mongoose". In mid-March, the general director of the Vympel shipyard, Oleg Belkov, said that the export of Mongoose plants could begin as early as 2015. Active work in this direction is being carried out with Vietnam, India, Brazil, and African countries are potential customers. Belkov estimated the volume of the foreign market for these boats at about 50 units and did not rule out that joint production could be established.
Promising UDCs have great potential in the international market, including Latin America. Rosoboronexport intends to fulfill the contract for the supply of Project 12322 landing craft (code Zubr) to China. The "More" plant, which was the creator of "Zubrov", is a Russian enterprise. The task is to fulfill the contract that was signed between Ukraine and the PRC, "Igor Sevastyanov emphasized.
Tehran and Riyadh may join the number of buyers of Russian naval equipment. An official delegation of the Iranian Navy, led by Commander-in-Chief Rear Admiral Khabibollah Sayyari, took part in the work of the IMDS, met with Viktor Chirkov, the management of Rosoboronexport, attended the ceremony of introducing the Stary Oskol diesel-electric submarine into the Russian Navy and raising the Andreevsky flag on it. Russia's lifting of the embargo on the supply of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran has opened up great prospects for enhancing military-technical cooperation between the two countries.
The delegation of the Royal Saudi Arabia Navy got acquainted with the capabilities of Russian Tiger-class corvettes, small submarines, the Bal-E coastal missile system, aircraft carrier concepts, and projects of coastal small submarines with various weapons options. According to a representative of the defense industry complex, the KSA delegation was interested in the possibilities of building Russian ships with carrier-based aircraft for export, but there was no talk of signing contracts.
The fate of an aircraft carrier
Special attention of specialists, experts and journalists was focused on the exposition of the Krylov Center. At its stand there was a presentation of models of the promising heavy aircraft carrier of the project 23000E "Storm" and the destroyer 23560E "Shkval".
The multipurpose aircraft carrier 23000E is designed to conduct hostilities in the distant sea and ocean zones, to ensure the stability of the naval groupings of the fleet and to cover the amphibious assault and its landing forces from strikes and attacks of enemy air attack weapons. "Storm" has a total displacement of 95-100 thousand tons, length 330, width 40 and draft 11 meters, full speed - 30 knots, autonomy - 120 days, crew - four to five thousand people, seaworthiness - six to seven points.
Sergei Vlasov, the general director of the Nevsky PKB, said that the specialists of the enterprise he heads are working on a promising aircraft carrier exclusively on an initiative basis, there is no order for the fleet. The designers represent the appearance of the future ship quite accurately. There may be two options. If the ship has a nuclear power plant, its displacement will be 80-85 thousand tons. If non-nuclear, then 55-65 thousand tons. In the first case, about 70 different aircraft can be based on it, in the second - 50–55.
The aircraft carrier is in the shipbuilding program until 2050. “So far, no one has crossed it out, but the opinions are very different, - said the general director of the Nevsky PKB. - Although, if you decompose the cost of design over ten years, not so much money. The fate of an aircraft carrier today depends on the fleet and the Ministry of Defense."
A high-ranking source in the defense industry has estimated the cost of creating a promising lead aircraft carrier for the Russian Navy at about 350 billion rubles. The real cost can be calculated only after the development of the project and the creation of a cooperation of enterprises that will build.
Waiting for 12 destroyers
The promising destroyer Shkval, the concept of which was developed at the KGNTs, is designed to conduct hostilities in the distant sea and ocean zones, ensure the stability of naval groupings of the fleet, regional air and missile defense, and participate in solving peacetime tasks in any water area of the World Ocean. According to the project, the destroyer has a total displacement of 15-18 thousand tons, a length of 200, a width of 23 and a draft of 6, 6 meters, a full speed of 32 knots, an autonomy of 90 days, a crew of 250-300 people, and a main gas turbine power plant. The project provides for equipping with powerful weapons and modern equipment. In particular, it is proposed to use an integrated combat control system, coupled with an automated control system at the tactical and operational-tactical level. In the vertical launchers of the ship are placed 60-70 anti-ship missiles or sea-based cruise missiles for attacking ground targets, 128 missiles, 16-24 PLUR. A universal artillery mount of 130 mm caliber is also provided. Radio-technical armament includes a multifunctional integrated radar with phased array, integrated subsystems of electronic warfare, communications, underwater surveillance. Two multipurpose helicopters can be used as aviation weapons.
The characteristics are changeable, they will be specified during the design at each stage of work when the customer puts forward the requirements for changing the composition of weapons and equipment.
The promising destroyer Leader is developing the Severnoye PKB. According to Anatoly Shlemov, director of the USC state defense order department, the draft design will be presented to the fleet in 2016 in two versions - nuclear and non-nuclear. The final version of the power plant of the new generation spacecraft and its other characteristics have not yet been determined. Construction is expected to begin at the end of 2018. According to one of the sources, the fleet is counting on 12 destroyers of a new type.
UDC perspectives
The main developers of landing ships are KGNTs and Nevskoe PKB. The head of the military shipbuilding department of the Krylov center, Vladimir Pepelyaev, informed that the concept of a promising UDC has been submitted for consideration to the main command of the Navy. The ship developed by the KGNTs will be able to carry up to 16 helicopters, carry 450 troops and 80 pieces of equipment. In addition, he will receive a docking camera for four landing craft.
According to Pepeliaev, the development and construction of the head UDC for the Russian Navy can cost about 30 billion rubles, and 80 percent of the cost is its weapons. Thus, the price depends heavily on the saturation with different types of weapons and other systems. The preparation of the draft design will take about a year, the technical design and working design documentation - another one or two. It will take three years to build.
The main competencies for the development of ships of this class are concentrated in the Nevsky PKB. The construction of large recreation centers for the Russian Navy is carried out by the Baltic shipyard "Yantar".
At the stand of the Krylov Center, a model of the domestic UDC was presented in the closed part of the exposition. The head of the Nevsky Design Bureau, Sergei Vlasov, said that the enterprise has proactively created several versions of the promising DC. The designers are developing various options and are ready to start designing any of them according to the technical specifications of the fleet. The displacement of the ship, depending on the goals and objectives, can range from 6 to 25-30 thousand tons. In the first case, it will be a ship similar to Ivan Gren, and in the second - UDC, on which 15–20 helicopters can be based. Construction time depends on the displacement. From the issuance of the task by the fleet to the raising of the flag on the ship, it can take from five to eight years.
The final appearance of the promising UDC has not been determined. Igor Ponomarev, vice president for military shipbuilding at USC, said it could be designed and built in less than five years.
Today, the state defense order lists only two recreation centers of the "Ivan Gren" type (project 11711). They are built according to the schedules.
Underwater innovation
The construction of non-nuclear submarines with an air-independent power plant (VNEU) for the Russian Navy will begin after 2018, the commander-in-chief said. He confirmed that the development of a new generation of nuclear submarines is already underway, which will follow the Borey and Ash trees being built at Sevmash.
According to Valery Shaposhnikov, the head of the department of strength and structure of the ship's hull of the KGNTs, the innovative technologies of the Krylov center will significantly reduce the likelihood of detecting Russian submarines by sonar. We are talking about new multilayer composite materials (CM), the structure and composition of which provide maximum attenuation of reflected signals. Currently, the strength department of the KGNTs is testing full-scale samples of a number of structural components of non-nuclear submarines, in particular, a rudder blade made of composites of a special composition.
While searching for a submarine, the enemy will not receive a hydroacoustic signal of the required level reflected from it, since the composite material has high sound transparency (sound absorption) and, as a result, does not allow this signal to be re-reflected. Such an effect is provided by the most complex internal structure of the CM, developed by the center, from which stabilizers, bow and stern rudders, cabin fences and retractable devices can be manufactured and installed on submarines.
Confirmation of status
Russian Helicopters holding presented the Ka-52K marine helicopter. During the implementation of the project, a number of developments were carried out that can be used in the interests of the Russian Navy.
The Kh-35 and Kh-38 missiles developed by KTRV were demonstrated next to the Ka-52K. As noted by the general director of the corporation, Boris Obnosov, work is already underway to integrate the new X-35 and X-38 missiles into the armament of the helicopter. Over the past three years, KTRV launched mass production of 14 new types of missiles, including the anti-ship Kh-31AD and Kh-35U, as well as the anti-radar Kh-31PD. The corporation plans to increase the production of naval and underwater weapons. This is facilitated by the inclusion of the Marine Underwater Weapons - Gidropribor Concern.
According to Obnosov, another enterprise of the corporation is also engaged in the development of naval and underwater weapons, the State Scientific and Production Enterprise Region, whose new developments, including the small-sized anti-torpedo complex Packet-E, are to complete state tests this year.
For the first time, a number of shipborne weapons were presented, in particular, the Pantsir-ME naval anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex (ZRAK) (in the form of a model) developed by KBP, the Komar turret developed by RATEP OJSC, the AU-220M automatic gun mount for equipping warships and boats developed by the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik".
According to Alexander Zhukov, chief designer for sea-based anti-aircraft complexes KBP, ZRAK "Pantsir-ME" has been launched into mass production, and the export version is being promoted to the international market. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is extremely interested in obtaining a naval version of the Pantsir. In the future, it should replace the Kortik complex.
A great interest from potential foreign customers at the exhibition was shown to the Komar turret. Rosoboronexport has confirmed its promise in the world market.
“In general, the results of the show indicate its high demand for both Russian shipbuilding enterprises and the world community as a whole,” said Andrey Dutov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Thus, despite the reduction in the number of foreign participants due to the sanctions policy pursued by Western countries, the IMDS has once again confirmed its importance.
