From the author. Since the time of the events described, a lot has changed in our life. Naturally, the Pacific Fleet could not stay away from what was happening. The squadron is long gone. Almost all the ships mentioned in the article are either scrapped or are in a sludge, from which they will never get out. Aircraft and target cruise missiles are outdated and out of service long ago. There is only the memory of the deeds that can be proud of - so that the new generations of Russian sailors have something to compare with.
SAM on the stern PU "Battle"
Ship firing, be it artillery, rocket, torpedo or any other, is always a kind of result, the final of a whole stage of training a military collective. Regardless of the class of the ship - it is a minesweeper or a missile cruiser. Competitive firing is the pinnacle of the ship's combat training, formations for the academic year. And the shooting for the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy is a test of the effectiveness of combat training for the entire fleet for a year, an indicator of readiness to solve the tasks assigned to it. Each of these annual firing sessions is unique, one-of-a-kind and, due to the complexity of the performance conditions and, in fact, the complete absence of simplification elements, is as close as possible to the combat situation. Not all ships and formations are allowed to such firing, but only those that, in the process of combat training, have proven themselves to be the best in their combat mission.
Prize-winning anti-aircraft missile firing of the 175th brigade of missile ships of the Pacific Fleet for the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for anti-aircraft training for 1989 was scheduled for October 27 in the combat training areas of the Peter the Great Bay. To win the Commander-in-Chief's prize, the shooting had to be not ordinary, which are constantly performed during planned exercises when working out course tasks of combat training, but with the use of innovative and more effective techniques, in a difficult jamming situation, with the massive use of cruise anti-ship missiles by the "enemy". The command of the Pacific Fleet decided to conduct the first in the Navy, and therefore, to some extent, experimental firing at seven target missiles, simultaneously approaching the order of ships from different directions. To accomplish the task, a naval strike group (KUG Air Defense) was formed consisting of destroyers pr. 956 "Boevoy" and "Observatory", a large anti-submarine ship pr. 1155 "Admiral Tributs" and patrol ship pr. 1135 "Porvistyy". The KUG was headed by the commander of the 175th brigade of missile ships, Captain 1st Rank E. Ya. Litvinenko on the combat destroyer. The firing leader is the commander of the 10th operational squadron of the Pacific Fleet, Rear Admiral I. N. Khmelnov on board the Admiral Tributs.
In accordance with the leader's plan, the ships lined up in order. The equalizer of the firing order was determined by the BOD "Admiral Tributs". The destroyer "Combat" was assigned a position from the equalizer in bearing 70 °, at a distance of 4 km, the position of the destroyer "Discreet" was located from the equalizer in bearing 305 °, at a distance of 7.5 km, and the TFR "Impulsive" from the equalizer was in bearing 280 ° at a distance of 4 km. This ensured the electromagnetic compatibility of the radar systems. The center of the firing position of the KUG Air Defense determined the location of the Admiral Tributs bpk at 16:00 Khabarovsk time (time "H" for which the shooting was scheduled) - W = 42 ° 46 ', 0 N, D = 136 ° 00', 0 east. The shooting course is 105 °, the connection speed when firing is at least 18-21 knots. The targeting point for carriers of anti-ship missiles was the Admiral Tributs. The nuclear missile submarine K-127 (Project 675), armed with RM-6 target submarine missiles (P-6 cruise missiles), the Tu-16K aircraft - the carrier of the KSR-5NM aircraft cruise missile complex, the BRAV coastal complex "Redoubt", armed with target missiles RM-35 (cruise missiles P-35), and also used a radio-controlled jet target aircraft La-17MM.
As conceived by the firing director, the K-127 SSGN launched two RM-6 targets with a course parameter of 2 km aft of the Admiral Tributs under the order from a bearing of 0 °. The launch distance is 65 km. The Tu-16K aircraft should have arrived at the firing area half an hour before the "Ch" time, having on board two KSR-5NM target missiles. He was backed by a second Tu-16K, which also has two cruise target missiles on board, in case the main carrier aircraft cannot fire. The main Tu-16K launched its KSR-5NM from a bearing of 30 °. The launch distance is 70 and 65 km, respectively. The aiming point is "Admiral Tributs", but taking into account the launch range and flight speed of the missiles of 303 m / s, their heading parameter when approaching the warrant should have been 2 km at the stern of the large anti-submarine ship. The flight altitude of the KSR-5NM missiles was set at 200 m. On the homing equipment of aircraft missiles, for safety reasons for extraneous purposes, restrictions were introduced: at the course ± 16 °, in flight time - 379 s. From a bearing of 330 °, with an aiming point of the BOD "Admiral Tributs", from the area of firing positions at Cape Povorotny, two coastal-based anti-ship cruise missiles RM-35 of the "Redut" complex were launched. An unmanned aircraft La-17MM was launched from the area of the Black Kust coastal firing positions, which, after performing several maneuvers on the flight path, had to approach the warrant from a bearing of 90 °.
The command assigned the permitted firing sectors and responsible air defense sectors. In order to ensure counteraction to foreign technical intelligence, the time "H" (the approach of missiles to the warrant) was chosen taking into account the flight schedule of American reconnaissance satellites (RISZ).
To create a background noise environment during firing, Tu-16SPS-55 and Tu-16DOS aircraft were used. The area of active jamming, covering the attack by cruise missiles, was determined in such a way as to reliably mask the approach of the missiles. The Tu-16SPS-55 active jammer in the course of 10-190 ° at an altitude of 6300 m 15 minutes before the time "H", for 25 minutes set up interference in the radio wave range of 9, 8-12, 5 cm; the length of each tack of the aircraft is 80 km. The Tu-16DOS passive jammer conducted, starting 2 hours 30 minutes before firing, an inspection of the exercise area with a course of 210 ° to a distance of 130 km and back, and in a time interval from one hour to 30 minutes before the start of firing he set up a passive jamming field, also camouflaging the approach of target missiles to the warrant. The passive jamming field consisted of two lines: the first - at a distance of 40 km, the second - at a distance of 55 km from the firing ships, with a displacement to the north-east. The courses for setting the jamming field are 105-285 °. The length of each set tack is 40 km, the set height is 6000 m, the density is 8 packs of dipole reflectors per 100 m of track. To create a passive interference field, DOS dipole reflectors of types A, B, C were used, 33% of each type.
The rocket and artillery weapons and technical means of the ships of the strike group included:
1. Fire weapons of air defense KUG
- anti-aircraft missile systems of collective defense "Uragan" with KMSUO ZR-90 destroyers pr. 956, one on each (total 4x1 launchers MS-196, 96 missiles 9M-38M1);
- universal artillery systems AK-130 with the "Lev-218" fire control system and MP-184 ARLS for destroyers, one on each ship (total 4x2 AU A-218, 2000 130-mm shells per EV);
- anti-aircraft self-defense missile system "Dagger" with one K-12-1 radar module on a large anti-submarine ship, project 1155 (3 modules of 8 missiles in each, 64 ZUR9M330-2 in total);
- universal artillery complex AK-100 with the "Lev-214" fire control system and ARLS MR-114 BOD (2x1 AUA-214);
- anti-aircraft missile system of self-defense "Osa-MA" on the patrol ship pr. 1135 (2x2 PU ZIF-122, 48 ZUR9MZZ);
- universal artillery complex AK-726 with the Turel control system and ARLS MP-105 SKR (2x2-76mm AU ZIF-67);
- anti-aircraft artillery complexes AK-630M with Vympel-A fire control system and MP-123 EM ARLS pr. 956 and BOD pr. 1155, two on each (total 12x6 AUA-213M, 4000 30-mm shells per installation, each 16,000 per ship).
2. Means of electronic warfare KUG
- PK-2 passive jamming systems with the Tertsiya control system on the destroyers pr. 956 and BOD pr. 1155 (total 6x2 PUZIF-121 (KL-102), 140-mm turbojet shells TSP-47 types DS-2, DS- 3 and DS-10, shells TST-47, TSTV-47);
- complex for setting passive interference PK-16 on the SKR pr. 1135 (PUKL-101, 82-mm turbojet shells TSP-60 of various types -DS-50, DOS-15-16-17-19, DOS-19-22-26);
- active jamming station MP-407 on all ships;
- sets of inflatable corner reflectors NUO on all ships (at least 6 sets of NUO type A-4 on each);
- smoke bombs MDSh on all ships.
3. Radio technical means of lighting the air situation
- MR-700 "Fregat-M2" radar on the "Battle" EM;
- RLK MR-700 "Fregat-MA" on the BOD "Admiral Tributs";
- RLK MR-700 "Fregat-M" on the EM "Discreet";
- Radar MR-310A "Angara" on the TFR "Poryvisty".
It should be noted here that the MR-320 "Podkat" radar and the second K-12-1 radar module for the "Kinzhal" air defense missile system of the "Admiral Tributs" aircraft received after repair and modernization in the mid-90s.
It has long been known that the success of a battle depends on the stability and reliability of controlling one's own forces. Therefore, special attention was paid to providing the firing ships with continuous and covert communication. Communication with the supporting forces by the firing commander was carried out in single-band telephony using a table of conditional signals specially created for these exercises. Communication between the ships was provided by closed VHF radio communication channels in the weapons control networks, combat information centers and the command.
Only the KUG fire control network worked in the weapons control network, he is also the head of the air defense of the 175th DBK, Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Polyakov, who was at the KUG air defense command post on the destroyer "Boevoy", ship fire controllers, as well as the deputy fire control unit, flagship missile weapons specialist 175th DBK Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Zakharov, stationed at the command post of the ZOS "Discreet". In the network of combat information centers, control was exercised over the safety of the IBM maneuvering, the accuracy of holding positions, control of the cleanliness of the firing area, the absence of foreign targets in dangerous and forbidden sectors, control over the ships and aircraft monitoring the formation, countering foreign technical intelligence, control over the electromagnetic compatibility of ship radio equipment. The radio network was fed to the combat information centers of the KUG ships, as well as to the KUG flagship command post on the combat destroyer. The air defense command post of the ships operated an open VHF radio communication channel with the senior anti-aircraft missile chief of the air defense forces.
The command post of the electronic warfare of the KUG, from which the electronic warfare and the use of the electronic warfare of the KUG were controlled, was on the destroyer "Boevoy". The flagship post of the KPUNIA (command post for control and guidance of fighter aircraft) of the 175th DBK was also located there.
Radio and electronic reconnaissance was carried out on all ships. The RR and RTR were controlled by the flagship reconnaissance officer of the missile ship brigade from the FKP-R of the Boevoy destroyer. The exchange of intelligence information was carried out in a separate radio network using a table of conventional signals. On the "Admiral Tributs" they deployed the flagship command post of the chief of fire, made up of officers from the headquarters of the 10th OPESK.
According to the idea of performing the shooting and on the basis of guidance documents, the consumption of missiles on dangerous flying targets was not limited. Aviation anti-ship missiles KSR-5NM, as well as all previously fired, but not shot down target missiles, were considered dangerous flying. It was recommended to fire at them with launches of three 9M-38M1 missiles at each. At that time, the probability of a guaranteed target hitting was at least 0.75. The AK-130 and AK-630 artillery systems were supposed to be used by firing in continuous bursts with the issuance of target designations at the most dangerous or already fired target missiles. It was recommended to launch missiles on target missiles from 25 km, that is, from the maximum range for the Uragan air defense system. It was planned that the AK-130 artillery systems did not open fire until the anti-aircraft missiles descended, so that the shaking of the ship's hull from gun mount shots would not bring down the tracking of targets by the Hurricane operators.
In order to prepare for the performance of bonus shooting and work out the interaction of the ships of the strike group, control (October 23) and crediting (the next day) tactical air defense exercises, as well as credit anti-aircraft artillery and missile firing at the 85RU anti-submarine missile launched from the Admiral Spiridonov (October 24) and target missiles - one RM-6 with a K-127 SSGN and two KSR-5NM from a Tu-16K aircraft (October 25). During the firing, they worked out the schemes of using air defense systems, ZAK and electronic warfare equipment. The main attention was paid to the implementation of security measures and the technical readiness of the complexes.
Since according to the prize firing plan, only three targets (La-17MM and two KSR-5NM) entered the responsible sector of the "Combat" air defense system, and almost all targets flew into the permitted firing sector, the destroyer commander in front of the commander of the missile and artillery warhead of the ship, Captain 2 rank Vladimir Kharlanov set the task to issue anti-aircraft fire weapons of the ship target designation for all detected targets. And in front of the fire manager of the Uragan air defense missile system, the commander of the control group of the anti-aircraft missile division, Senior Lieutenant Sergei Samulyzhko, to fire at all targets that entered the permitted sector, as well as outside it, provided that there are no KUG ships in the dangerous or restricted zone of the anti-aircraft missile system.
Giving such a rather risky order, the ship's commander was completely confident in the skill and unconditional accuracy of its execution by the ship's missilemen. It was not for nothing that the brigade commander called the "Combat" the main "kill" among all the ships of his formation. The excellent results of the firing of recent years, the richest experience gained on the combat cover of Soviet shipping during the Iran-Iraq war in the Persian Gulf, made the destroyer one of the best ships of the operational squadron in missile and artillery preparation. The commander of the Hurricane control group, Sergei Samulyzhko, despite his youth, was considered the best specialist in the formation and was not even afraid to once enter into an argument with the chief designer of the complex, defending the correctness of his actions regarding the launch distance of anti-aircraft missiles during one of the firing sessions at which he achieved the maximum range of missiles meeting targets.
The shooting began according to the planned "scenario". Stations for setting active jamming against carriers of anti-ship missiles were used conditionally. With the arrival of the Tu-16K aircraft at the 130 km line, the KUG ships began setting false deceptive targets (LDC) with the PK-2 and PK-16 complexes, each ship firing two false deceptive targets from two shells to a point. With the detection of the launch of cruise missiles, each ship began to place three false distracting targets (LOTs) of two shells at each point. The setting of false distracting targets was carried out before the missiles reached the 50 km line. With the announcement of "Time of Controllers", the controllers reported on the cleanliness of the firing area and the absence of foreign targets in dangerous zones when firing with the "Uragan" complexes - ± 13 ° from the firing bearing of the air defense missile system to a distance of 80 km. The chief of fire approved the time "H" and authorized the shooting.
The launch of the target missiles was planned so that they would approach the warrant, having an interval between themselves no more than 20 s. In fact, the missile spacing is shorter. The first coastal missile RM-35 approached the warrant simultaneously with the first submarine missile RM-6.
With the launching of targets, when everything began to depend only on the commanders of the shooting ships, it became clear that the destroyer "Discreet" decided to deviate from the established plan. Its commander, being confident in the skill of his gunners, was the first to start firing at the RM-35 missile with the AK-130 complex from a maximum distance of 27 km, not at all fearing that the tremors of the destroyer hull, firing two turrets with the maximum rate of fire, would knock down the accuracy of target tracking by operators SAM "Hurricane". And only from a distance of 19 km, he launched two 9M-38 anti-aircraft missiles, which hit the first RM-35 at a distance of 12 km. At the same time, the destroyer "Boevoy", firing the "Uragan" complex in automatic mode, fired at the first RM-6 with two 9M-38M1 missiles, the meeting of which with the target occurred at distances of 20, 5 and 19 km, respectively, as a result of which the RM- 6 managed to shoot down, fired the second pair of their anti-aircraft missiles at RM-35 # 2. The destroyer "Prudent", firing in a "semi-automatic", hitting the first RM-35, fired its second pair of missiles at RM-35 # 2 15 seconds later than "Combat", whose missiles approached the second coastal target RM-35 and destroyed it on a few seconds before the Discreet missiles. Anti-aircraft missiles of the "Prudent" were already hitting the debris of the target that was scattered in the air.
The second submarine target missile RM-6 approached the warrant simultaneously with the first aircraft missile KSR-5NM. "Boevoy" detected this KSR-5NM No. 1 at a bearing of 30 ° at a distance of 42 km, going at an altitude of 230 m. on the ship, the most dangerous target. Target designation for it was issued to the Uragan air defense system. The time for receiving target designation was 12 seconds. At the same time, the Lev-218 and Vympel-A anti-aircraft artillery systems received target designation for the RM-6 missile. KSR-5NM # 1 was taken along a bearing of 29 ° at a distance of 35 km to be escorted by the Uragan complex. The launch of three 9M-38M1 missiles was carried out at distances to the rocket, respectively, 24, 21, and 19 km. At this time, the destroyer's universal caliber artillery turrets rumbled. The hull of the ship vibrated, swayed by synchronized volleys of guns and, as it seemed, sank into the water, pressed against it by the recoil of the gun barrels. The sky in the north was beginning to be covered with muddies of rifts, gradually merging into a solid gray cloud. On the screen of the all-round view of the device of the Sapfir information processing and display system at the main command post of the "Battle", the upper part of the radar "picture" was an almost solid green field through which the barely visible point of the anti-ship missile was stubbornly pushing through. It is difficult to shoot down a missile with anti-fragmentation armor; in practice, a direct hit is required, or a close explosion of the projectile leading to jamming of the rudders.
The meeting of the first missile defense system with KSR-5NM # 1 occurred at a distance of 19 km. The missile was shot down. And only after that the KMSUO ZR-90 "Boevoy" issued a command to fire on RM-6 No. 2 with two missiles. Their meeting took place at a distance of 9 and 7 km, respectively, so the shot down and crumbling cruise missile fell in the immediate vicinity, three or four cables from the left side of the Admiral Tributs and three kilometers aft of the Boyevoy. The next target fired by the "Combat" destroyer was the second KSR-5NM anti-ship missile, which was escorted at a bearing of 29 ° at a distance of 41 km. Three 9M-38M1 missiles were fired on it, as well as on the first APCR. KSR-5NM # 2 was shot down at a distance of 12 km. Of the six anti-aircraft missiles fired at aircraft anti-ship missiles, four came off the aft launcher, and two - from the bow launcher MS-196.
The last target to the warrant, 15 seconds after the shelling of the KSR-5NMm # 2, at an altitude of 1500 m, came the La-17MM target, fired at by two 9M-38M1 missiles from the Boyevoy bow launcher and shot down by the first of them at a distance of 11 km. The detonation of the second launched missile defense system near the already hit and falling target occurred at a distance of 8 km from the firing ship.
The artillery of both destroyers was also actively involved in anti-aircraft fire. In addition to the fact that "Prudent" fired 130-mm gun mounts A-218 of the AK-130 complex at the first RM-35 missile, before it was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, he, with his six-barreled 30-mm machine guns A-213 of the AK-630 complex, columns of the port side, fired at the falling debris of the second target RM-35.
The destroyer "Boevoy" from a distance of 21 km with the AK-130 complex fired at the RM-6 # 2 missile, followed by the transfer of fire at the LA-17MM. On RM-6 # 2, both A-218 "Combat" turrets were firing. At the La-17MM from a distance of 14 km, only the bow tower fired, giving 10 volleys, while the stern gun mount was in the danger zone.
Artillery complex AK-630 No. 2 of the left side of the "Battle", accompanying the MP-123 ARLS, fired at the downed and falling RM-6 missile. Artillery complex AK-630 No. 1 from the starboard sighting column fired at the downed La-17MM, which collapsed, leaving behind a fiery yellow-orange smoldering trail of burning kerosene in the sea in one or two cables along the bow of the Admiral Tributs. Because of this, the BOD had to change its course to bypass the place where the target fell, where the remaining fuel burned out on the surface of the water.
The flagship navigator of the squadron, Captain 2nd Rank Vladimir Andreev, later said that everyone on the navigating bridge of the flagship, including the commander of the 10th OPESK, involuntarily sat down below the windows, trying to hide from the flying debris. Vice-Admiral Igor Nikolaevich Khmelnoe just said: "As in the film" Japan in the Wars "!" The whole sky was covered with gray blots of bursts of 130-mm anti-aircraft shells and bursts of 30-mm machine guns were pierced with crimson lines with dotted lines. Around the ships, the sea boiled from falling debris from downed missiles, fragments of missiles and anti-aircraft shells. Fiery sleeves of burning rocket fuel and smoky traces of the smoky debris of destroyed targets stretched from the sky to the water. Above the compound in a giant fan, like the spread fingers of hands protecting from the air threat, white trails slowly spread from the burned-out gunpowder of the engines of the launched anti-aircraft missiles.
In total, the destroyers used up 9M-38M1 anti-aircraft missiles for firing: "Combat" - 14, "Prudent" - four. The consumption of artillery ammunition turned out to be as follows: the UZS-44 "Boevoy" fired 84 anti-aircraft projectiles, the "Prudent" - 48; 30-mm shells "Combat" shot 120, "Prudent" - 160. BOD "Admiral Tributs" and SKR "Impulsive" took target designation on target missiles, accompanied them, but did not participate in the firing of their self-defense complexes, since all the missiles were destroyed collective defense complexes for destroyers. The Hurricane anti-aircraft missile system of the destroyers pr. 956 has once again proved and justified the opinion of itself as the world's best medium-range shipborne anti-aircraft missile system so far.
The prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in 1989 for anti-aircraft training was won by the KUG 175th BRK of the 10th OPESK of the Pacific Fleet as part of the destroyers "Battle" and "Discreet". During the firing analysis, the RM-35 # 2 target missile was counted as "Discreet". Therefore, despite the fact that "Combat" actually shot down six targets out of seven, the report states: "Combat" - downed 5, "Prudent" - downed 2.
The Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy for the first place in anti-aircraft training in the fleet awarded with personal binoculars the commander of the 175th brigade of missile ships Captain 1st rank Evgeny Yakovlevich Litvinenko, the commander of the destroyer "Combat" Captain 2nd rank Yuri Nikolaevich Romanov and the commander of the destroyer Captain 2 Discreet Alexander Ivanovich Nazarov.
