The program for the modernization of the Russian Navy provides for the construction of surface ships of all major classes, which is expected to provide the desired combat capability. At the same time, some plans for the development of the fleet are becoming a topic of controversy. So, several years ago, the need to build universal amphibious ships was actively discussed. The other day, a new topic of discussion was the issue of building helicopter carriers. It should be noted that the start of new disputes was given by the statements of a high-ranking official.
Opinion exchange
On August 20, the Interfax news agency published a new interview with the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. The main topic of the conversation with the minister was the activities of the military-industrial complex, its successes, plans and prospects for new developments. Military shipbuilding was touched on along with other areas, including the prospects for ships with an aviation group on board.
Attack helicopter Ka-52K, designed specifically for deployment on ships. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net
Answering a question about plans for the construction of aircraft carriers, D. Manturov indicated that the future construction of an aircraft carrier is now being discussed. As for helicopter carriers, the situation is a little different in this area. According to the minister, the command and industry do not plan to build helicopter carriers "in the pure sense of the word." At the same time, rotary-wing aircraft should be present on board ships of different classes. For example, a group of helicopters must be present on an aircraft carrier. In addition, this technique can be used on landing ships as one of the means of delivering soldiers to the shore.
Literally a couple of hours after the publication of the interview with D. Manturov, new information appeared in the domestic media. The next message on the topic of helicopter carriers was published by RIA Novosti. The news agency recalled that earlier there was news about the refusal to build helicopter carriers. In this regard, it received a comment from a senior source in the shipbuilding industry.
An unnamed source said that the final decision on the construction of helicopter carriers for the Russian navy is still pending. This question remains open. The Ministry of Defense has not yet decided on its position. At the same time, the RIA Novosti source did not cite any additional information about the prospects for domestic military shipbuilding.
The next day, August 21, new reports appeared in the press about the construction of ships with the ability to carry helicopters. According to TASS, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov about the existing project of a promising universal amphibious assault ship. USC is ready to offer the military department a new UDC, combining several functions and capable of solving a number of basic tasks.
On board the UDC there may be various landing craft. In particular, helicopters can be used to deliver fighters to the shore or transport goods. According to A. Rakhmanov, the promising ship can be used not only for military purposes. It will be able to transport humanitarian supplies, perform the functions of a floating hospital, and also be able to take on the role of a means of evacuation of oil industry specialists.
Project 1123 PLO cruiser Leningrad. Photo by US Department of Defense
The head of the USC did not specify the timing of the appearance of such a ship. He noted that the solution to this issue depends entirely on the Ministry of Defense. At the same time, according to him, "something will happen."
Historical question
Immediately after the publication of the interview with the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, many articles with loud headlines appeared in the domestic media. They argued that Russia is refusing to build helicopter carriers, and in addition, various assumptions were made about the reasons and consequences of such a decision. Naturally, such assessments and forecasts were based not only on objective data, but also on the positions of publications.
It should be noted, however, that D. Manturov did not say anything new in his interview. According to him, at present, the plans of the industry and the Ministry of Defense do not include the construction of helicopter carriers "in the pure sense of the word." This is not surprising. In the history of the Soviet and Russian navies, there were only two specialized helicopter carriers, the main "weapons" of which were rotary-wing aircraft.
In the late sixties, the USSR Navy received two Project 1123 Condor anti-submarine defense cruisers. Initially, it was planned to build a series of 12 ships, but were limited to only two. The ships "Moscow" and "Leningrad" carried various missile and torpedo weapons to destroy submarines. At the same time, 14 Ka-25 helicopters were the main means of searching and destroying submarines of a potential enemy.
The service of the Condor pair continued until the early nineties. In 1991, the Leningrad was withdrawn from the fleet. Soon the ship was sent to suck. "Moscow" remained in the ranks longer, until 1996. The ships were dismantled and sold to India for cutting into metal.
Since then, there have been no “clean” helicopter carriers in the Russian fleet. At the same time, a large number of ships of different classes and ranks have an aft landing pad and a hangar, with which they can operate helicopter equipment. In their case, helicopters for various purposes are an additional tool for solving certain tasks. Deck-based helicopters are used to monitor the situation, detect surface and underwater objects, and search and rescue victims.
UDC "Vladivostok" of the "Mistral" type at the wall of a French plant. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The situation with the helicopter fleet could have changed several years ago. In 2014-15, a pair of French-built Mistral-class universal amphibious assault ships was expected to be delivered. According to the project, such ships for the Russian Navy could carry 30 helicopters for various purposes. They were supposed to be equipped with both shock and multipurpose vehicles. Such an air group was intended to deliver troops to the coast and provide support during the landing.
In the fall of 2014, official Paris refused to fulfill the terms of the signed contract. After lengthy discussions at the highest level, it was decided to terminate the treaty; at the same time, France, which did not transfer the ships to the customer, was forced to return the money and start looking for a new buyer. The main result of this situation was that the Russian fleet never received ships capable of carrying a large number of helicopters.
Project for the future
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade claims that there are no "clean" helicopter carriers in the plans. At the same time, he recalled the need for helicopters on ships of other classes. However, exact data on the construction of such ships were not provided. The topic of the helicopter fleet was actually touched upon in passing, but it provoked a rather active discussion.
The next day, the topic of the further development of the ship group was raised by the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov. He recalled the existence of a promising project of a universal amphibious assault ship, on which it is planned to place a certain number of helicopters. The project already exists, but its real prospects depend solely on the potential customer in the person of the Russian Minister of Defense.
It should be recalled that the UDC concept is not a novelty for Russian shipbuilders. The first domestic project of such a ship was developed back in the eighties, but the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the cancellation of construction. In the future, interest in landing ships sharply decreased, as a result of which the UDC was almost forgotten. The situation changed only at the beginning of the current decade, which soon led to the appearance of an order for Mistral.
Refusing to transfer the built ships, France spurred the development of Russian projects. Already in 2015, at the international military-technical forum "Army", a model of a universal amphibious assault ship with the code "Priboy" was presented for the first time. It was created by the Nevsky Design Bureau, which has extensive experience in the development of surface ships, including amphibious assault ships.
Model of the Priboy landing ship. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The Priboy project provides for the construction of a ship with a displacement of about 24 thousand tons and a length of about 200 m. The ship should have a large flight deck with an asymmetrically located superstructure. The main volumes for the placement of troops and equipment are placed inside the hull. At the same time, a ramp is provided in the bow of the ship, similar to the equipment of domestic large landing ships, and in the stern it is proposed to place a dock chamber for working with boats. The ship's own armament should include artillery and anti-aircraft systems.
Depending on the task at hand, "Priboy" will be able to take on board up to 500 soldiers with weapons or up to fifty armored combat vehicles. The dimensions of the dock chamber allow transporting up to 5-6 landing craft of existing types. The flight and hangar decks will house 16 helicopters of various models. The support of the landing is planned to be assigned to the Ka-52K, while the transport and other tasks will be solved by the Ka-29 family vehicles.
In 2015, it was argued that the construction of the head "Priboy" could start as early as 2016. However, later the fleet command announced other plans. In accordance with the approved construction schedule, work on the new UDC could begin no earlier than 2018. Thus, the hypothetical adoption of new amphibious assault ships was shifted by several years. In the future, the possible construction of "Priboev" was mentioned several times in various statements, but the industry has not yet received a real order.
As of August 2018, there are still no reasons for optimism in the context of helicopter carriers. Officials do not deny their necessity, and the industry is ready to offer real projects of such ships. However, the wishes of one side and the proposal of the other do not yet converge and do not give a result in the form of a contract and the actual construction of the ship. As RIA Novosti recently reported, the Ministry of Defense has not yet decided on its position and therefore is not ready to place an order.
Ambiguous prospects
The importance of helicopters for the navy is obvious, and its understanding leads to certain consequences. All domestic ships of the main classes - both in service and under construction or under development - have hangars and take-off pads to ensure the operation of helicopters. Its own helicopter allows the ship to more efficiently observe the surrounding space, attack some targets or carry the necessary cargo.
At the same time, the construction of ships is not yet planned, one of the main tasks of which will be to support the operation of helicopters. So far, such ships exist only in the form of projects, and only in one area. At the moment, the ability to carry a large number of helicopters is considered necessary only for universal amphibious assault ships, while other classes have to do with one or two aircraft. At the same time, the construction of new UDC with a helicopter group has not yet begun and, it seems, is not even planned.
Deck helicopter for radar surveillance Ka-31. Photo Wikimedia Commons
As a result, a specific situation develops. The fleet needs new ships, the industry is ready to build them, but there is no real order. Moreover, the discussion of the need for such ships continues. It is easy to see that similar processes take place in the context of the construction of a promising aircraft carrier. The Ministry of Defense continues to study the construction of such ships, and the industry already has several proposals, which, however, are still out of work.
In general, the current situation with helicopter carriers resembles the events around the hypothetical construction of a new aircraft carrier. They started talking about the need for such a ship for a long time, but construction has not yet begun. Moreover, for one reason or another, it is constantly postponed. According to the latest reports, the future aircraft carrier may be laid down in the early twenties.
Apparently, in the field of the aircraft carrier fleet, equipped with helicopters, the existing situation will remain in the coming years. Helicopters in the amount of one or two units will be used on ships of the main classes, but there are no plans to build their specialized carriers or universal ships. However, according to press reports, the military department is studying this issue. If the command draws conclusions about the need for such ships, the corresponding orders will appear. However, no one can yet say when this will happen.
