About a week ago, the news about the imminent completion of a pair of Project 12411 Molniya missile boats (serial numbers 01301 and 01302) in accordance with Project 12418, which remained at the disposal of Vympel Shipbuilding Plant OJSC in connection with the breakdown of a contract with an unnamed foreign customer back in the 90s. However, this time, by coincidence, this information was simply picked up by a significantly large number of Russian analytical and news resources, while for the first time it became known thanks to the news section of the sudostroenie.info portal back on August 25, 2016. But the point here is far from the date when the news was widely publicized or the small number of missile boats to be completed, the point lies in the combat potential of new weapon systems installed on the boats (it would be more expedient to classify them as "corvette") as part of a new optional package for the project 12418.
Instead of the P-270 Mosquito anti-ship complex, represented by four 760-mm K-152M inclined container launchers for 2, 5-stroke highly maneuverable 3M80 (X-41) anti-ship missiles, the ships are planned to be equipped with the Uran-U complex with inclined launchers 3S-24 for long-range anti-ship missiles 3M24U (Kh-35U). This is where complete confusion and uncertainty begin. The contract signed with Vympel in April 2016 for the repair and modernization of Molniya boats, according to the Sudostroenie.info website, provided for the placement on each ship of four quadruple launchers 3S-24 for 16 Kh-35U Uran-U anti-ship missiles (2 launchers on each side of the superstructure); even the corresponding technological sketch was provided, the configuration of the SCRC of which coincides with the boats transferred at one time to the Vietnamese Navy. Nevertheless, according to today's Izvestia information with reference to the command of the Russian Navy, the boats are planned to be equipped with only 8 Uran-U anti-ship missiles in two quadruple launchers 3S-24, or in four double ("cut") versions these launchers.
At the same time, there are absolutely no arguments related to the excess of the permissible payload in favor of a two-fold reduction in the ammunition load of the Kh-35U missiles. The fact is that the mass of a single combat module of the Pantsir-M ("Mace") shipborne anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex, which they plan to equip each "Lightning" with, is approximately commensurate, or even does not reach the mass of two standard combat modules of the anti-aircraft artillery complex AK-630M (together with ammunition, feed mechanisms for 30-mm projectiles OF-84 / OF-3, cooling systems and the MR-123-02 / 176 Vympel-AM radar guidance system, the weight of the ZAK reaches 12,930 kg). It is likely that there really is an incorrect coverage of the technical issue by Izvestia, because the Molniya supplied to the Vietnamese fleet have a full-fledged ammunition load of 16 3M24E anti-ship missiles, and this despite the fact that the ships received a rather "weighty" radar detector "Positive-ME1" (weight with equipment about 1400 kg). But even if we proceed from the fact that two "Lightning", brought to modification 12418, will receive the so-called "full-size" version of the 3K24U complex with 16 Kh-35U missiles, radically change the anti-ship potential for the better (in comparison with the P-270 Mosquito ») Side is unlikely to work.
No matter how many media, referring to official military-diplomatic sources and some "experts", continued to sing laudatory odes to the range of the Kh-35U "Uran-U" anti-ship missiles, ranging from 260 to 280 km, their ability to overcome the ship's missile defense leave much to be desired and are comparable to the American RGM-84L / G / N "Harpoon Block II +" anti-ship missiles. Against the background of advanced shipborne air defense systems, they have an extremely low subsonic flight speed (980-1000 km / h), due to which even such primitive anti-aircraft guided missiles as the RIM-116B self-defense complex "SeaRAM", having a flight speed of 2.1M, can intercept the Kh-35U in pursuit (into the rear hemisphere). Moreover, such a flight speed does not allow anti-aircraft missiles of this type to perform vigorous anti-aircraft maneuvers either on the mid-flight phase or on the final phase, making them excellent targets for both modern anti-aircraft guided missiles such as RIM-162A ESSM and RIM-174 ERAM, so and for the Dutch 30-mm anti-aircraft artillery systems CIWS "Goalkeeper" and 20-mm American Mark 15 "Phalanx" CIWS.
When direction finding radiation from a multifunctional enemy radar, an enemy shipborne radar target illumination or an active radar seeker of an anti-aircraft interceptor missile in a passive mode of operation of an ARGS-35 radar seeker, the Kh-35U missile can still perform anti-missile maneuvers "slide" and "snake", but due to a speed of 0.85M, their overload will not exceed 8 units, while to avoid the same SM-6 anti-missile, maneuvering with a G-limit of 12-15 or more units is required. A much more difficult situation, which does not give the Kh-35U a single chance of a successful anti-missile maneuver, will develop in the event that the enemy uses anti-aircraft guided missiles of the MICA-IR type, which are equipped with the ship's VL-MICA air defense systems. These interceptor missiles can carry not only an AD4A active radar seeker, but also an infrared seeker in the shortwave (3-5 microns) and longwave (8-12 microns) infrared ranges.
MICA-IR missiles can be safely launched on target designation from SMART-L (S1850M) surveillance radars operating in the decimeter wavelength range, or on target designation from third-party means via the Link-16 radio channel. Consequently, the radiation warning system module operating in the passive tract of the Kh-35U homing head will not be able to record the moment of the missile launch; he will not be able to fix the passive mode of operation of the infrared seeker, which is guided by the heat of the jet stream from the turbojet engine. Bottom line: the slow X-35U at the moment the MICA-IR approaches it will not even get an opportunity to perform an anti-aircraft maneuver. There is also no need to talk about the excellent capabilities of Uran-U in breaking through the ship's air defense due to its low-altitude flight mode (about 5 m at approach), low radar signature and massive use. The fact is that the presence of an active radar homing head ARGS-35 with a diameter of 420 mm cannot a priori indicate a small reflective surface of the rocket (in fact, the EPR is approaching 0.1 sq. M, taking into account the 15% loss of radio transparency on the fiberglass fairing).
A similar object can be detected using the AN / APY-9 airborne radar system of the E-2D AWACS "Advanced Haekeye" carrier-based aircraft at a distance of about 180-220 km. Consequently, the Ticonderoga-class missile control missile cruisers and the Arley Burke EM URO (covering the US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups in a warrant or acting alone) can still, at over-the-horizon ranges of 80-120 km, "smash" the entire swarm of dozens of Kh-35Us launched with the help of SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles, operating on target designation "Khokaev", and it is difficult to argue with this. The massive use of the Kh-35U will not give results, since the slow speed of their flight will enable the operators of the fire control system Mk 99 BIUS "Aegis" to distribute these targets in a timely manner and, guided by radar information from "Advanced Hawkeye", transfer target designation to ultra-long-range anti-aircraft missiles RIM -174 ERAM, reaching the target on a ballistic trajectory.
In view of the above, it is easy to assume that replacing 4 Mosquitoes with Uran-U anti-ship missiles (even in the amount of 16 units, not to mention 8) is a losing decision in advance within the framework of the modernized project 12418. Even four Molniya-class missile boats "In the new version will not be enough to destroy single" Arleigh Burke "or" Ticonderoga ". The range of 260 km will also not play a role: modern carrier-based tactical aviation in the event of a confrontation with the AUG will not allow the "Lightning" to approach even 900-1000 km to the defended ship composition in the order. Another thing is the "Lightning" project 12411, equipped with supersonic missiles X-41 "Mosquito". Yes, no one will let Project 12411 missile boats near the range of fire from Mosquitoes by the powerful US Navy AUG (this will require aeroballistic hypersonic Daggers), but in a duel situation with Ticonderoga or Arley Burke in the waters, to For example, the Black and Mediterranean Seas, the 3M80E anti-ship missiles can become simply irreplaceable and extremely formidable "tool".
With a flight speed of 2,600-2,900 km / h, anti-ship missile data launched on an American EM from a distance of 70 km will provide Aegis operators with no more than one and a half minutes to distribute targets and launch SM-6 anti-aircraft missiles in case tactical information about the over-the-horizon air situation will be provided by the RLDN E-3C aircraft, which has taken up combat duty from one of the air bases in Turkey or Central Europe. If there is no such aircraft nearby (which is very likely due to the presence of the C-300V4 and C-400 systems in the Crimea and Syria), then the X-41 Mosquito will be detected by the AN / SPY-1D (V) multifunctional radar and “floodlights”illumination AN / SPG-62 only after leaving the radio horizon (about 30 km), and this is only 40 seconds to take countermeasures. Moreover, more than a dozen Mosquitoes will maneuver with overloads of 10-12G.
One destroyer "Arley Burke" clearly will not repel such a "star strike". With the use of "Uranov-U" such a result is difficult even to imagine, because from the distance of the radio horizon to the enemy ship X-35U flies about one and a half minutes! Here is the advantage of "Lightning", armed with anti-ship missiles 3M80E "Mosquito". In accordance with the information published on the network, the Black Sea Fleet today has 4 missile boats of pr. 12411 Molniya with Kh-41 missiles, and it would be quite logical to equip two completing RK Molniya with two quadruple launch modules of supersonic anti-ship missiles 3M55 Onyx "; a similar configuration (but with 2 x 6 inclined-type launchers) was installed on the prototype small rocket ship, project 1234.7 Nakat, for full-scale tests of P-800 (3M55) missiles. Unfortunately, project 12418 provides for a completely different configuration of the anti-ship complex with the advertised and ineffective "harpoon" missiles Kh-35U.
What, then, will the fleet receive from the completion of the good old "Lightning" in accordance with the new project? Of course, these include a modern digitized navigation system and secure radio communication terminals for comprehensive network coordination / exchange of tactical information with other modern ships of the fleet and naval aviation (frigates of the "Admiral's series", small missile ships of the project 21631 "Buyan-M" and project 22800 "Karakurt", anti-submarine aircraft Il-38N, etc.). But the main "bun", undoubtedly, will be the ship's anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex "Pantsir-M" ("Palitsa"), which we briefly mentioned at the beginning of the review. Unlike the two standard AK-630M anti-aircraft artillery systems, represented by 6-barreled 30-mm AO-18 guns, which do not allow to withstand the maneuvering elements of high-precision weapons, as well as a group attack of the enemy anti-aircraft missile systems, even one combat module of the Pantsir-M complex in terms of short-range missile defense, it is capable of demonstrating unique results comparable to its ground-based counterpart - Pantsir-S1.
Firstly, the 57E6 high-speed bicaliber anti-aircraft guided missiles (speed of 4700 km / h) used in the Pantsir-M ammunition are capable of intercepting ultra-small targets with an EPR of the order of 0.005 sq. m, moving at speeds up to 3600 km / h. The statements about the impossibility of operation of the "Pantsire" of any modification for high-speed targets can be safely called anti-advertising, since in Syria the complex confirmed the possibility of destroying unguided rockets of the 9M22U family of the "Grad" system. The high speed of the anti-aircraft missile makes it possible to cover from an air strike not only the carrier ship, but also other friendly surface ships that form the KUG and are located 3, 5 or even 10 km away. Secondly, due to the presence of a high-performance computerized control system, synchronized with the shipborne detection radar "Positive-ME1", an optical-electronic sighting system 10ES1-E (AOP) and a target tracking radar and radio command guidance of the 1PC2-1E "Helmet" missile defense system, the reaction time of the complex decreased to 3 s.
Interference immunity has increased due to the use of a phased antenna array, an auxiliary television and thermal imaging channel, as well as an anti-jamming radio command channel for missile control, using a pseudo-random restructuring of the operating frequency (PRCH) with a frequency of 3500 Hz, in the Shlem radar. Thirdly, the high permissible overloads of the combat stage of the 57E6 missile defense system (up to 50G) make it possible to intercept the most maneuverable air attack weapons (up to the promising Anglo-French CVS401 "Perseus" anti-ship missile system). Fourthly, the likelihood of hitting targets is also increased due to the use of non-standard 2A38M double-barreled anti-aircraft guns with a total rate of fire of 5000 rds / min, but the "Kortikovsky" 30-mm 6-barrel AO-18KD with increased ballistic qualities and a total rate of fire in 10,000 rounds / min.
And all this is in addition to the 4 target channels provided by the above radar and optoelectronic guidance systems. So, despite the low anti-ship potential of the new version of the Molniya-class missile boats, which allows engaging only with the antediluvian Duke-class frigates, Project 12418 will be able not only to stand up for itself during an anti-ship strike from the enemy, but also to take part in the formation of a close missile defense line over a friendly naval strike group.
