THE PROBLEM OF THE MODERNIZATION OF THE RUSSIAN FLEET: AS FRIGES OF PR. 22350 AND PROJECT 22160 PATROL SHIPS WILL IMPROVE THE NETCENTRIC FLEXIBILITY OF THE BLACK SEA AND BALTIC FLEETS
Over the past two years, the leading domestic news and analytical Internet publications have pleased the leading domestic news and analytical Internet publications with a very wide range of encouraging information about the programs for updating the ship composition of the Russian Navy, as well as the modernization of existing warships. For example, for the planned transfer to the Russian Navy of such surface combatants as 3 frigates of project 22350 ("Admiral Gorshkov", "Admiral Kasatonov" and "Admiral Golovko") to the Russian Navy, as well as 5 patrol ships of the distant sea zones of pr. 22160 ("Vasily Bykov", "Dmitry Rogachev", "Pavel Derzhavin") are quite serious bets, so they are able to radically change the anti-missile and anti-submarine contours of small naval strike groups assigned to the Black Sea and Northern fleets.
So, for example, the first 3 frigates of Project 22350 (including the lead Admiral Gorshkov), equipped with the Redut long-range shipborne anti-aircraft missile systems, are designed to strengthen the “anti-missile umbrella” of the Northern Fleet's operational-strategic formation during the passage of the heavy missile cruiser pr 11442M "Admiral Nakhimov" for complex modernization of weapons on the stocks of JSC PO "Sevmash". The return of the Admiral Nakhimov TARK, upgraded by the Caliber, Onyx and Redoubt, is expected no earlier than mid-2021, while today the Northern Fleet's long-range air defense is provided only thanks to its sister ship Peter the Great.
The problem is that Peter the Great is armed with 1 S-300F Fort and 1 S-300FM Fort-M, which, despite the high speed performance of 48N6E and 48N6E2 anti-aircraft missiles (6, 6M, allows overtake 4, 5-5-swing objects), cannot work on remote air targets outside the radio horizon. The 9M96DM anti-aircraft missiles (should in the near future undergo fire tests and enter the Redoubt ammunition load) are capable of hitting a significantly larger list of targets, including over-the-horizon, as well as ballistic ones that perform anti-aircraft maneuvers. These interceptor missiles are equipped with "gas-dynamic belts" of transverse control engines by analogy with "Aster-30" and MIM-104F MSE, which makes it possible to reach a maneuvering target by the "throw" method with overloads of up to 60 - 70G, realizing the principle of kinetic destruction by a direct hit Hit-to-kill. All other advantages of the shipborne "Redoubts" on board the frigates of project 22350 are in receiving target designation from the 4-sided multifunctional radar "Poliment", which has an important advantage over the state AN / SPY-1D, which consists in the X-range of operation. As you know, this (centimeter) range allows not only tying the routes of air objects, but also capturing them for accurate auto-tracking, which in practice provides target illumination for missiles with semi-active radar seeker, as well as increased target designation for missiles with active RGSN.
In open sources, it is indicated that the total target channel of four PAA canvases of the Poliment radar complex is 16 targets (4 units each).for each canvas), and therefore 3 frigates of this project, intended for the Northern Fleet, in terms of air defense and missile defense of the upper line will be equivalent to 4 nuclear cruisers of project 11442 (two "Three hundred" of each of them are capable of firing at only 12 targets). Among the positive features of the new frigates, it is impossible not to mention the advanced onboard electronic "stuffing" built around the Sigma-22350 combat information and control system with an open architecture and a tactical information exchange station via encrypted radio communication channels. This allows for hardware modernization of equipment, as well as updating the software of anti-submarine and anti-aircraft subsystems, even in combat conditions. As for the modules for the exchange of tactical information about the underwater, surface and air situations, each surface ship-operator of Sigma and other advanced CIUS is automatically integrated into a common network-centric network, which allows avoiding the "farm" principle when repelling enemy anti-ship missiles strikes or delivering strikes on the targets of the enemy. In simpler terms, in the naval grouping of Project 22350 frigates, united in a network-centric network, the erroneous capture of the same target by the Polyment-Redut complexes of several ships at once is excluded. As a result: savings in ammunition and the release of additional target channels "Reduta".
In the near future, the Black Sea Fleet will also receive a noticeable increase in combat potential due to the commissioning of the aforementioned patrol ships of the far sea zone of project 22160 "Vasily Bykov". These warships, despite their low displacement within 1800 tons and a length of 94 m (equivalent to the "corvette" class), have a very impressive arsenal of anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as decent radar and sonar equipment. For example, a radar with PFAR "Positive-ME1" with a target detection range with EPR of 3 sq. M is used as a general ship radar detector on patrolmen. m about 110 km. It is synchronized with all weapon systems of the Project 22160 PK, and has the following modes: detection and tracking of large air targets at an instrumental range of 250 km, detection and tracking of surface targets (including over-the-horizon targets with increased refraction), determination of state ownership using an integrated interrogator, target classification by the degree of threat and the level of priority, as well as in the mode of target allocation and diagnostics for the operability of individual hardware nodes of the radar.
The main consumer of the "Positive-ME1" radar information may be the shipborne anti-aircraft missile system "Shtil-1". If the main modification for the Russian Navy will be Project 22160 with "Calm", then for a patrol ship with such a small displacement, the presence of such an anti-aircraft missile system is simply unique, because usually "Calm-1" is the main anti-aircraft component of surface ships of the "frigate" class, for example, project 11356 "Admiral Grigorovich". In 24 MS-487 transport and launch containers, grouped into 2 underdeck vertical launchers 3S90E.1, 9M317ME anti-aircraft missiles equipped with a gas-jet control system and more high-torque and "long-playing" 2-mode solid-propellant rocket engines should be placed.
Thanks to this, the speed of the new missile defense system for the "overwhelmed" "Buk" reached 5580 km / h (comparable to the S-300PS and 5V55R missiles), and the efficiency of the OVT gas-jet system remains for a long period of solid propellant rocket engine operation. Equipping the missile with an active radar homing head makes it possible to fire at targets hiding beyond the radio horizon, as well as continue to intercept the object even if it is hiding behind the elevations of the terrain at the moment when the patrol ship is performing an operation near the coast. An equally important detail is the 9M317ME's ability to strike at surface and coastal radio-contrast objects, including ships of the main classes, missile boats, armored vehicles, as well as armored vehicles and coastal artillery.
The Shtil-1 air defense missile system also has some drawbacks associated with the maximum target speed of only 830 m / s, while the 9M317M missile as part of the ground-based Buk-M3 works on targets at speeds of 2800 m / s. This is due to the speed limits inherent in the OP-3 illumination radar software (popularly "Nut"). At the same time, for a ship of this class, this is more than offset by good anti-submarine capabilities. Thus, the hydroacoustic appearance of the patrol ships of the project 22160 will be presented at once by three SACs. Firstly, this is the Vignette-EM hydroacoustic station based on a low-frequency flexible extended towed antenna with a frequency of 0.015 - 0.5 kHz, 64-channel bandwidth and the possibility of direction finding of sound-emitting sources in the second far zone of acoustic illumination. Secondly, this is the MGK-335EM-03 in-vessel sonar system, designed for direction finding of enemy submarines in the near zone of acoustic illumination (from 3 to 5 and from 5 to 12 km) with the possibility of establishing communication with the crew of the enemy submarine via sonar communication channels; the complex operates in the frequency range from 1500 to 7000 Hz. Thirdly, it is the Pallada anti-sabotage sonar system, designed to detect underwater swimmers at a distance of 500 m.
All information from the aforementioned sonar systems is aggregated and displayed on the BIUS terminals of patrol ships of project 22160 in the form of generalized information about the tactical underwater situation, after which target designation for the highest priority targets can be sent to the indicator terminal of the operator responsible for the Kalibr-NK universal firing complex. represented by two lifting quad container PU 3S14UK2. In addition to the 3M54E anti-ship missiles and the 3M14T strategic cruise missiles, these 533-mm launchers can use the 91RE2 “Caliber-NKE” anti-submarine guided missiles, which strike enemy submarines at a distance of 40 km. For fire work using PLUR 91RE2, surface ships must be equipped with an auxiliary combat information and control subsystem "Requirement-M", linked by a multiplex bus of information exchange with the sonar systems "Vignette-EM" and MGK-335EM-03.
Meanwhile, updating the fleets with the above-described projects of surface ships will improve the exclusively defensive qualities of the naval strike groups of the Russian Navy in local sea / ocean theaters, and even then at a minimum distance from the Russian coast, where substantial support can be provided from multi-role fighters and anti-submarine aircraft of the Naval Aviation Russian Navy. It should be admitted that the Russian fleet is currently not ready for large-scale naval clashes with the United NATO and US Navy in remote areas of the World Ocean, and will not be ready until at least 8 nuclear destroyers of pr. 23560 "Leader" enter service. 3-4 heavy aircraft carriers pr. 23000 "Storm" and more than 10-15 modernized frigates pr. 22350M "Super-Gorshkov", not to mention the need to accelerate the pace of serial production of promising multipurpose nuclear submarines pr. 885M "Ash-M". At the moment, the situation with the number of modern surface ships and submarines in service with the Russian Navy leaves much to be desired, and it would be much more expedient to analyze the capabilities of the same Northern Fleet in the confrontation with the aircraft carrier strike groups of the US Navy, led by the latest nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the Gerald Ford class. on the nearer approaches to our western sea borders.
ARE THE NORTHERN FLEET OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY AND VKS READY TO FIGHT WITH ENHANCED AUGS OF THE NATO FLEETS?
Questions regarding the outcome of a probable collision between our only AUG, led by the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" and one or more AUG of the US Navy, are raised with enviable regularity by our observers and military experts in the comments on various analytical resources, as well as in countless forums dedicated to the naval subject. This is not surprising, because the inviolability of the conditional zone of restriction and denial of access and A2 / AD maneuver, established around the most important strategic facilities of the Northern Fleet in the Murmansk region, will depend on the outcome of such a confrontation, for example, in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. In simpler terms, in the event of the destruction of one or several American AUGs southeast of Jan Mayen Island (Norway), the Northern Fleet will secure its strategic hubs in the northern part of the Murmansk region from massive airstrikes by US Navy carrier-based aircraft operating from the North Atlantic. The fact is that the total depth of impact of carrier-based multipurpose fighters F / A-18E / F "Super Hornet" using tactical long-range cruise missiles AGM-158B JASSM-ER can be about 1900 km (average range + plus the range of the JASSM- ER).
From this it is not difficult to conclude that any AUG of the United States Naval Forces should be disabled off the western coast of Iceland. If we consider the option that the US carrier-based aircraft will use high-precision long-range missiles AGM-84H SLAM-ER, then the above-mentioned depth of strike of the Super Hornets will decrease to 1100-1200 km, and the maximum permissible line of destruction of the AUG will move to the northern regions of the Norwegian Sea. The containment of the American aircraft carrier groups on the above lines is a critically necessary operational-strategic measure, since the S-300PM1 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile regiments covering Murmansk and Severomorsk will definitely face a huge number of air attack weapons (Tomahawks, AGM-86C / D CALCM) to be intercepted. Adding to this list hundreds of "Super Hornets" with missile armament on suspensions can finally "fold" even a powerful "anti-missile umbrella" over Murmansk.
When determining the acceptable range and number of anti-ship / anti-submarine weapons to destroy the American AUG, aimed at blocking our naval strike groups in the North Atlantic, it is necessary to take into account a number of important points.
Firstly, in view of the clear understanding by the command of the American fleet and the NATO OVMS of the capabilities of our Navy and Aerospace Forces, the aircraft carrier group will be represented by more than one Gerald Ford and a standard guard order of 2 Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers and 4 destroyers URO class "Arleigh Burke". Our only carrier strike force in the Northern Fleet will be opposed by a reinforced carrier force consisting of no less than two Gerald Ford and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, as well as one Royal Navy aircraft carrier R08 HMS Queen Elizabeth. Its sister ship R09 HMS "Prince of Wales" is likely to remain in the North Sea to control the southern part of the Baltic Sea with the F-35B air wing, because in the conditions of war and the domination of our Aerospace Forces over the Baltic States, flights of the clumsy Rivet Joints with a large RCS will become impossible.
At least four Ticonderogs, six Arles Burks, a couple of British destroyers Type 45 Daring, several Type 23 frigates (in the future Type 26 Global Combat Ship) and ships- tankers. Among the enemy's underwater component, covering the reinforced AUG, one can note such multipurpose nuclear submarines as Astute, Virginia, and Los Angeles (in the amount of more than 12 - 15 units). With a minimal noise level, these attack submarine cruisers will hunt our "aircraft carrier killers" - MAPL pr.949A "Antey" (the task of the latter is a preemptive strike against NATO aircraft carrier strategic formations before the approach of the surface component). And it is impossible to call this "hunt" ineffective even in advance, since it is known that the level of acoustic secrecy of the project 949A (by modern standards) leaves much to be desired.
So, destroyers URO class "Arleigh Burke", using advanced in-hull sonar systems AN / SQQ-89 (V) 10-15, will be able to detect "Antei" (at full speed) up to the second far zone of acoustic illumination (70 - 120 km) under normal hydrological conditions, which is due to the lack of such an option as a water-jet propulsion unit and a less perfect 2-stage depreciation of the propulsion system, while on more modern MAPLs there is a three-stage depreciation. Consequently, in order to evade observation of the enemy's passive sonar systems (including RSL dropped from the P-8A Poseidon) and to successfully launch 24 heavy anti-ship missiles at the above-described AUG, our "anti-aircraft" submarine attack cruisers K-119 Voronezh, K -410 "Smolensk" and K-226 "Eagle" must in advance perform combat duty at low speed on the way of approach of the enemy's mixed AUG. And even such tactics cannot guarantee 100% incapacitation of the enemy aircraft carrier strike groups, since the main armament of Project 949A is the 3K45 Granit anti-ship missile system, which is not without its shortcomings.
The heavy supersonic anti-ship missiles 3M45 "Granit" located in 24 inclined launchers SM-225A, despite the complex programmable distribution of 1, 7-fly missiles between targets, depending on the degree of threat and the presence of built-in electronic warfare equipment on board the missiles, have a large radar signature (EPR up to 0.5 m2), as well as far from the best G-limit when performing anti-aircraft maneuvers, which makes them extremely vulnerable to modern anti-aircraft guided missiles of the US Navy RIM-162 ESSM, RIM-174 ERAM, RIM-156B, as well as Aster-30 used by British Daring-class destroyers. Considering that the security order of the aforementioned reinforced AUG will be 10 "Aegis" -cruisers / destroyers with 18 target channels each, and at least 3 Type 45 destroyers with 12 target channels each (shipborne PAAMS air defense missile system), the total number of simultaneously fired air assets enemy attacks can amount to 216 units! And this is not taking into account the capabilities of the F / A-18E / F units raised into the air to intercept anti-ship missiles approaching the AUG, the coordinates of which will be transmitted to the Super Hornets by the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye carrier-based AWACS aircraft.
"Granites" will be detected by "Hokai" at a distance of about 180-200 km, after which target designation will be sent to both "Aegis" and carrier-based fighter aircraft via the "JTIDS" channel, therefore, more than 4 minutes will remain to intercept 72 anti-ship missiles which the Aegis will do just fine. Conclusion: the use of bulky and low-maneuverable "Granites" with a large image intensifier and an approach height of about 50 m against modern SAM-interceptors of the RIM-162 ESSM type is absolutely unpromising. A similar conclusion is true for the anti-ship / multipurpose systems "Granit", placed on board the TARK "Peter the Great" (20 missiles) and the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" (12 missiles). As for the missile cruiser of the project 1164 "Marshal Ustinov" (class "Atlant"), then its modernized anti-ship complex P-1000 "Vulcan" with 16 3M70 missiles, at first glance, looks a little more serious. Unlike the early 4K77 Basalt missiles, the 3M70 is equipped with a much more modern A21 autopilot controlled by a B9 onboard computer. The new "brain" made it possible to reduce the flight altitude from 50 to 12-20 m, which significantly reduced the range of the radio horizon for the enemy's shipborne air defense systems. But in general, the situation is not in favor of the "Vulcan", because the radar signature and dimensions of this missile are even greater than that of the 3M45 "Granit".
The issue of the combat capability of the 279th separate shipborne fighter aviation regiment, deployed on the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser, has already been discussed in our previous reviews. The outdated N001 airborne radars with a Cassegrain antenna array and low noise immunity installed on heavy carrier-based Su-33 fighter-bombers, as well as the ancient RLPK-27K (not unified with modern RVV-SD air combat missiles) will not allow gaining superiority even over 1/6 of a common carrier-based air group located on aircraft carriers of the reinforced AUG of the NATO Joint Naval Forces. The entire air group on 3 aircraft carriers will be represented by about 130 multifunctional F / A-18E / F fighters with AN / APG-79 AFAR radars and AIM-120D long-range missiles, 20 Growlers, as well as 22-30 stealthy short takeoff fighters and vertical landing of the F-35B aboard the British Queen Elizabeth.
There is simply nothing to oppose the air regiment of "Admiral Kuznetsov". Moreover, while the software of the "Super Hornets" armament control complex has already been adapted to the use of AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles, our deck "Sushki" have not been adapted to the use of the X-41 "Mosquito" 2-fly anti-ship missiles. … Unfortunately, neither in defensive nor in strike capabilities (with the use of guided air-to-surface missiles) the Su-33s are not capable of distinguishing themselves today; the ultimate dream - more or less high-precision bombing of ground targets thanks to the installation of a specialized computing subsystem SVP-24-33 "Hephaestus" on some machines. Conclusion: the 279th OKIAP, with the current equipment of the Su-33, will not be able to seriously affect the outcome of the collision between our and NATO aircraft carrier strike groups, but can only partially cover the distant approaches to the AUG led by "Admiral Kuznetsov" from anti-ship modifications of cruise missiles "Tomahawk" - RGM / UGM-109B TASM ("Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile"), and even then with the risk of being destroyed in long-range aerial duels with the Super Hornets and F-35B.
The only axiom that can be deduced from all of the above looks very simple. To destroy the reinforced NATO airborne force grouping in the waters of the North Atlantic will require a comprehensive strategic anti-ship and anti-submarine operation involving ultra-low-noise multipurpose nuclear submarines of project 885 / M "Yasen / -M" and etc. 971 "Shchuka-B", as well as dozens of tactical aviation with Kh-31AD supersonic anti-ship missiles on suspensions. The most suitable vehicles here may be the Su-35S in conjunction with the Su-34.
The two types of vehicles are capable of forming an excellent multifunctional "tandem", in which each will be able to carry out both an anti-ship strike and a confrontation with an air enemy at a medium distance. In the same turn, the Su-35S will be able to cover the thirty-four in long-range aerial combat with the deck F / A-18E / F and F-35B, which the Su-33 never dreamed of. But this ability today "hangs in the air" due to the unclear prospects of the project of the RVV-AE-PD air combat missile with an integral ramjet engine, the development of which was suspended in 2012. To carry out an unprecedented anti-ship mission against the NATO AUG in the North Atlantic, the airbases of the Northern Fleet Severomorsk-3, Severomorsk-1 and Kipelovo can be deployed, where the required number of Su-35S and Su-34 will be redeployed. Pike-B and Yaseni-M will be able to unleash their full potential due to extremely high acoustic stealth, allowing them to get close to the enemy's AUG at 220-350 km and fire deadly salvos with subtle and highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles 3M54E and Onyx. It will be much easier for them to do this than for Antaeus.
