April 23 of this year may well qualify for the title of "Day that gave a wave of hope." For not every day several ships are laid down at the same time. It is clear that Putin's visit to Severnaya Verf gives such weight to the event, and yes, the hope that everything will not stop in six months.
So, two frigates and two large landing ships.
Let's start with the landing ships, especially since not so long ago we discussed a topic where it was said that it would be better to have a large landing ship instead of vague "nuclear destroyers" the size of a battleship of the last century.
And now - get it. Okay, we'll be very happy to receive it when the ships are built. It is clear that I will now say that two large landing craft against the background of general despondency in this class are … no, perhaps not a drop in the ocean. To say this is overkill. Rather, two buckets of water per company on a hot day. Better than nothing, but not enough in the long run.
But since 2 + 2 is still 4, then, as it were, in 5-7 years, the presence of four new landing ships - well, this is already something similar in terms of all kinds of operations. It doesn't matter if Syria, Libya, Venezuela or Georgia / Ukraine.
The main thing is that the idea of project 11711 is again "on the topic". They're really good ships, aren't they? But it turned out somehow crooked at the beginning. However, with us everything is so. Leaving aside the very idea of building a series of ships of Project 11711, we decided to play with attack helicopter carriers.
Well, let's play, now that these floating monsters are carrying helicopters for the glory of Egypt, the understanding has come that it is possible to return to the BDK.
Have returned.
And on time, because even in that article about nuclear destroyers, I said that the average age of our landing ships is approaching 40 years. Average! So it's high time.
And returning to the construction of ships of Project 11711 is a completely normal decision from my point of view. Moreover, some work was carried out on the project, the essence of which allows us to conclude that not the ships of the 11711 project, but some 11711.1 will be built.
The changes are significant. The artillery will be removed, which, in theory, was supposed to provide support to the landing paratroopers. We are talking about MLRS A-215 "Grad-M" and 14, 5-mm MTPU "Sting". These firing systems were considered obsolete and ineffective.
BDK remain with the air defense systems AK-630M-2 "Duet" and KVPP (complex of fired passive jamming) KT-308-04 "Prosvet-M".
At the same time, the landing will not remain without support. For this, the large landing craft will be equipped with an enlarged helipad at the stern and will be able to carry 6 helicopters instead of 2.
6 Ka-52K Katran units - well, it will be much more effective than Grads and heavy machine guns. These are 6 guns of 30 mm and the same number of armfuls of missiles. Moreover, they know how to work at a great distance.
In general, I liked the idea. There is something in her that is optimistic and inspires confidence in success. If only because two ships of the series have already been built, so maybe things will go so well that we will again return to the original version of 6 BDKs.
In general, "Vladimir Trushin" and "Vasily Andreev" - "Hurray!" and speedy launching. And labor success to the Kaliningrad shipbuilders.
Moving on to the frigates.
So, the frigate. A very strange class of ships, to be honest. A floating compromise, so to speak, without offending.
This is a fairly intelligible description of the frigate, taken from the NATO classification of the end of the last century.
In general, frigates can (and do) perform a wider range of tasks.
This is patrolling the coastal zone and open sea areas, and participation in the blockade and release of sea communications, for example, when participating in a local conflict or peacekeeping operation, support and cover for amphibious operations. The cover, of course, is so … symbolic. But - as you can see, the list is pretty decent.
The fact that a frigate is a compromise between size and essence, that is, in other words, attempts to cram the maximum number of weapons into the minimum ship's volume, is its disadvantage. Minus and the very meaning of the class - economy in exchange for mass. Hence the very dense layout of everything that negatively affects survivability.
But it's cheap. And the task can be completed.
The only thing that really makes you think is that the world trendsetter, the United States, does not have such ships. At one time, the United States riveted these frigates so much that when they were abandoned, now half of the world owns former American ships.
And they refused for a reason. The conflicts of the late 20th century showed the complete inferiority of frigates as warships. This is the conflict in the Falklands, when British frigates were unable to brush aside Argentine piston bombers with free-fall bombs, and the later case of the US frigate "Stark", which was miraculously not cut into metal by an Iraqi Air Force (single!) Aircraft.
And for the last 20 years, the Americans have been building only destroyers …
But with their financial apparatus and an external debt of $ 22 trillion, they can afford not only 100 destroyers - the "Death Star" to build.
We are not talking about the need to conquer the whole world, but about working on that list above. And since we cannot afford to build destroyers at the expense of the entire world community, and rely only on our own, then a frigate is quite a ship.
Here it is absolutely not worth comparing Project 22350 frigates with anyone else, simply because a modern frigate is not for a serious batch. This is exactly a support ship, a workhorse, which is not a pity, if that.
Well, they are not sorry, we do not have that many of them, so we will take care. Moreover, our frigates are quite toothy guys, "calibrated", who have something to bite.
The fact that "Gorshkov" was still tortured is wonderful. The fact that Kasatons are on their way and in the foreseeable future are Golovko and Isakov is also wonderful. And here the tab "Chichagov" and "Amelko" adds a dose of optimism.
Especially if these ships are not built like the Gorshkov. 12 years building a ship with a displacement of 4500 tons is really sadism.
However, there is one more positive point. According to many sources in the defense industry, the torment with the Polyment-Redut system is over, and it is completely ready for normal operation.
And as a result, the exit is a ship that can perform tasks in the far sea zone, all these representative and demonstration trips, visits and so on. Moreover, it will cost us much less than to drive the same "Peter the Great".
Moreover, "Peter the Great" is still an achievement of the USSR, and "Gorshkov" is already Russian. And the visit of our frigate to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy is the best confirmation of this. He was very much there in the topic and aroused immediate interest.
I consider the construction of new frigates, which has gotten off the ground, very important and even significant in our time. If only it did not die out, as it often happens with us.
After all, how was it stated? And so that within the framework of the state armaments program for 2011–2020, the Russian navy was to receive 14 frigates: six project 11356 and eight project 22350.
It is clear that in the remaining year we will not see so many, and indeed, God forbid, to get what is on the way.
Let me remind you that frigates 11356 were run aground by Ukraine, without engines. And until now, as I understand it, we have not finally decided what to do with them: either to give birth to engines, or to sell them to the Indians. Those will buy, of course.
It and the project 22350 came around a break with Ukraine. But not so much. Luckily, the share of the Ukrainian side there was much smaller, which allowed pulling the project out on the teeth, localizing production.
But in general, the fate of both projects is being decided not in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in Rybinsk. It is there, at the JSC "UEC-GT" plant (United Engine Corporation - Gas Turbines), where propulsion systems for ships are to be assembled.
I really hope that it will work out.
Today, one should not even try to analyze all the promises that we will then have so many DMZ ships, whoever voiced these promises. Let's all the same become more sober-minded and start not from words, but from deeds. It's time, as it were.
Even the fact that Putin promised to lay down "five more DMZ ships in the coming years," as well as the laying, are not ships yet. Unfortunately, so much time can pass here from laying to launch … The nuclear submarine "Belgorod" is the best example of this.
So we have today the solemn laying of four important and necessary warships. And if in five years these ships also go to sea, it will be fine in general.
We need a fleet. Complete, modern and balanced.
If this does not happen, no special boats with special drones, even carrying nuclear warheads, will be able to be effective.
And the Russian fleet should be able to solve the tasks of protecting our interests and security both near our coast and in more remote areas.
Therefore, a smooth and thoughtfully designed renewal of our fleet with warships will always be welcomed and perceived with the due dose of optimism.
The main thing is not to stop halfway.
