Restless "Zamvolt". Why the US Navy "super destroyer" has no place in the navy. The most expensive destroyer. At the price of an aircraft carrier Destroyer type Zamvolt ddg 1000

At the end of October, the lead destroyer of the Zumwalt project was launched at the American shipyard Bath Iron Works. Named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is one of the most daring projects of recent American naval shipbuilding. Great hopes are pinned on the ships of the new project and high demands are made. The priority of the project and the atmosphere of secrecy surrounding it can be considered the main reasons that the launch of the constructed ship took place without pompous ceremony and took place under cover of night. According to reports, all celebrations should take place a little later.

Towards the DDG-1000

The Zumwalt project dates back to the early nineties. Then the American naval forces developed requirements for promising ships, which were to enter service at the beginning of the XXI century. In connection with such terms of the beginning of the ships' service, promising programs received the designations CG21 (cruiser) and DD21 (destroyer). A little later, the cruiser and destroyer development programs were renamed CG (X) and DD (X). The requirements for the new ships were quite high. Both cruisers and destroyers had to carry out a wide range of combat and non-combat missions. Depending on the situation and the need, any of the promising ships had to attack enemy ships or submarines, protect formations from air attacks, evacuate the population from dangerous zones, etc.

Already the first calculations showed that the cost of such a versatile ship may not be within reasonable limits. In this regard, Congress insisted on the closure of one of the programs. Based on the results of the analysis, it was decided to abandon the cruisers CG (X) and focus all efforts on creating destroyers. Thus, after the decommissioning of all Ticonderoga-class cruisers in the US Navy, the destroyers Arleigh Burke and DD (X) were supposed to be used as multipurpose ships with missile weapons.

For financial reasons, one project was closed, and soon the second began to have problems. Full compliance with the customer's requirements, according to calculations, should have led to a significant increase in the cost of design and construction of ships. Initially, it was planned to build 32 destroyers of the new type. However, the assessment of their cost and budgetary possibilities led to several reductions in the planned series. Several years ago, Congress cut the Zumwalt destroyer budget to a level sufficient to build only three ships. It is worth noting that after this there were proposals to complete the construction of the lead destroyer and close the too expensive project, but the Pentagon was able to defend three ships. It should also be noted that by the time the design work began on the Zumwalt project, the requirements were changed towards simplification. Because of this, the existing promising project has several major differences from the planned DD (X).

Preparations for the construction of the lead ship DDG-1000 began in the fall of 2008, and the laying ceremony took place in November 2011. At the end of October 2013, the first destroyer of the new project was launched. Preliminary work on the construction of the hull of the second ship DDG-1001 (USS Michael Monsoor) started in September 2009 at Ingalls Shipbuilding. In 2015, it is planned to hand over the lead destroyer to the customer and continue the construction of the following ships. The order of the third destroyer DDG-1002 is planned for the 2018 financial year.

According to reports, the cost of each of the three new destroyers, taking into account the costs of creating the project, could surpass the $ 7 billion mark. For comparison, the new ships of the Arleigh Burke project cost the treasury about 1.8 billion, which is more than three times less than the cost of the Zumvolts. It should be borne in mind that the timing of the construction of the third promising destroyer, which is planned to be ordered only in 2018, may accordingly affect its price. Thus, there is every reason to believe that the total cost of the program will continue to increase.

Ship appearance

The new Zumwalt-class destroyers will serve in the US Navy for the next several decades. It is the groundwork for the future that explains the many original and bold technical solutions that immediately catch the eye. The most notable feature of the new ships is their appearance... In the past few decades, engineers have been trying to reduce the signature of ships for radar systems and have achieved some success in this. In the case of the Zumvolt destroyers, lowering the visibility became the main task in the design of the hull and superstructure contours. A promising American destroyer looks like a long and narrow platform, in the middle of which there is a superstructure of a complex shape. All the contours of the ship's surface are complex system planes conjugated to each other at different angles.

The hull of the ship has a relatively low side, which provides a reduction in visibility. It should also be noted that the sides are tilted inward. Due to the use of low sides, the authors of the project had to use an original stem of a characteristic shape. Such hull contours provide high running characteristics and at the same time reduce the ship's visibility for radars. In the mid-2000s, a demonstration boat AESD Sea Jet was built, on which the capabilities of the hull of the original shape were tested. The test results of the experimental boat showed the correctness of the calculations. Nevertheless, doubts are still expressed about the real characteristics of the new destroyer. There are suspicions that the bow of the ship will be buried in the water.

The ship USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) turned out to be large: the length of the hull is about 183 meters, the maximum width is 24.6 m. The displacement of the destroyer is approximately equal to 14.5 thousand tons. It is noteworthy that with such dimensions and displacement, the Zumvolt ships turn out to be larger than not only the Orly Burke destroyers, but also the Ticonderoga cruisers.

In terms of their combat capabilities, promising ships should also surpass existing cruisers and destroyers. The abandonment of the CG (X) program led to the transfer of some of the functions previously assigned to the cruisers to the destroyers. Although in the course of determining the technical and financial appearance of the project, the promising destroyer lost some elements of equipment and weapons, in terms of its characteristics it should outstrip the ships of the existing types.

The USS Zumwalt uses two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbine engines with a total capacity of 105,000 hp as the main power plant. The engines are connected to electric generators that supply energy to all of the ship's systems, including two electric motors that rotate the propellers. This architecture of the power plant made it possible to ensure the relatively high running characteristics of the ship. Declared maximum speed destroyer exceeds 30 knots. In addition, two generators provide power to all ship systems. The parameters of the electrical system allow in the future, in the framework of modernization, to equip ships with new equipment and weapons.

The main armament of the Zumvolt destroyers is the Mk 57 universal vertical launcher. This system is a further development of a similar Mk 41 launcher used on modern cruisers and destroyers. The Zumwalt ship will carry 20 Mk 57 modules, located in different parts of the hull. Each of the modules has four missile slots. The launcher cell can hold from one to four missiles, depending on their size. It is proposed to load missiles of various types into 80 cells of launchers: anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, etc. The specific composition of the ammunition load will be determined in accordance with the tasks that the ship must perform.

The main anti-aircraft ammunition for Zumwalt destroyers will be the RIM-162 ESSM missile. Earlier it was stated that the ships 'ammunition would include SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, but at the moment there is no new information about such ships' weapons. It is possible that work is now underway to prepare missile systems for use on promising destroyers, and the expansion of the available range of weapons will take place only after the lead ship is accepted into the Navy. To attack enemy submarines, Zumvolt-class destroyers will carry RUM-139 VL-ASROC anti-submarine missiles.

An interesting feature complex weapons destroyers Zumwalt is the fact that at the moment there is no information about the use of anti-ship missiles. Obviously, the existing RGM-84 Harpoon missiles were considered unsuitable for use on promising destroyers. A similar approach was also used in the formation of requirements for the latest series of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

In the bow of the DDG-1000 destroyer, it is planned to install two AGS artillery mounts with 155 mm guns. The AGS system is a turret with advanced underdeck units. An interesting feature of this artillery mount is the ammunition. Despite the caliber, the AGS system will not be able to use the existing 155 mm ammunition. The LRAPS projectile was created especially for the new shipborne artillery mount. Active-reactive ammunition is similar to a rocket: its length exceeds 2.2 meters, and after exiting the barrel, it must unfold the wings and stabilizer. With its own weight of 102 kg, the projectile will be able to carry an 11-kg warhead. Using inertial and satellite navigation systems, the LRAPS projectile will be able to hit targets at a distance of at least 80 km.

The total ammunition of the two artillery mounts will be 920 shells. In the stowage of the automatic loader of both AGS systems, there will be 600 ammunition. The large length of the projectile made it necessary to apply several interesting solutions in the design and operation of the automatic loader. So, ammunition will be supplied to the gun in an upright position. To do this, before loading the gun barrel must be raised to a vertical position. Shooting is possible with an elevation from -5 ° to + 70 °. The original automatic loader, according to official figures, provides a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute. The possibility of firing in long bursts is declared.

In the past, it has been argued that the Zumwalt destroyers could be the world's first ships to carry an electromagnetic cannon. Such developments already exist, but they are all far from being applied to military equipment... One of the main problems of this perspective is its colossal energy consumption. When using the power generators installed on the new destroyers, for firing from the electromagnetic cannon, it would be necessary to turn off almost everything for a while. electronic systems... It is quite understandable that such features of the work put an end to the use of such systems in practice.

The artillery armament of promising destroyers consists of two AGS installations and two Swedish-made Bofors Mk 110 anti-aircraft guns. It is noteworthy that the caliber of these guns is much larger than the caliber of the previously used anti-aircraft systems. The reason for the use of 57-mm guns can be considered the fact that the power of 20- and 30-mm shells is not enough to guarantee the destruction of modern and promising anti-ship missiles. Thus, the greater power of 57 mm projectiles can compensate for the lower rate of fire at 220 rounds per minute.

Aft Zumwalt ships a hangar for helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles is provided aircraft... The destroyers will be able to carry one SH-60 or MH-60R helicopter, as well as up to three MQ-8 drones. Thus, a small aviation group will be able to provide observation of the environment and take over part of the functions of the ship's radio-electronic complex.

To monitor the situation and control weapons, Zumvolt-class destroyers will receive a Raytheon AN / SPY-3 multifunctional radar station with an active phased antenna array. Earlier it was planned to install a second radar on new ships. Lockheed martin AN / SPY-4, but later abandoned. The use of two stations operating in different bands at once was considered too expensive and did not provide a corresponding improvement in performance. Thus, the ships under construction will be equipped with only one radar station.

Zumwalt destroyers will be able to search for submarines and mines. To do this, they will be equipped with three sonar systems AN / SQS-60, AN / SQS-61 and AN / SQR-20. The first two are installed in the ship's hull, the third has a towed hydroacoustic station. It is argued that the characteristics of the sonar systems of the new destroyers will be significantly higher than that of the equipment of the existing ships of the Arleigh Burke class.

Quality and quantity

Based on the available data, it can be assumed that the promising Zumwalt-class destroyers will become the most advanced among all the ships of the US Navy. Nevertheless, the existing advantages of a technical and combat nature, under certain circumstances, can be completely leveled existing cons... The main disadvantage of the new project is its high cost. The cost of the lead ship, taking into account development costs, is estimated at $ 7 billion. Thus, the new destroyer costs about the same as the last American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). Such a high cost of destroyers caused a dramatic reduction in the planned series.

Even if the austerity congressmen do not push through the abandonment of one or even two Zumwalt-class destroyers, the total number of these ships in the US Navy will remain too small. Only three destroyers - even if their characteristics are head and shoulders above all existing ships - are unlikely to have a serious impact on the overall potential of the Navy. In other words, the latest destroyers risk becoming what is commonly called a white elephant or a suitcase without a handle. An expensive project, the cost of which is in the light recent cuts funding may look unreasonably high, while maintaining existing views, it will not be able to give the expected results in relation to the combat effectiveness of the fleet.

In the context of the Zumwalt project, the Pentagon's plans for ships of the Arleigh Burke project look interesting. According to the statements of recent years, the construction of these destroyers will continue, and they will serve until the seventies of the XXI century. How long the Zumvolt destroyers will serve is not yet entirely clear. Nevertheless, even without taking into account the terms of service, we can confidently say that most of the combat work will fall on the ships of the old project.

In justification of the new ships, it should be said that a large number of new technical solutions and technologies were applied in the Zumwalt project. Therefore, promising destroyers will become a platform for testing equipment, weapons and technologies that will be used on ships of the future.

Based on materials from sites:
http://globalsecurity.org/
http://naval-technology.com/
http://raytheon.com/
http://navyrecognition.com/
http://navweaps.com/
http://baesystems.com/

MOSCOW, Dec 13 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Ultramodern American destroyers"Zamvolt" seems to be pursuing a "family curse". Experts did not have time to finish discussing last year's breakdown of the lead ship DDG-1000 in the Panama Canal, as this week its "younger brother" - DDG-1001 "Michael Monsour", was partially out of order. ... The ship has failed harmonic filters that protect sensitive electrical equipment from power fluctuations. As a result, Michael Monsour temporarily lost most of its high-tech electronics. The American naval officers have had a headache: ships, second only in price to aircraft carriers, stubbornly refuse to get rid of a multitude of "childhood illnesses". About why the project of the latest destroyers is still stalled - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Too advanced

Destroyers with guided missile weapons, the Zumwalt were supposed to become versatile warships, but with an emphasis on combating coastal and ground targets. The Zamvolts were planned to be assigned the tasks of fire support for amphibious assault, precision weapons strikes against troops and infrastructure, as well as attacks by enemy surface ships. The program for the construction of promising destroyers was launched in 2007, when the Congress allocated 2.6 billion dollars for the creation of the first two Zamvolts. In total, the US Navy expected to receive 32 ships of this type and keep within 40 billion.

However, the cost of the ships of this project, which American engineers tried to raise to the high requirements of the military, began to grow at an astronomical rate. First, the order was reduced to 24 destroyers, then to seven. As a result, in 2008 the fleet decided to limit itself to only three ships. Each of them, according to the latest data, cost the treasury $ 4.4 billion, not counting the cost of maintaining the ship throughout its life cycle(the total cost may exceed seven billion).

© AP Photo / Robert F. Bukaty

The first Zamvolt entered the US Navy on October 16, 2016. A month later - November 21 - DDG-1000 stalled in the Panama Canal on its way to the port in San Diego. Sea water has penetrated two of the four bearings connecting the ship's induction inboard motors to its drive shafts. Both ramparts were out of order, and the Zamvolt crashed into the walls of the canal. The ultra-modern destroyer had to shamefully return to port in tow. Moreover, a leak in the lubricant cooling system was found on a ship in San Diego, but its cause could not be established at that time. As recent events have shown, the second destroyer of the series is also experiencing serious problems with the power plant.

"We must be aware that the Americans warships they know how to build, - said military expert Alexei Leonkov to RIA Novosti. - And "Zamvolt" in all its parameters is very interesting, original project... Especially its unusual propulsion system, similar to that used on strategic submarines of the Ohio class. The only difference is that Zamvolta has a diesel-gas turbine engine instead of a nuclear reactor. It is connected to electric motors that are used at low and medium travel. In theory, this approach implies fuel economy when the ship is cruising on one electricity. In practice, however, such a system dramatically increased the cost of the propulsion system and reduced its reliability. Hence the breakdowns. "

Alexei Leonkov recalled an old joke: "Americans always find the right solution, but only when they try all the wrong ones." The expert emphasized that the same story was with the initially "raw" M-16 assault rifle and the F-16 fighter, which were eventually brought to almost perfection. There is no doubt that over time, the Zamvolty will also be polished. But it is still unclear what niche these three ships will occupy in the Navy.

Hole for the budget

William Beeman: Zamwalt destroyers off the coast of China - the US fear of the PRCThe reason for the decision to place the latest weapons at the borders of China is the US concern about the growing influence of the PRC in the Asia-Pacific region. So the American political scientist commented on the recent statement of the head of the Pentagon.

Impact capabilities of "Zamvolt" are high enough, but not outstanding. Its main armament is 80 cruise missiles in vertical launch silos located along the sides. The know-how of the destroyer was to be artillery armament. It was originally planned to install two electromagnetic railguns on it. However, the project was doomed to failure, as this weapon would eat up all the power of the ship. The destroyer armed with railguns, in fact, turned into a floating gun carriage and "disconnected from the network" after each shot.

Later it was decided to stop at two 155-mm AGS artillery guns of an unconventional active-reactive scheme with a firing range of up to 148 kilometers. The LRLAP shells used in them, according to developers from the Lockheed Martin concern, are so accurate that they are capable of "hitting targets in the canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage." Everything would be fine, but the cost of one ammunition of this type has already exceeded 800 thousand dollars. For comparison: the Tomahawk cruise missile, well-run in dozens of armed conflicts, hits 2,500 kilometers and costs only slightly more - about a million. Since 2016, the US Navy has been looking for an alternative to the "golden" shells for the wonder cannon, but so far to no avail.

© AP Photo / Robert F. BukatyLatest US Zumwalt-class destroyer

© AP Photo / Robert F. Bukaty

“Thus, the Zamvolts have only 80 Tomahawks per ship,” said Alexei Leonkov. “Now let's do some simple calculations. One destroyer with 80 missiles costs $ 4.4 billion. 122 "Tomahawks") costs the American taxpayers about a billion. combat conditions and brought to mind a long time ago. Yes, "Zamvolt" is made using stealth technology. But any radar specialist will tell you that all these games with invisibility are just games. You can only partially reduce the visibility and in a certain range. So Isn't it easier for the same money to build two Ohio-class nuclear submarines, each of which, in a non-strategic version, can carry 154 Tomahawks? it rises twice. "

According to the expert, "Zamvolt" will never go into large-scale production, remaining an expensive and useless "toy". As Leonkov emphasized, the implementation of at least three ships of this type "in metal" is a direct consequence of the efforts of the lobbyists of the project in the ruling circles of the United States. American industry has long been able to build cheaper and more efficient ships. Even if not so high-tech and original in appearance.

English. Zumwalt class guide missile destroyers

A new type of missile-armed US Navy destroyer (also formerly known as DD (X)), with an emphasis on attacks from coastal and ground targets. This type is a smaller version of the ships of the DD-21 program, funding for which has been discontinued. The first Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG-1000, was launched on October 29, 2013. The destroyers of this series are multipurpose and are designed to attack the enemy on the coast, fight enemy aircraft and provide fire support to troops from the sea.

The program is named after Admiral, Head of Naval Operations Elmo R. Zumwalt.

Story

Among US warships under development, the DDG-1000 should precede the Littoral Combat Ship and possibly follow the CG (X) cruiser, competing with the anti-aircraft CVN-21. The DDG-1000 program is the result of a significant reorganization of the DD21 program, whose budget was cut by Congress by more than 50% (under the SC21 program of the 1990s).

Initially, the naval forces hoped to build 32 such destroyers. Later, this number was reduced to 24, and then to seven due to the high cost of new experimental technologies that should be included in the destroyer. The US House of Representatives remains skeptical of this program (for financial reasons) and therefore initially allocated money to the Navy only for the construction of one DDG-1000 for a "technology demonstration." Initial funding for the destroyer was included in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.

However, in 2007, $ 2.6 billion was allocated to finance and build two Zumwalt-class destroyers.

On February 14, 2008, Bath Iron Works was selected to build USS Zumwalt DDG-1000, and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding was selected to build DDG-1001 at a cost of $ 1.4 billion each. According to Defense Industry Daily, the cost could rise to $ 3.2 billion per ship, plus $ 4.0 billion in the life cycle of each ship.

On July 22, 2008, it was decided to build only two such destroyers. A few weeks later, it was decided to build a third destroyer of this type.

Name	Number	Shipyard	Bookmark	Launching	Commissioning
Zamvolt USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000)	1000	Bath iron works	November 17, 2011	29.10.2013	2016 (plan)
Michael Monsour USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001)	1001	Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding	23 May 2013	2016 (plan)	2016 (plan)
Lyndon B. Johnson USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)	1002	Bath iron works	April 4, 2014	2017 (plan)	2018 (plan)

After being commissioned, the Zamvolt-class destroyers will be used in conjunction with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

On December 7, 2015, the first of three destroyers, Zamvolt, estimated by this time at $ 4.4 billion, went to sea for sea trials.

Design

These ships should receive a new generation power plant, which is a combined diesel-gas turbine engine with full electric propulsion (the principle of "all-electric ship", within which a common primary source is used to generate electricity in order to ensure propulsion and power supply of all ship systems, without exception).

The hull and superstructure of the ship are surrounded by radio-absorbing materials approximately one inch thick, the number of protruding antennas has been reduced to a minimum. The composite materials of the superstructure contain wood (balsa).

Thanks to the highest degree of automation, the ship's crew is only 140 people.

The ship's armament consists of 20 Mk-57 universal launchers with a total capacity of 80 Tomahawk missiles, two 155-mm long-range artillery mounts and 30-mm anti-aircraft guns. The destroyer provides for the basing of a helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ship's displacement is approaching 15 thousand tons, which makes the Zamvolta the largest modern non-aircraft-carrying warships in the world after the Soviet / Russian nuclear missile cruisers project 1144, the displacement of which reaches 26 thousand tons.

The cost of the program for the US Navy will be $ 22 billion (the figure will be adjusted, but it is expected that the increase in costs will not exceed 15%).

TTX

Main characteristics

Displacement: 14,564 long tons (gross)
-Length: 183 m
-Width: 24.6 m
- Draft: 8.4 m
-Reservation: Kevlar protection of individual nodes is possible
-Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 GTU
-Power: 78 MW
-Progress speed: 30 knots (55.56 km / h)
-Crew: 148 people

Armament

Radar weapons: AN / SPY-3
-Tactical strike weapons: 20 x UVP Mk.57 for 80 Tomahawk, ASROC or ESSM missiles

Artillery: 2 x 155 mm AGS gun (920 rounds, of which 600 are in automatic loaders)

Anti-aircraft artillery: 2 х 30 mm AU Mk.46
-Missile armament: RIM-162 ESSM

Anti-submarine weapons: RUM-139 VL-Asroc

Aviation group: 1 х SH-60 LAMPS helicopter

3 х UAV MQ-8 Fire Scout

Travel speed30 knots (55.56 km / h) Crew148 people Armament Radar weaponsAN / SPY-3 Tactical strike weapons20 × UVP Mk.57 for 80 Tomahawk, ASROC or ESSM missiles Artillery2 × 155 mm AGS gun (920 rounds, of which 600 are in automatic loaders) Flak2 × 30 mm AU Mk.46 Rocket armamentRIM-162 ESSM Anti-submarine weaponsRUM-139 VL-Asroc Aviation group1 × SH-60 LAMPS helicopter
3 × UAV MQ-8 Fire Scout Images at Wikimedia Commons

Destroyers of the "Zamvolt" class(eng. Zumwalt class guide missile destroyers) is a new type of missile-armed US Navy destroyers (also formerly known as DD (X)), with an emphasis on attacks from coastal and ground targets. This type is a smaller version of the ships of the DD-21 program, funding for which has been discontinued. The first Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG-1000, was launched on October 29, 2013.

The main weapons of this series of destroyers are 80 Tomahawk cruise missiles and artillery systems, which predetermines the main task of the destroyers to support ground forces by attacking coastal targets.

The ship uses a promising control system for all weapons through Raytheon's TSCE-I, abandoning the concept of local computer systems. The destroyer has stealth means that reduce its RCS by 50 times.

The program is named after Admiral, Head of Naval Operations Elmo R. Zumwalt.

History of design and construction

Design: Launching Missiles from the Vertical Silos of Destroyer Zumwalt

Among US warships under development, the DDG-1000 should precede the Littoral Combat Ship and possibly follow the CG (X) cruiser, competing with the anti-aircraft CVN-21. The DDG-1000 program is the result of a significant reorganization of the DD21 program, whose budget was cut by Congress by more than 50% (under the SC21 program of the 1990s).

Initially, the naval forces hoped to build 32 such destroyers. Later, this number was reduced to 24, and then to seven due to the high cost of new experimental technologies that should be included in the destroyer. The US House of Representatives remains skeptical about this program in view of the ship's problems with missile defense systems, as described below, as well as the lower stealth and much lower loading of cruise missiles like the Ohio submarines. Although the old converted Ohio-class submarines are capable of carrying 154 cruise missiles instead of 80 missiles from "Zamvolt", but the cost of re-equipment of the old nuclear submarine is more than two times lower. Therefore, money was initially allocated only for the construction of one DDG-1000 for a "technology demonstration."

Initial funding for the destroyer was included in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. In 2007, $ 2.6 billion was allocated to finance and build two Zumwalt-class destroyers.

On February 14, 2008, Bath Iron Works was selected to build USS Zumwalt DDG-1000, and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding was selected to build DDG-1001 at a cost of $ 1.4 billion each. According to Defense Industry Daily, the cost could rise to $ 3.2 billion per ship, plus $ 4.0 billion in the life cycle of each ship.

On July 22, 2008, it was decided to build only two such destroyers. A few weeks later, it was decided to build a third destroyer of this type.

Name	Number	Shipyard	Bookmark	Launching	Commissioning
Zamvolt USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000)	1000	Bath iron works	November 17, 2011	October 29, 2013	16 october 2016
Michael Monsour USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001)	1001	Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding	23 May 2013	21 June 2016	24 april 2018
Lyndon B. Johnson USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)	1002	Bath iron works	January 30, 2017	2017 (plan)	2018 (plan)

After being commissioned, the Zamvolt-class destroyers will be operated together with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

On December 7, 2015, the first of three destroyers, Zamvolt, estimated by this time at $ 4.4 billion, went to sea for sea trials.

The cost of building all three destroyers is estimated at $ 12.73 billion. The total cost of the program, which includes research and development costs in addition to shipbuilding costs, is estimated at approximately $ 22.5 billion.

In November 2017, it became known that the United States is partially cutting funding for the project by refusing to create some systems for subsequent ships of the series. In particular, they will abandon the general shipboard computing environment and the vertical missile launch system Mk57.

Design

General structural diagram of "Zamvolt", where its main parts are visible: a single power plant, radar, missile launchers, sonar, as well as an artillery system

Ship control system

Command bridge of Zamvolt.

Power plant

Zamvolt used the method of a universal power plant "turbine-generator-electric motor", known from the Ohio submarines: the engine rotates only electric generators and then all energy consumers, from the radar to the ship's propellers, are electric, that is, the ship is driven by electric motors. Instead of a nuclear reactor, the Zamvolts use a diesel-gas turbine engine.

However, such a system dramatically increases the cost of the propulsion system, reduces its efficiency and reliability, therefore, in Ohio submarines, it was used only for movement at low speed in sneak mode in order to reduce acoustic noise on the propeller shaft gearboxes. Stealth means for Zamvolt were the core concept of the project, so the same design solution was chosen [ clarify]. However, it was not taken into account that for movement at cruising speed such a system proved to be insufficiently reliable and powerful, so the Ohio switched at cruising speed to the traditional direct power supply from the turbine to the propeller shaft gearboxes, bypassing two stages of energy conversion. The designers of Zamvolt convinced the customers of the US Navy that they had managed to solve the problems of reliability of an installation of this class and that direct operation through gearboxes was not required. But in practice, when trying to use the Zamvolt at full speed, the power plant broke down in less than 1 month of operation and demanded to tow a ship without power supply for repairs.

Some analysts indicate that it is possible that the choice of a single power plant was associated with an experimental cannon based on a railgun, which required a lot electrical energy... But this weapon has not yet been tested and installed on the ship - a traditional cannon has been used.

Armament

Cruise missiles

Test of the Zamvolta artillery mount

The ship's main armament is 20 Mk-57 universal launchers with a total capacity of 80 missiles. The main missile is supposed to be the Tomahawk. The missiles are placed along the sides in PVLS vertical launch systems. In the opinion of the designers, this increases the survivability of the ship, since during a freelance rocket explosion, it does not occur inside the ship, but on board with the release of the main energy of the explosion overboard. Critics point out that, on the other hand, anti-ship missiles will almost always hit Zamwolt's ammunition load and the anti-ship missiles explosion will be amplified by the partial detonation of Tomahawks.

Artillery installation "land" caliber

For the destroyer, prototypes of the most exotic artillery systems technologies, including the railgun, were discussed, but in the end they settled on 155-mm artillery mounts of an unconventional active-reactive scheme, which provides an increased range of up to 148 km (LRLAP). At such a distance, artillery is capable of accurately hitting the target only with guided projectiles, and the accuracy is required higher than that of cruise missiles, since the mass of the warhead is much less.

To achieve a range of 148 km, it was necessary to lengthen the missile part of the artillery system's active-rocket projectile, and therefore it does not fit entirely into the cradle of the artillery bolt. The "Zamvolt" gun for reloading must take a vertical position every time.

But the main reason for criticism from the Pentagon is that the cost of one guided projectile for the gun reached $ 0.8-1.2 million, and taking into account the amortization and current repairs of the gun, the cost of a shot reached $ 2 million. In other words, the Zamwolt projectile has become more expensive than the Tomahawk cruise missile, which has an order of magnitude greater range and power (weight) of the delivered ammunition. The command of the US Navy also questioned the LRLAP program and did not include the procurement of shells for the artillery system in the budgets of 2016 and 2017, and only 100 shells produced by the manufacturer for 120 million dollars in 2009 are available for all three planned destroyers of the Zamvolt series. In 2016, the US Navy was considering abandoning the LRLAP guns or changing ammunition, as the current cost of the shells was "unacceptable."

Stealth tools

Floating model of Zamvolta on which the designers proved to the US Navy that the destroyer would not capsize in a strong wave

The ship is made with flat beveled surfaces to reflect radiation from enemy radars into the sky, the bow of the ship is beveled like a breakwater also into the sky, since the sharp edge of the bow of the ship is a strong reflector of radio waves. Many American experts in shipbuilding immediately stated that the profile with a roll-over of the sides (tumblehome) makes Zamwalt dangerous for the crew due to reduced stability and with a strong side roll, the ship can turn over. Therefore, uninterrupted operation of the ship's propulsion system is critical for the "dynamic stability of the ship" due to movement, since a stationary ship can be unstable if the engine breaks down. In response to this criticism, the ship's designers created a miniature version of the Zamvolt with an electric motor and demonstrated this model to US Navy customers, proving that the ship was stable.

"Zamvolta" add-on. In the photo, under the external cladding, cork panels are visible for thermal insulation of the structure.

To prevent reflection from small protrusions on the surfaces, the vessel is painted with ferrite paint, which has partial properties of a radio-absorbing material.

Service

Incidents

see also

Notes (edit)

1. DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer
2. Andrew Tarantola. America "s Newest and Deadliest Destroyer Has Finally Set Sail. Gizmodo(October 29, 2013). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
3. Losses in Iraq // "Foreign military review": magazine. - 2008. - No. 8. - S. 76.
4. "Zumwalts" today will be like battleships during the Second World War - the command of the US Navy // October 16, 2013
5. The admiral called the latest destroyer adopted by the US Navy Batman's ship // Lenta.ru
6. Third Zumwalt-class destroyer to be named Lyndon B. Johnson
7. David Sharp. Largest Destroyer Built for Navy Headed to Sea for Testing. Associated Press (7 December 2015). Retrieved December 9, 2015.
8. The documents on the transfer of the lead destroyer class DDG-1000 "Zumwalt" to the US Navy were signed. World Arms Trade Analysis Center (CAMTO)(23 May 2016). Retrieved 23 May 2016.
9. Navy Requires $ 450 Million More to Complete Zumwalt-Class Due to Shipyard Performance. USNI News (6 April 2016). Retrieved November 27, 2016.

The American shipyard Bath Iron Works, a division of General Dynamics Corporation, launched the DDG1000 lead missile destroyer of the future. What is good and bad about this unusual-looking ship, and what are the competitors of the United States preparing in response - the next-strongest ocean-going fleets of Russia and China?

And is the American media really so right in extolling this ship to the skies?

The descent of the ship's hull was carried out without an official ceremony of "baptism", breaking a bottle of champagne and other traditions. The point is not only that the descent took place at night, away from the eyes of other satellites and scouts "in civilian clothes" - for example, secret nuclear submarines for special purposes in the USSR and the Russian Federation were so often launched, but also that they saved money on "baptism". Due to the recent "shutdown" of the US government and the launch itself was postponed for a week and a half, and magnificent ceremonies will also take place later. Although superstitious sailors say that such things should not be neglected - not for good.

DDG1000, which is planned to be named "Zamvolt", looks extremely unusual for the modern eye. It is no secret that all modern warships are built taking into account the task of reducing the effective dispersion surface (EPR), that is, the ship's radar signature. By the way, one of the first warships built with partial consideration of these requirements was the Soviet nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser Kirov (there are also other opinions that such a ship was our patrol ship"Undaunted" or French frigates of the "Lafayette" class).

The only smooth superstructure cut out like an ax, a minimum of protruding elements of electronic weapons and weapons - everything is subordinated to this goal. For the same, the sides heaped in the opposite direction are made, they are often found on modern ships, but no one has them heaped right from the waterline, which makes the DDG1000 look like an armadillo or armored cruiser late XIX or early XX century.

It has even more in common with such ships with a sharp with a reverse angle of inclination, "ram-type" stem. This shape of the nose is the embodiment of a different, in comparison with the now widespread, concept of wave flow around the bow of the ship - supposedly it guarantees him good seaworthiness with a low, for the sake of reducing the RCS, the side. This is called "punching", piercing the wave - instead of climbing the wave. The Americans, of course, built a small prototype ship to test this idea, but how it will all be in conditions of real great excitement, neither computer simulations nor experimental ships can establish one hundred percent. In general, it will be seen when it goes out to sea. It is worth noting that in Russia there are also ships built with a similar bow shape, and they are being built for the Arctic.

The destroyer came out large - 183 meters long and 14,500 tons of displacement. It is difficult to say whether it can be considered a destroyer at all or a better cruiser, at the moment in the US Navy these two types of ships have practically merged into one and differ only slightly in size and capacity of universal vertical launchers (UVP). Considering that the Zamvolt is much larger than the Orly Burke-class destroyers under construction in a large series, and there will be only three of these ships, it would probably be better to reclassify it as a cruiser. And its price corresponds not to a destroyer, but rather to an aircraft carrier, which ultimately ruined the dreams of a large series of these superships.

The history of this project itself is the history of a constant struggle with the continuously growing price and a decrease in its serial production, as well as a simplification of the design and a decrease in tactical and technical characteristics (TTX). It all started, probably, back in the late 70s, when the minds at the headquarters of the US Navy seized the idea of ​​an "arsenal ship" - a ship with a minimum of superstructures, with a reduced ESR, but packed with the maximum number of cells of unified silo launchers for various weapons, in mainly shock, for attacking ground targets. By the way, exactly the same idea came to the mind of the Soviet naval commanders - in those years there was a project 1080 - an arsenal strike cruiser. We had such projects in the 80s. But in the end, such ships were not built either in the USA or in the USSR.

The new concept of the promising heavy ships of the US Navy SC-21 appeared after 1991. It consisted of the promising cruiser CG21 (then CG (X)) and the promising destroyer DD21 (then DD (X)). The main idea was versatility - it was assumed that both the cruiser and the destroyer should have the ability to perform any tasks, both combat missions (support for assault forces, strikes against ground targets or fighting surface ships, submarines, providing air defense of a ship formation) and non-combat ( for example, the evacuation of civilians from a "problem" country). Only all these good wishes for "everything and more" immediately ran into the harsh economic life.

The need for these ships was not obvious in the new conditions, and the price began to grow explosively. This was due to the rise in prices for modern electronics and weapon systems, and to the growing appetites of companies, which, given the US survival in a military confrontation, do not care about the country's interests, but their own pocket is very important. Of course, an increase in price led to a reduction in the series, and a reduction in a series led to an increase in price, since the total costs were distributed over a smaller number of buildings. The first victim of Congress fell the cruiser, which was first postponed, and now is not remembered at all. It is believed that the Ticonderoga-class cruisers will not have replacements; more precisely, they will be replaced by the Orly Burke-class destroyers of the latest series.

Then the destroyer began to be cut. At first, the series, planned from 32 ships, was reduced by eight. Then there were 11 of them, then seven, and in the end the series was reduced to two ships. And then the lobbyists of the project managed to beg for another one. The price, of course, also went up. About $ 10 billion was spent on the development of the project alone. Along with the allocation of R&D costs for the three hulls, the ship's price is about $ 7 billion per unit, not counting the life cycle cost. Yes, for that kind of money, you can build a nuclear aircraft carrier or a couple of nuclear submarines! And in Russia, there would probably be enough for a couple of aircraft carriers (only it would take a long time to wait for them - while we build large ships very slowly).

Naturally, over time, not only did the price rise, but the project's capabilities also diminished. Ultimately, DD (X) was renamed DDG1000, while reducing displacement and armament. Moreover, the results of these reductions cause a rather ambivalent attitude. Let's try to figure it out.

The DDG1000 uses a new type of universal vertical launcher (UVP) Mk.57 instead of the widespread UVP Mk.41. Each section consists of four slots, for a total of 20 sections and 80 missile slots on the ship. DD (X) was supposed to have a larger number of cells - 117-128, but the ship itself would have been 16,000 tons, with, however, increased capabilities. Moreover, the Zamvolta used an original solution - unlike the previous projects, the air-handling units are not located in two places (in front of and behind the superstructures), but in groups along the sides throughout the ship. On the one hand, this solution makes missiles in silos less vulnerable and less prone to detonation. On the other hand, the protection of internal compartments with missile cells looks like a rather strange solution.

What does a destroyer carry in its 80 nests? These are primarily sea-based cruise missiles "Tomahawk" of various modifications for striking ground targets in conventional equipment (the US Navy no longer has nuclear non-strategic weapons, they have been destroyed, unlike the Russian Navy, where they are and are developing). ASROC-VLS anti-submarine missiles can also be used.

With anti-aircraft missiles, the issue is somewhat more complicated. Initially, it was assumed that the destroyer would be able to perform the functions of both theater missile defense (theater missile defense) and zonal air defense units. To do this, it had to be equipped with the SM-2MR missile defense system, their descendant SM-6, and for missile defense missions - with modifications of the SM-3 anti-missile. Only now, nothing of this will be on these ships at this stage, perhaps only for now. Mine launchers are compatible with these missiles, but problems arose with the radar. For Zamvolt, at first, a bundle of two powerful radar systems of two different ranges was developed: AN / SPY-3 with excellent capabilities for high-altitude targets and targets in near space and AN / SPY-4 - radar for volume search. Faced with the fact that the SPY-4, also developed for the "late" cruiser CG (X), does not fit into the cut-down DDG1000 project, the Pentagon simply stopped development in 2010, starting from scratch. new system AMDR (Air Missile Defense Radar). But then problems began with him, there is still nothing at the output.

There are also problems with SPY-3, as a result of which the only type of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAM) is indicated everywhere for Zamvolt - RIM-162 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile). This SAM, created on the basis of the old Sea Sparrow SAM family (based on the well-known air-to-air missile), is their deep processing. It is adapted to be launched from both old launchers and TLUs. It has a range of up to 50 km and an interception ceiling of up to 15 km and corresponds approximately to the SAM of the Russian naval air defense system "Shtil-1". This weapon is well suited for ships such as a corvette or frigate, but for such a destroyer, which should rather be called a cruiser because of its size, it is clearly not enough. Although the ESSM has a big plus: it is compact and fits in one cell of four, so the ammunition load of these missiles can be measured in a couple of hundred. Despite the statements of representatives of the developers of the ship's anti-aircraft systems - the Raytheon company - that the anti-aircraft and, in the future, anti-missile capabilities of the DDG1000 are "not lower than those of other large ships of the US Navy," high representatives of the naval command have so far stated the opposite. In general, it should be assumed that the long-range missiles SM-2 and SM-6 on these ships will eventually be, but about the capabilities of missile defense - it is still unclear.

There is no other type of weapon on Zamvolta, which is practically obligatory for modern ships, if they are considered multifunctional - these are anti-ship missiles (ASM). The US Navy is armed with only one type of them - the Harpoon family of subsonic anti-ship missiles. In the Russian navy, the Kh-35 Uran and Kh-35U Uran-U missiles are direct analogs of the Harpoons, and they are considered light weapons for small ships and for fighting light forces. But our situation is different from that of the Americans: we have much fewer ships, and they are also geographically divided into several isolated theaters. Therefore, we rely on extremely difficult to intercept supersonic anti-ship missiles with powerful, including nuclear, armored warheads, equipped with guidance systems, missile coordination in a salvo and advanced logic of behavior in battle. And the Americans do not bite the carriers, and they put a bunch of fairly simple and weak, relatively easily intercepted anti-ship missiles on strike, counting on a simple overload of air defense channels on the attacked target. In addition, the "Harpoon" could not be adapted to the universal mine TLU - it is launched from its own four-container installations, of which two are usually installed.

And now, even in the United States, they considered that the easiest way to fight ships was aircraft from aircraft carriers. Therefore, on the last series of Orly Burke-class destroyers (the so-called Flight IIA series and the promising Flight III), and on the Zamvolts, the Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers are absent. True, the Berks can still strike ships with SM-2 anti-aircraft missiles, but this is clearly not the right weapon for such ships. Rumor has it that the Americans want to give these ships another version of the Tomahawk cruise missile in an anti-ship version instead of the Harpoons, but the idea seems dubious. Previously, in the United States, such a modification was and was in service. It turned out that a low-speed subsonic anti-ship missile with a range of 450 km practically cannot be used successfully at this range - due to the fact that the flight to the target took more than half an hour, the enemy could have time to get out of the area in which the missile could detect it. And it is much easier to intercept the Tomahawk than the Harpoon. Now the Americans hope that they will be able to solve all these problems. But the economic situation is developing in such a way that, most likely, this development will stop.

Zamvolta also has a hangar for one anti-submarine helicopter and three unmanned helicopters. Unmanned mini-boats on board are also planned.

What is really extremely interesting "Zamvolt" is its artillery. It is armed with two bow turrets with the latest 155mm AGS (Advanced Gun System) artillery systems. For a long time after the war, it was believed that universal medium-caliber artillery had lost its significance. But after a number of local wars, it turned out that guns are needed, for example, to support the landing forces and for many other tasks. But the artillery was limited to a maximum of 127 mm (130 mm in our fleet) caliber. Now there is a tendency towards an increase in the caliber and capabilities of ships' artillery. In Germany, they tried the turret of a 155-mm PzH2000 ground self-propelled gun on a ship, in Russia they are developing a naval version of the extremely advanced 152-mm ground self-propelled gun "Coalition", and the Americans created the AGS. Although at the end of the 70s in the USSR, the 203-mm Pion-M shipborne artillery system was also developed, but then this development was rejected.

The system is a turret 155 mm gun (barrel length 62 caliber) with an automatic loading system below deck. The tower was created taking into account the requirements of radar stealth, the gun in a non-combat position is hidden for the same purpose. The shots are separate-sleeve, firing is fully automatic until the ammunition is completely depleted. The ammunition load of the two towers is 920 rounds, of which 600 are in automated ammunition racks. However, the rate of fire is declared to be very low - 10 rounds per minute, which is explained by the fact that the projectile is very long and the loading system works only with the vertical position of the barrel. But the weapon is not intended to destroy high-speed sea or air targets, it is a weapon against ground targets, moreover, against a weak enemy. Because this ship will not be able to approach the coast of, say, Syria, at a distance of shelling from such weapons - the coastal SCRC Bastion-P with the Yakhont anti-ship missile system available there are quite capable of drowning it at distances of up to 300 km from the coast. But Washington's favorite targets for bringing democracy to the masses in recent years have been weak states, and against them such a system will be in demand, capable of bombarding targets with dozens of shells at distances of tens of kilometers.

The ammunition used by AGS is extremely interesting. This gun does not fire conventional 155 mm projectiles, even corrected ones. She only has special guided ultra-long-range projectiles LRLAP. In fact, this very long projectile with an engine and wings is better called a rocket both in design and in the ratio of the total mass to the mass of the warhead. The length of the projectile is 2.24 m, the mass is 102 kg, the mass of the explosive is 11 kg. In the bow there are four control wings, in the tail there is an eight-bladed stabilizer. The projectile control system is inertial using GPS NAVSTAR. The range is promised to be up to 150 km, but so far they were shooting at a range of 80-120 km. Accuracy is declared at 10–20 meters, which, in general, is good for such a range, but not enough, given the low power of the target of such a projectile. And this is in case the enemy does not use jamming of GPS systems. In any case, a very interesting artillery system, and it is worth taking a closer look at the experience of its operation when it appears.

Moreover, initially, instead of AGS, an electromagnetic gun was planned, but they decided to go the traditional way. Including because when firing from such a cannon, it would be necessary to de-energize most of the ship's systems, including air defense systems, and also to stop the course, otherwise the power of the entire power system of the ship would not be enough to ensure firing. Development, or rather, the "assimilation of funds" under the program of the electromagnetic gun is now continuing, but it is unlikely that this weapon will appear on "Zamvolts". It is both expensive, and the resource of the guns is extremely small, and shooting from a blind and deaf ship is extremely dangerous for him. The developers of the system, realizing this, try to enter with their cannon from another entrance, offering it ground forces... But hardly anyone there will dare to buy an artillery system, to ensure the transportation of all cars of one copy of which it is necessary "only" four heavy military transport aircraft C-17A with a carrying capacity of 70 tons, which are able to take away a whole battery of conventional ACS or missile systems... In general, this idea reminds of an anecdote about a man with a cool watch and two heavy suitcases - in them he has batteries for the clock.

In many respects, just to ensure the operation of the electromagnetic guns on this ship, the main power plant with full electromotion was used, that is, the propellers only turn the electric motors. Energy is produced by gas turbine engines that rotate generators, and it can be redistributed depending on the needs of the ship. The system, in general, is not new, but it has not been used on warships of this class.

Anti-aircraft artillery complexes of short-range self-defense are represented on Zamvolta by a pair of 57-mm Swedish artillery complexes Bofors Mk.110 with a rate of fire of 220 rounds per minute and an anti-aircraft projectile flight range of up to 15 km. The transition to such a large caliber from the 20 mm used in the United States on such systems (in Europe, China and Russia - 30 mm) is explained, among other things, by the fact that neither 20-mm nor 30-mm projectiles can shoot down heavy supersonic anti-ship missiles - even with a direct hit of armor-piercing shells, the warhead of the rocket does not break through and does not detonate, reaching the target anyway, like a heavy projectile. Mk. 110, on the other hand, provides both a large interception range and the use of adjustable projectiles, which will try to compensate for the drop in the rate of fire from several thousand rounds per minute to a couple of hundred. How effective it will be is still difficult to judge. In Russia, work with 57-mm naval artillery systems is also underway - in Nizhny Novgorod, the AU-220M artillery system is being developed.

The issue of ensuring the survivability of the DDG1000 is also interesting. The Americans claim that great attention has been paid to this. There is probably no armor on this ship (it is found now only on aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers, and then extremely moderately), but there is certainly a constructive protection. This is the placement of VPU missiles in four groups along the sides, and various insignificant rooms along the perimeter of the ship, shielding important ones located inside. It is also possible to use various armor composites in critical places - like Kevlar or high molecular weight polyethylene. Of course, such protection from anti-ship missiles will not protect, but from fragments in an explosion - quite.

True, there are also strange solutions. For example, the ship's combat information center (CIC), its heart, is housed in a superstructure. And, although it is made of composites, almost all of it is covered with various antenna arrays. And it will be determined by the anti-ship missile homing head as the central, most reflective part of the ship. And there is a likelihood of hitting the CIC. True, it is also in the hull, since many missiles fly at a height of several meters and hit directly on the side. The absence of a double or triple bottom on the destroyer looks even stranger - this is clearly seen in the photographs from its construction. With the beginning of the use of torpedoes, such protection became mandatory for large ships. Or have the USA forgotten how modern torpedoes, exploding under the bottom, easily break through the skin over a large area and even break the ship's set, splitting it? No, it’s unlikely. One cannot rely on only passive means of protection and jamming systems against torpedoes, which are enough on this ship, and the US Navy does not use active ones capable of intercepting a torpedo. But even if they were used, the bottom of the ship would still be threatened by torpedoes, mines, saboteurs, and rocky reefs. In general, something had to be done, otherwise the expensive supership will share the fate of the Titanic.

And what about the competitors?

The Russian fleet is not building new destroyers yet. The new destroyer is being designed and little is known about it. It is only known that the lead ship will be laid in the area of ​​2015. There is also information about its displacement - about 12-14 thousand tons, that is, similar to the "Zamvolt" and slightly more than the missile cruisers of the project 1164 of the Russian Navy. That is, in our country, destroyers as a class will practically merge with cruisers in the future.

It is not yet very clear whether the new destroyer will have a conventional gas-turbine power plant or it will be nuclear, which is very much wanted by many in the command of the fleet. The logic of the supporters of the "atom" is clear - the new Russian aircraft carrier, when it reaches its construction, will almost certainly also have a nuclear power plant, and the same escort dramatically increases its operational mobility. However, such ships are more expensive, even fewer shipyards in our country can build them, and they will not be allowed to all ports in the world. And it will take longer to build, but in our country they are building for an impermissibly long time and with delays in time. It is also unclear whether this ship will be of a traditional type, similar to the frigates and corvettes currently under construction, taking into account the requirements of stealth, or it will be something in the style of "Zamvolta". I would like to believe in the prudence of the admirals, our fleet does not need such a masterpiece - there is much less sense from it than it is worth.

The strike armament of the new ship will, like all new-built ships of the Russian Navy, from small missile to frigates, will be located in the silo launchers of the UKSK 3S14. Each module has eight cells. Considering that there are two such modules on the 5000-ton frigates of project 22350 currently under construction, a destroyer should assume at least four to six modules, that is, 32-48 cells for strike weapons. It will include:

- cruise missiles of the 3M14 "Caliber" family of strategic and tactical radii for strikes against ground targets;

- anti-ship supersonic anti-ship missiles P-800 "Onyx";

- subsonic, but with the acceleration of the shock stage in the final section to the high supersonic speed of the 3M54 Biryuza anti-ship missile system;

- anti-submarine missiles 91R;

- promising hypersonic anti-ship missiles "Zircon" (in smaller quantities).

The ship will be equipped with a more powerful version of the Poliment-Redut air defense system than on the frigates currently under construction. Anti-aircraft weapons will be deployed in their silo launchers. The number of standard cells for long-range missiles will obviously not be less than 64 (the frigate of pr. 22350 has 32 cells), or even more, which will give a total ammunition load of hundreds of long, medium and short-range missiles, since our small missiles can be placed several in a cell. In general, in terms of armament, the new destroyer, most likely, will not be inferior to the Zamvolts and Berks, and will surpass them in the strike component.

But so far no destroyer is being built, although it is planned to have about a dozen of them. Even the lead frigate of project 22350 "Admiral Gorshkov" has not yet been tested - it is waiting for an artillery mount. Although its serial descendants are built much faster than the head case, so there is hope for an improvement in the future.

But the modernization of the first of the planned heavy nuclear cruisers - "Admiral Nakhimov" begins. So far, it is known that it will replace 20 mines under the "Granit" anti-ship missile system on the UKSK for about 64-80 missiles of the same types listed above, and revolving launchers of the S-300F "Fort" air defense missile system can also be replaced with all the same "Polyment-Redut", which will also dramatically increase the ammunition load. The resulting ship can become a real "arsenal" of the fleet, although there was a lot of ammunition there before. But it will also have to wait until 2018 - with large ships, our shipbuilding industry is still working very slowly.

Our Chinese partners are doing much better with the speed of building ships. But their ships are usually developed with outside help, which, however, the Chinese do not advertise. This was the case with destroyers of types 051C, 052B and a number of other ships. Exactly the same situation is very likely with the newest type of Chinese destroyer - Type-52D. Now four are under construction and eight more ships of this project are on the way. This very large ship of about 8000 tons of displacement is armed with two universal UVP with 64 cells for anti-ship missiles and missiles. The air defense missile system is represented by the HHQ-9A system - a naval version of the HQ-9A system, which is adapted to Chinese requirements and modified by the air defense missile system based on the S-300PMU-1. The Chinese have subsonic anti-ship missiles - YJ-62, created on the basis of tactical versions of the Russian KR X-55 and the American Tomahawk. Similar armament, but with the placement of 48 HHQ-9A anti-aircraft missiles in the revolver launchers traditional for the Russian fleet and in the previous Chinese modification of the destroyer - Type 052S, of which six have already been built. But all these ships should be regarded as competitors not to Zamvolt, but to the hard worker Berk. The Chinese are practical people and will not tear the veins in attempts to create a ship, "like the Americans".

So what is the DDG1000 Zamwalt? The author is of the opinion that this, undoubtedly, extremely interesting for its innovative solutions, well-equipped and powerful ship will not become the new battleship "Dreadnought", which at once made all its former classmates obsolete and created a new class of heavy ships. All his wonderful solutions pale in front of his gigantic price, which is much higher than the higher its combat effectiveness, say, in comparison with the Orly Burke-class destroyers. If the Dreadnought cost not 10% more than its ancestor, an ordinary battleship, being five times stronger, but 5-10 times, the era of such ships would never have come. In addition, many of the opportunities originally announced for Zamvolts have not yet appeared on it and, perhaps, will not appear due to savings in construction or technical complexity of solutions.

As a result, "Zamvolt" and his classmates will face the fate of the "white elephants" of the fleet - small-scale, extremely expensive and ruinous toys stuffed with unique solutions, which, in addition, will be protected and cherished. Of course, they will be proud of these ships, they will be filming in Hollywood action films about battles with yet another monsters crawling out of the depths of the director's drug hallucinations; But the service in the US Navy will be carried by the same Orly Burke, of which more than 60 have already been built and another dozen three will be built, and they will replace themselves. And the projects of competitors will be guided precisely by superiority over "Berks", and not over "Zamvolts". And the Zamvolts themselves, most likely, will become an incubator of solutions, which will gradually also be drawn to the Berks of the last series. Only it hurts with an expensive incubator ...

text source: http://vz.ru/society/2013/11/5/658215.html - Yaroslav Vyatkin

We recall our recent review: and here's another interesting question: what are they doing? The original article is on the site InfoGlaz.rf The link to the article this copy was made from is

 

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