Cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov history of creation. Specifications of this cruiser
"Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov"
(former names - in order of assignment - "Soviet Union" (project), "Riga" (bookmark), "Leonid Brezhnev" (launching), "Tbilisi" (tests)) - heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.5, the only one in the composition Russian Navy in its class (as of 2011). Designed to destroy large surface targets, protect naval formations from attacks by a potential enemy.
Named after Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. Built in Nikolaev, at the Black Sea shipyard.
During cruises, Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment (home base - Severomorsk-3) and Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters of the 830th Separate Shipborne Anti-Submarine Helicopter Regiment (base airfield - Severomorsk-1).
December 5, 2007 "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" led a detachment of warships that went on a campaign in Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the Russian Navy resumed its presence in the oceans.
History of creation
The fifth heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of the USSR, Tbilisi, was laid down on the slipway of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant on September 1, 1982. It differed from its predecessors by providing for the first time the ability to take off and land on it traditional aircraft, modified versions of the land-based Su-27, MiG-29 and Su-25. To do this, he had a significantly enlarged flight deck and a springboard for taking off aircraft. Construction for the first time in the USSR was carried out by a progressive method of forming a hull from large blocks weighing up to 1400 tons.
Even before the assembly was completed, after the death of Leonid Brezhnev, on November 22, 1982, the cruiser was renamed in his honor as Leonid Brezhnev. Launched on December 4, 1985, after which its completion afloat continued.
On August 11, 1987, it was renamed Tbilisi. On June 8, 1989, its mooring trials began, and on September 8, 1989, the crew moved in. On October 21, 1989, the unfinished and understaffed ship was put to sea, where it conducted a cycle of flight design tests of aircraft intended to be based on board. As part of these tests, the first takeoffs and landings of aircraft on it were made. On November 1, 1989, the first landings of the MiG-29K, Su-27K and Su-25UTG were made. The first takeoff from it was made by the MiG-29K on the same day and the Su-25UTG and Su-27K the next day, November 2, 1989. After completing the test cycle on November 23, 1989, he returned to the factory for completion. In 1990, he went to sea many times to carry out factory and state tests.
On October 4, 1990, it was renamed once again and became known as "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov."
Service
On November 1, 1989, for the first time in the USSR, a Su-27K fighter (test pilot V. G. Pugachev) landed on the deck of Tbilisi. On the same day, it took off for the first time from the deck using the MiG-29K springboard (test pilot T. O. Aubakirov). On August 1, 1990, state tests began. During the tests, 16,200 miles were covered, 454 aircraft flights were made. In May 1990, the ship was temporarily included in the 30th division of surface ships of the KChF.
On December 25, 1990, 8 years, 3 months and 24 days after the laying, the acceptance certificate of the cruiser was signed. On January 20, 1991, he was officially enrolled in the Northern Fleet, on January 20, the naval flag was raised on him. After the collapse of the USSR, due to fears of claims against it from the Ukrainian side, on December 1, 1991, it was urgently and secretly withdrawn from Sevastopol and began the transition to the Northern Fleet. On December 1-20, 1991, the cruiser made the transition around Europe to Severomorsk. In 1992-1994, various tests of the ship, its weapons and air group continued, the cruiser spent three to four months a year at sea, and participated in exercises. In 1993, the first serial Su-33s began to arrive for his air group. In the winter of 1994-1995, the main boilers were repaired.
In the year of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, on December 23, 1995, as part of a naval multipurpose group, he entered combat service in the Mediterranean Sea, having on board an air group consisting of 13 Su-33s, 2 Su-25UTGs and 11 helicopters. Gibraltar passed through 10 days of the campaign, January 4, 1996. January 7, 1996 anchored off the coast of Tunisia until January 17. An exchange of visits with the US Navy took place there, including landings of Russian helicopters on an American aircraft carrier and vice versa, as well as the transportation of Russian pilots on US aircraft. From January 28 to February 2 he made a business call to Tartus. February 4, entry to the island of Crete. February 17-18 made a visit to La Valletta. March 2 - air defense exercises by an aircraft carrier multi-purpose group with the development of Su-33 intercepts of aircraft and cruise missiles. March 6 - Passage of Gibraltar. At the final stage of the campaign, he took part in the command and staff exercises of the Northern Fleet. As part of the exercises, a conditional repulse of an attack by 4 Tu-22M3s was carried out. They were intercepted at a distance of 450 km from the center of the warrant. March 22, 1996 moored at the base. In fact, 12 air targets were intercepted, two foreign submarines were detected, artillery and missile weapons were fired, including the Granit missile system. The entire campaign was accompanied by serious problems with the main power plant, as a result of which the ship repeatedly lost its course and could not reach full speed, as well as various problems with ship systems.
From 1996 to 1998 it was under repair, which was greatly delayed as a result of underfunding. In 1998 he took part in major exercises of the Northern Fleet. In 1999, he twice went to sea for combat training. In 2000, he participated in major exercises during which the K-141 Kursk submarine was lost, and took part in a rescue operation. As a result of this tragedy, the second campaign of the cruiser for combat service in the Mediterranean Sea, which was supposed to take place at the end of 2000, was canceled.
From 2001 to 2004 was on a scheduled average repair. In 2004, as part of a group of 9 ships of the Northern Fleet, including the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the destroyer Admiral Ushakov and support vessels, he participated in a month-long voyage to the North Atlantic, during which flight and design tests of the Su-27KUB were also carried out. In 2005-2007, he carried out combat service, went to sea two or three times a year. On December 5, 2007, as part of a naval strike group, he entered his second campaign for military service in the Mediterranean Sea, which lasted until February 3, 2008.
On December 8, 2008, repairs were completed, which had been carried out for 7 months at the facilities of Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center JSC. The main power plant was updated on the ship, boiler equipment, air conditioning systems, and mechanisms for lifting aircraft to the flight deck were repaired. Cable routes were replaced, separate blocks of the cruiser's weapons systems were restored.
According to unconfirmed reports, from 2012 to 2017, a full-scale modernization will take place at the Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise.
prospects
At the moment, ships of this class are not being built in Russia. However, the construction of nuclear aircraft carriers is planned, according to plans, construction should begin between 2015 and 2020. According to unconfirmed reports, preliminary developments and planning for the layout of the future ship have already begun. According to fleet modernization plans, there should be one unit in each of the fleets, and one in reserve, in case another aircraft carrier is repaired.
On the this moment the ship is almost completely combat ready. The head missile system "Granit" is in service after repair, more than two-thirds of the anti-aircraft artillery in service, surveillance and guidance systems are more than 60% functional. The staffing of aviation is 80% of the planned one, which makes it possible to fully engage in combat training.
Incidents
The doctrine of the Russian Navy is such that it practically does not provide for the use of aircraft carriers. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is the huge financial costs of maintaining such courts. During the USSR, the first steps were taken towards their creation, but the only ship of this class in our country is the Admiral Kuznetsov. This aircraft carrier has a rather complex and interesting story creation and operation.
Surely not everyone knows that a total of five aircraft-carrying cruisers were built in the USSR. Where did the other four ships go? We will answer these questions, as well as discuss the main technical characteristics of the Admiral Kuznetsov ship. This aircraft carrier began to be designed shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union (together with other similar ships).
Basic information
The start of work on the project dates back to 1978. The Leningrad Design Bureau was responsible for the design activities. First, the engineers offered the military specialists project 1143, which provided for the construction of a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. The basis was based on long-standing work on the cruiser 1160 with a nuclear power plant.
Available next projects, implemented in the form of built ships or existed in the form of layouts and sketches:
- Sketch 1160, providing for the laying of an aircraft carrier, the displacement of which would be 80,000 tons.
- Type 1153. The displacement of this aircraft carrier was to be 70,00 tons, the project provided for a powerful armament of the ship (in addition to the aviation group itself). There are no built and laid down ships.
- The project, on the adoption of which the Minsudprom insisted. As in the first case, the displacement was to be 80,000 tons. It was envisaged that at least 70 units of aircraft and combat helicopters would be based on board.
- Project 1143 M. It was planned that the ship would be armed with Yak-41 supersonic vertical takeoff aircraft. The third aircraft carrier type 1143 - 1143.3. The ship was laid down in 1975. It was put into service seven years later, but already in 1993 it was decommissioned and cut into metal. The reason is "economic inexpediency of exploitation".
- Type 1143 A. It is similar to the ships of project 1143M, but an increased displacement was provided. This is the fourth aircraft carrier built in the USSR. The bookmark was made in 1978, officially entered the fleet in 1982. In 2004, an agreement was concluded to lease the ship to the Indian Navy, and it was modernized to suit their needs. He joined the Indian Navy three years ago, in 2012.
- Heavy aircraft carrier project 1143.5. As you might guess, this is another upgrade of type 1143. The fifth and last built aircraft carrier.
So where is Kuznetsov?
It is the last ship that is the Admiral Kuznetsov. By order of the Council of Ministers, this aircraft carrier began to be developed at the end of 1978.
It was project 1143.5. Final technical project The vessel was ready by the middle of 1980. Initially, it was assumed that the construction of the new ship would be fully completed by 1990. The laying was carried out on the stocks of the Nikolaev shipbuilding plant. But the Admiral Kuznetsov did not appear so easily. The aircraft carrier before its "birth into the world" went through many obstacles, as the timing of its construction and commissioning was constantly pushed back.
History of development and construction
The engineers prepared the initial draft design by 1979. Almost immediately, the document was approved by the commander of the Navy, who at that time was Admiral S. Gorshkov. The following year, D. Ustinov (the head of the entire army department) signs another document in which he affirms the need for fundamental changes in project 1143.5. Because of this, the deadline for the actual start of construction of the ship was almost immediately pushed back to 1986-1991.
But already in April 1980, S. Gorshkov claims new project, which has already been made all the necessary changes. Finally, in the summer of the same year, all parties involved in the development of the new ship recognize the development of the Type 1143.5 cruiser as finally completed.
But this project has not yet been completed. The snag came out in the list of necessary aviation weapons that should have been on the ship: it needed to be worked out in full accordance with the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which left a certain imprint on the speed of work. At the end of the year, the design of the ship 1143.5 is again subject to adjustment.
Some experts at that time expressed the opinion that it would be more expedient to build a second cruiser under project 1143.4 (1143 A), and not waste time and money on finalizing the drawings of a new one. However, this idea was soon abandoned, and project 1143.4 itself was finalized to stage 1143.42.
New delays
At the beginning of the spring months of 1981, the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant received a long-awaited order for the construction of a new cruiser. But already in the fall, significant changes were again made to the long-suffering project: the displacement of the ship needed to be increased immediately by 10 thousand tons.
As a result, the current value of this indicator is 67 thousand tons. Among other things, the designers found it necessary to add the following innovations to the sketches:
- It was necessary to install the Granit anti-ship missiles on board the vessel.
- The need to increase the aviation group immediately to 50 units.
- Most importantly, the planes had to be launched without the use of a catapult, by a simple trampoline method. This not only reduced the cost of construction, but also significantly extended the technical life of the cruiser.
The final model of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" was ready only in 1982. They laid it down in September of the same year at the Nikolaev shipyards, initially assigning the name "Riga" and the number (according to the factory catalog) 105. Just two months later, the ship is renamed, after which it turns into "Leonid Brezhnev". Already in December, the installation of the first structural block was in full swing. In general, it was the first cruiser in the history of Soviet shipbuilding, which consisted entirely of blocks (24 pieces).
The length of each was about 32 meters, the height was 13 meters. The weight of each element sometimes reached 1.7 thousand tons. By the way, all superstructures of the huge ship are also made according to the block scheme. But not only this is unique "Admiral Kuznetsov". The aircraft carrier, the characteristics of which we describe in this article, with the normal operation of the supply plants, could be built in three to four years, which is an absolute record for ships of this class.
Alas, the unhurried work of the factories slowed down its entry into the Soviet Navy several times.
Onboard systems installation
The order for all power and power plants was made for 1983-1984. The factories failed: they deviated greatly from the schedule, as a result of which, for the installation of engines and turbines, it was necessary to partially disassemble the hull and in some areas remove the upper deck. The French from a spy satellite first captured the ship in 1984. At that time, its readiness was already at least 20%.
The cruiser was lowered from the stocks at the end of 1985. The weight of the hull and the systems mounted at that time did not exceed 32 thousand tons. Experts estimated the readiness of the aircraft carrier at 38.5%.
The following year, the changes again affected the Admiral Kuznetsov (aircraft carrier). The designer of project 1143.5 has changed, P. Sokolov has become it. By the middle of 1987, the ship was renamed for the third time. This time it is TAKR "Tbilisi". Readiness approached 57%. By that time, the cruiser could be approximately 71% complete, but due to equipment suppliers, the project was repeatedly rudely stalled. Only by the end of 1989, readiness began to reach 70%.
The cost of the ship in those years was estimated at 720 million rubles, and the rise in price by 200 million was caused precisely by the delays of suppliers. In response to this, the chief designer was again changed, which this time was L. Belov. The ship was approximately 80% complete. By that time, more than half of all radio-electronic equipment had been installed on the ship, and most of it could only be delivered by 1989 (and the delivery was scheduled for 1984).
First time out to sea
The first exit to the sea dates back to October 20, 1989. It was officially authorized and approved by all project participants. In principle, by that time the ship was finally completely ready, but the aviation group had not yet been delivered. The campaign lasted a little more than one month. When was the first landing on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov made? It happened on the first of November 1989. The Su-27K aircraft was the first to start testing. Immediately after landing, the MiG-29K left the deck, with which there were no problems either.
All weapons and radio systems were installed only in 1990. But still, the readiness of the cruiser reaches 87%. In the spring and summer of the same year, sea trials of the ship began. Finally, in October of the same year, the ship acquires its final name. Now this is the same Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov".
During the first stage of testing alone, the cruiser covered more than 16,000 nautical miles under its own power, aircraft took off almost 500 times from its deck. Not a single landing on the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" ended in an emergency, which for the first time tested ships is just a great indicator!
The first tests were completed at the end of 1990. Until 1992, the final stage of the State acceptance took place (as part of the Black Sea Fleet), after which the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was included in the Northern Fleet.
Basic information on the design of the ship
As we have already said, the ship consists of exactly 24 blocks, each of which weighs about 1.5 thousand tons. The hull was made by welding, has seven decks and two huge platforms at once. To lift parts of this size and mass, Soviet engineers had to use Finnish Kane cranes, each of which could lift up to 900 tons to the required height. The peculiarity of the ship is also that its entire body is covered with a special coating that effectively absorbs the signal of enemy radars.
By the way, about the recent modernization that the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" has undergone. The latest news suggests that this composition has been significantly improved, so that the ability of a huge ship to literally "dissolve" in the open sea has become even more impressive.
Other figures
If (very conventionally) we divide the ship into average floors of a residential building, then their number will be 27. In general, there are 3857 rooms inside the cruiser at once, which perform a variety of functions. It is worth noting that there are only 387 cabins (which are divided into four classes), 134 sailors' quarters, six huge dining rooms, and fifty well-equipped showers for personnel. Thus, the Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" is a real floating city! Its autonomy is one and a half months.
It may seem that this is not enough. But this is until you find out the number of crew and flight personnel. There are more than 1.5 thousand people on board. Pilots - 626 people. Just imagine the laboriousness of providing food and drink for more than two thousand people for a month and a half on the high seas! So the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov", whose dimensions can really amaze the imagination, is indeed monumental.
In total, during the construction of the ship, engineers used more than four thousand (!) Kilometers of cable, 12 thousand kilometers of pipes for the circulation of liquids for various purposes. The through deck area is 14,000 m². It ends with a springboard, the slope of which is 14.3 degrees in its steepest part. The springboard at its highest point rises 28 meters above the water. The maximum speed is 32 knots. In economy mode, the ship accelerates to 16 knots.
Deck and runways
Special fairings are installed on the edges of the deck and the bow springboard itself. Aircraft are delivered to the landing deck of the cruiser using lifts, the carrying capacity of which is 40 tons each. Aviation units are delivered to the stern and bow. The width of the deck is 67 meters. The total length of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" is 304.5 meters.
The draft depth of the giant cruiser is 10.5 meters.
A section of the deck 250 meters long and 26 meters wide is intended directly for landing. It is located with a slope of seven degrees. To cover this area, scientists once developed special composition"Omega", which prevents slipping and protects the deck material from extreme high temperatures. For the areas from which the Yak-41 vertical planes take off and land, heat-resistant plates AK-9FM are used.
The total number of launch strips is two, and they converge at the highest point of the springboard, which generally distinguishes the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov from other ships of a similar class. The star located on its stem emphasizes the majestic and formidable features of the huge cruiser.
On the left side there is an alternate runway, the length of which is already 180 meters. To protect the maintenance personnel, deflectors equipped with powerful cooling systems are mounted throughout the deck. To ensure the safe landing of flight units, Svetlana-2 arresters are used. In the event of an emergency, there is an installation (emergency barrier) with the "talking" name "Nadezhda". The Luna-3 telemetry and control system is responsible for landing aircraft.
Survivability Service
To store most of the air group, a special protective hangar is 153 meters long and 26 meters wide. The height of this office space is 7.2 meters. The hangar houses approximately 70% of all flight units of the ship. In addition, fire engines and emergency tractors are also located in it. Planes are taken out of the hangar in a semi-automatic mode, while tractors drive them along the deck. The entire hangar is divided by four special "curtains", which are mounted in order to increase fire safety.
To increase the "survivability" of his ship internal partitions made according to the sandwich scheme - with alternating layers of steel and fiberglass. The yield strength of the metal used for the construction of partitions is 60 kgf/mm². All tanks of tankers, premises and vehicles for the transport of ammunition are protected by a layer of armor.
"Kuznetsov" is also unique in that it (for the first time in the history of domestic shipbuilding) uses underwater combined protection. Its depth is about five meters. The ship can withstand the flooding of five adjacent compartments at once, the total length of which is approximately 60 meters.
"Reports from the fronts"
By the way, where is the famous aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov located now? News reports that the ship and her crew are currently in Severomorsk, having returned from a long training cruise in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In its course, deck-level aircraft and helicopters repeatedly practiced air combat and preventive interception of targets.
That's where the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is now. It should be noted that at any time he can withdraw from the parking lot and once again go on a long trip.
.
About how much and what aircraft able to take on board a Russian aircraft carrier, probably, even those who have little interest in the fleet thought about it. For quite a long time, the author of the blog believed that he knew the answer to this question, while unclear doubts. did not shake his picture of the world. giving rise to this article.
ill. 1. TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" with 16
(!
) Aircraft on the flight deck: 9 Su-33, 2 Su-25UTG, 5 Ka-27/29 - Atlantic, 01/18/2008 (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru, 3190
pix.)
Theory
The most authoritative sources (*) agree that the size of the Kuznetsov air group under the project is 50 (fifty) aircraft, namely : 26 Su-27K (Su-33), 4 Ka-252 RLD(Ka-31), 18 Ka-27(PL), 2 Ka-27PS. The project developer (Nevskoye Design Bureau) gives 40 LA ( link 1 ), Defense Department - 36 (12 Su-33 and 24- ! Ka-27, link 2 ). The scatter of values is most likely caused by the accounting / non-accounting of aircraft on the flight deck (about 30% , more specifically - 14/36 ). On the other hand, according to (conditional) design standards (one aircraft per 1000 tons standard - A.Sh. displacement, link 3 ) it turns out 46-47 aircraft and helicopters, according to the blog author (D Pwave /1250) - 47 (**).
(*) In addition to the direct participation of V. Zablotsky in the construction and testing of aircraft-carrying cruisers, confidence in his data is due to the fact that the author gives not only standard, normal and full displacement (which in itself is impressive), but also the corresponding average drafts with centimeter accurate ( !
),
.
thus demonstrating the highest aerobatics in the field of technical literary seascapes.
(**) Standard displacement TAVKR project 11435 - 46 540
t, full - 59 100
t .
Practice
For 25 years (without 13 days) as part of the Navy of the USSR and the Russian Federation, "Admiral Kuznetsov" recorded in his asset seven combat services: five in the Mediterranean and two in the northeast Atlantic. With the exception of the very first BS, the exact number of aircraft on board is unknown, but there are observations of a colleague Polikarpoff(forums.airforce.ru participant), who recorded the side numbers of all Su-33s that were captured in the video and photo reports ( link 4 ) (the author of the blog is ready to confirm the accuracy of the information on the BS 2013-2014). Below are all available data on the TAVKR air group in all its long-distance campaigns:
1
)
23.12.1995-22.03.1996
, Mediterranean Sea -26
LA:
13
Su-33 (w / n61, 64, 65, 67, 76, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88
and experienced109
blue),2
Su-25UTG,11
Ka-27/27PS/29 (*
)
;
2
)
27.09-24.10.2004
, North Atlantic - minimum7
Su-33 (60, 67, 68, 80, 82, 85, 88
) and2
Su-25UTG (07, 14
)
;
3
)
23.08-14.09.2005
, North Atlantic - Su-33 b / n was lost due to a break in the arrester cable82
, on other sides- n/a ;
4
)
05.12.2007-03.02.2008
, Mediterranean - minimum10
Su-33 (60, 61, 66, 72, 79, 80, 81, 86, 87, 88
) and2
Su-25UTG (08, 11
)
;
5
)
05.12.2008-27.02.2009
, Mediterranean - minimum_
8
Su-33 (60, 61, 64, 68, 72, 76, 81, 88
) and1
Su-25UTG (08
)
;
6
)
06.12.2011-17.02.2012
,
Mediterranean - minimum10
Su-33 (62, 66, 68, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 86, 87
)
;
7
)
17.12.2013-17.05.2014
, Mediterranean - minimum_
6
Su-33 (62, 66, 68, 76, 77, 78
) (BS 2-7 - only seen cars).
( * ) During the transition from Ireland to Gibraltar, the SF ship group got into a storm, which is why it was decided to postpone the planned flights until they arrived in the Mediterranean Sea.. This fact is interesting in that it allows you to indirectly estimate the capacity of the hangar, since in stormy conditions all 26 aircraft were most likely removed from the flight deck.
It is clear that the given census of boards (most likely incomplete) does not reflect the real "aircraft capacity" of the aircraft carrier, but only states the lack of Su-33s in airworthy condition and, possibly, trained flight personnel. At the same time, the chronic understaffing of the air group not only gets on the nerves, but also greatly diminishes the combat capabilities of the Kuznetsov in the eyes of potential adversaries and potential allies.
ill. 2. TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov", Atlantic, 01/18/2008 (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru, 3160
pix.)
hangar geometry
Aviation hangar TAVKR pr. 11435 has dimensions 153 X 26,0 X 7,2 m, an area of 3,980 m2 and a volume of 28,640 m3, it occupies 57 % length and 74 % of the width of the ship in DWL (for "Nimitz" - 66 % and 82 % ). Aircraft lifts - two (16x14 m): in front of the "island" and behind it, both - on the starboard side. The aircraft transportation system in the hangar is semi-automatic chain, from the hangar to the lift platforms - using tractors.. There are turning circles in front of the lifts for quick orientation of the aircraft with the keel to the side.
To date, the greatest contribution to understanding the capacity of the hangar, without a doubt, was made by a colleagueparalay - the author of the diagram below (ill. 3). A test with passion :) showed a good correspondence of its elements to the available data: the dimensions of the hangar, the location and length of the lifts, the proportions of the Su-33 with folded wings, stabilizers and a VTG boom and Ka-27 with folded blades ( 20,7 X 7,4 and 12,25 X 4,0 m). The seeming implausibility of a very dense placement of aircraft - "jack" (*) four in a row, is refuted by the photograph following the diagram (ill. 4). The only remark concerns the scattering of helicopters over free "patch" - in practice, they are also likely to moor in orderly rows ( ill. 1 2 ). In addition, we should not forget that in addition to the aircraft, some part of the hangar area is occupied by vehicles for their maintenance (fire, gas-jet, tractors - ill. 13).
(*) "Valet" was born exactly 40 years ago: "The design capacity of the hangar [TAVKR pr. 1143] was 22 aircraft, but after the Minister of Defense Marshal A. Grechko visited Kyiv in 1975, times, the layout of the aircraft in the hangar was revised.After the minister canceled the ban on the mandatory clearance between them of 0.75 m and the . hangar capacity increased to 36 LAC ".
ill. 3. The layout of the Su-33 and Ka-27 in the hangar TAVKR pr. 11435 withparalay.iboards.ru
(original - click)
ill. 4. Dense deployment of the Su-33 in combat service in 1995-96.-
"Jack" four in a row (in the middle row)
Flight Deck Geometry
On the solid flight deck of an aircraft carrier with a length 305 m, wide 70 m and an area of 14,800 m2, there are three starting positions: No. 1 and No. 2 - in front of the springboard (running 105 m), No. 3 - in the middle part of the corner deck (run 195 m), and nine technical - along the "island" and behind the aft lift. The same number of runways for shipborne helicopters (plus one "overlap" for the base Mi-8) are marked at the springboard and on the corner deck, which is why during takeoff and landing operations of aircraft squadrons for mooring helicopters cannot be used. In this case, the Ka-31 and Ka-27PS on duty, the need for which may arise at any moment, can wait for their turn on the free deck area, in the very stern on the starboard side - where the Yak- 41M and forward. (similar to how the leftmost Ka-29 stands in Fig. 14).
ill. 5. Plan of the flight deck TAVKR pr. 11435 (break in the center - due to a scanning defect). Some designations: 6 - runway for Ka-27/29/31 helicopters; 9, 10, 20 - Su-33, respectively, in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd starting positions; 26 - estimated point of touching the deck with the hook of the aircraft; 27 - runway for a Mi-8 helicopter; 31 - Su-33 in a technical position; 32 - VTOL Yak-41M at the technical position
Outdoor mooring
Even after a cursory preliminary acquaintance with the features of the TAVKR hangar, it becomes clear that one cannot hope for a comfortable basing in a heated splash-proof room of a full-fledged air group corresponding to the displacement of the ship. There is no other way to increase the number of aircraft on board,. except to carry them on the flight deck throughout the entire combat service - both in a storm and in a cold. Regarding negative temperatures and the icing they cause, we can immediately say : to the Arctic and the winter North Atlantic with an air group reinforced by "deck" aircraft "Kuznetsov" the road is ordered.. We can only talk about a few duty aircraft and helicopters. (for example, 2 Su-33, Ka-31 and Ka-27PS), heated in the hangar on a rotational basis.
As for the storm (rolling, flooding and heavy wind), things are somewhat better. They say that US Navy aircraft carriers with their 20-meter freeboard have no problems at all in fresh weather - the waves simply don’t reach the deck, and the aircraft’s mooring in a storm allows you not to worry about non-combat losses of valuable combat units (although this, of course, , no one is insured) (*). The almost 17-meter side height of 11435 (versus 13.5 m for other 1143) allows us to think that everything is more or less successful with it, and half a century of experience in operating deck-based aircraft - to hope that our today's "moorings" (lashings) ) is no worse than American ones (**).
(*) An American technician who served on the "Coral-Sea" in paints talks about how . how once I almost flew overboard on my Skyhawk, and our compatriot, who served the Yak-38 on Minsk, about the loss, thank God, of an empty car on one of the BS in equatorial latitudes: link 5 . It is worth paying attention to the following facts from the memoirs of an American: each Skyhawk was fastened with nine chains - three for each landing gear, and when a warning was received about a possible meeting with a typhoon. (this is no longer a storm, this is - Hurricane), . the flight director ordered to additionally secure the machines with storm ends - three steel cables. Aircraft in the hangar didn't clean up.
(**) "All aircraft attachment points are designed for roll up to 40 degrees, while forces up to 10 tons can occur on one node, and we calculated and tested them with a double load of 20 tons and there were four such nodes for each aircraft. Helicopters were attached In 1988, on the "Baku" in the North Atlantic, we got into a severe storm that lasted a week and the roll reached 25 degrees with the dampers turned on ... there was not a single aircraft on the deck (streams of water rushed through it), everything is in the hangar, but not a single aircraft was torn off the mounts, which are similar to those on the flight deck "(V. Babich - link 6 ).
The deceptive small size of the MiG
At one time, the Su-33 (Su-27K) almost lost its place on the deck of an aircraft carrier due to the fact that its overall width is much larger than that of the MiG-29K of the 1988 model (9.8 versus 7. 8 m), did not allow to place a sufficient number of vehicles on board. As a result, the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau created small miracle, folding the wing not at half the length of the console, but 1/4 from the center section (and with it also the stabilizer), as a result of which the "Dry" became 40 cm more compact than the MiG! Today, the situation is exactly the opposite. - in the sense that now the MiG-29K with a wing folding in the middle of the console is holding back the build-up of the TAVKR air group (more on that later).
ill. 6 . Signature - on the illustration. Note: "The overall width of the aircraft with folded wings (without suspension devices - beam holders, aircraft catapults and APU - A.Sh.) - 7.46 m. The span of the stabilizer is 7.695 m ".
On ill. 6 shows the MiG-29KUB for the Indian Navy, however, the hope that during the "Russification" of the naval MiG its wing was optimized for hangar 11435, collapses after viewing photographs of the first batch of aircraft (n/n 31 and 50), which clearly show that the console folding line is in the same place as that of the Indian "prototype" (ill. 15, 16). Hope that the wing of the sides of the release of 2014-2015. arranged otherwise, it would be naive. It is unlikely that the issue of reducing the size of the MiG was not raised at all - most likely, at one of the interdepartmental meetings_ it was decided not to include the alteration of the wing in the R&D, so as not to delay the adoption of the new aircraft by the Navy MA.
Let's play airplanes
To solve the task - to assess the real (achievable in practice) composition of the updated Kuznetsov air group - based on the layoutparalay to the best of the author's modest capabilities, a new layout of the aircraft in the hangar of an aircraft carrier was drawn. The result not only lived up to expectations, but also did not disappoint - three two-section aircraft squadrons (one Su-33 and two MiG-29K) and one helicopter squadron fit in the hangar, in total32 aircraft (ill. 7).
A much greater effect from the introduction of MiGs into the air group (compared to the original versionparalay ) could be observed when finalizing the MiG-29K wing in order to reduce the overall width. As seen in Fig. 8, in this case, four more aircraft could be placed in the hangar, making one assault (fighter-bomber) squadron three-tier and bringing the total number of aircraft to36 .
ill. Fig. 7. Option for placing an aircraft in the hangar of the TAVKR pr. 11435 with the regular folding of the MiG-29K (UB) wing
ill. eight.The option of placing the aircraft in the hangar TAVKR pr. 11435 with "space-saving" folding of the MiG-29K (UB) wing
On the flight deck, in a not too harsh climate, 12 aircraft can be additionally placed (moored) (three Su-33s at launch positions and another Su-33 and 8 MiGs at technical ones) and at least two helicopters. On a combat alert, it will be possible to quickly raise a flight of heavy fighters into the air, thereby ensuring long-range reconnaissance and air defense in a threatened direction. Further - according to the circumstances: either saturate air escorts with "Dry", or raise the first wave of MiGs to attack coastal targets or an enemy ship grouping. With an empty deck (in the "everything in the hangar" option), the procedure is approximately the same: first, 4 Su-33s leave the garage on the aft lift, Ka-31 and Ka-27PS on the bow, then the rest of the Sukhoi or MiGs.
Conclusion
According to the author, the above quite convincingly demonstrates the possibility of basing a full-fledged air group on 11435, which significantly expands the scope of combat use not only for a single ship, but also for the Russian Navy as a whole. Of course, it will be possible to speak of true "fullness" only when the landing gear wheels of the long-awaited RLD aircraft touch the flight deck, and if Russian aircraft designers manage to create a "hokai" capable of taking off without a catapult (from the 3rd starting position),. such a machine can already be seen at Kuznetsov. In the meantime, the Russian aircraft carrier will have an air group of approximately the same composition:
46 aircraft, about80% which are first-class fighters and fighter-bombers, and 70% can be based in a hangar - not a bad result at all. It remains only to wish that the RAC MiG finalized the wing of its aircraft in order to bring the size of the air group to the cherished 50 aircraft. Another wish applies to the officers of the Department of Shipbuilding and Armament of the Navy, the scientists of the Krylov Research Center and the designers of the Nevsky Design Bureau, who are working on the appearance of a new aircraft carrier : to minimize the impact of stormy weather and negative (arctic and subarctic) temperatures on the combat potential of the Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet, the fleet needs aircraft carriers with large hangars - as large as technically possible.■
Sources (a hyphen can be used to indicate the page number).
1. Yu. Apalkov "Attack ships", Moscow, Morkniga, 2010.
2. V. Zablotsky "Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov", "Marine Collection" No. 7/2005, supplement to the magazine "Model Designer".
3. A. Fomin "Su-33. Ship epic", M., RA Intervestnik, 2003.
4. S. Shumilin, N. Okolelov, A. Chechin, "Nuclear aircraft carrierUSS Nimitz", "Marine Collection" No. 7/2008, supplement to the magazine "Modeler-Constructor".
5. G. Belov "Atlantic squadron. 1968-2005", Moscow, Horizon, 2015.
6. A. Fomin "MiG-29K: the main weapon of the new Indian aircraft carriers", Vzlyot magazine No. 2/2005.
ill. 10. Hangar "Kuznetsov": close to the right - stern lift, in the distance - bow, straight ahead - turning circle, "nuts" in the foreground (at a distance they look like rivets) - mooring knots (photo from sam7 from forums.airbase.ru, 2650 pix.)
ill. eleven . Relatively free placement of the Su-33 in the hangar; clearly visible (especially when magnified) mooring knots (with slots like keyholes) and chain "moorings" - mooring devices, lashings(date and author - n/a)
ill. 12
. Placement of Ka-27 helicopters in "orderly rows" in a half-empty hangar - with large gaps between the machines (apparently, if necessary, the gap can be significantly reduced)(12/17/07, information about the author is missing)
ill. 13. Motorcade No. 063: few category C drivers can boast of driving skills on the high seas :) (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru)
ill. 14. Aft section of the flight deck of "Admiral Kuznetsov" during the BS 1995-96. .. The Ka-29 is of interest. moored like that. not to interfere. aircraft passages above the deck with touch . and landing on arresters
ill. 15. MiG-29K b / n 31 "blue" from the first batch (4 cars, late 2013) with folded wing panels, 08/26/2015 (photo vechernin from russianplanes.net)
ill. 16. MiG-29KUB b / n 50 "blue" from the first batch (4 cars, late 2013) with folded wing panels, 09/26/2015 (photo by Anton Gromov from russianplanes.net)
The editors received a letter from a serviceman who served for some time on the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov". We think this material will be of interest to the reader, since the process of reducing our fleet, sadly enough, is ongoing. And the more important is the competent, high-quality and full-fledged operation of those few modern ships that remain in our fleet.
With a guide to the Ark
First - a small description of the size and general location of the only Russian aircraft carrier.
The total displacement of the Kuznetsov has now probably already exceeded 60,000 tons. Its maximum length is more than 300 m, and its width is 72 m.
The main power plant of the ship, at will various kinds leaders from our recent past, made by a boiler turbine, and not nuclear (like the Americans) - a four-shaft, with a total power of 200,000 hp, previously provided a speed of 29 knots (but this was back in 1990).
The ship has 8 superstructure tiers, 7 decks and 2 platforms, bow and stern MKOs (4 boilers and 2 GTZA each), 5 power compartments (with diesel and steam turbine generators); a hangar with a length of more than 150 and a width of 26 m, occupying the space between the 2nd and 5th decks in height and connected to the flight deck by two aircraft lifts approximately 14x16 m in size (if not for their onboard location, lift our Su -33 with a length of about 21 m would be simply impossible), as many as 6 galleys, a punishment cell and its own guardhouse.
Perhaps it is quite enough for a narrative, the purpose of which is not a technical description of the ship, but an outline of its "social position".
For convenience, the entire ship is divided into "descent" - from the 1st to the 53rd. The same system was used on the ships of project 1143. For those who were not there, we explain: all ladders (except for the "island") are numbered; at the same time, the ladders, located one below the other, carry one number, even on the port side, and odd - on the starboard side.
Example. Suppose you need to send a messenger - "golden hooves" (I beg your pardon, the defender of the fatherland, that is, a sailor) to the command communications post (CPC). And he, a sailor, although he served a year, still does not know where this KPS is located (a common occurrence). Then he should say: "Go to the 17th gathering, 4th deck, in the KPS."
Now let's walk around the ship. First, we will climb aboard the aircraft carrier along the gangway. It is located in the midship area on the starboard side (if the Kuznetsov is in the factory). On the platform of the right gangway (4th deck) we will be met by the watch officer on the gangway, with a dagger, and a marine with a bayonet-knife. If you make a "statutory face", it is quite possible to pass for your own (documents on the gangway are rarely checked) and enter the ship. Having risen to the 3rd tier of the superstructure (residential), we will start the inspection from here.
Here, assistant commanders and the commander of the EMBCH ("chief mechanic") live in single cabins. Going down, on the ladder we run into a "checkpoint". It is worth talking about this phenomenon separately, especially since there is no such type of watch on any other ship. A "block post" is a sailor on military service who acts as a watchman of a certain area (deck, gangway, etc.) under his control. He guards not secret objects at all, but electric bulbs, fire hoses, fire extinguishers, stands, loud ringing bells, etc. And since a sailor can fall asleep, leave, and finally, this wealth can be taken away from him at night, there is also a safety net. So, fire extinguishers and fire hoses can be omitted at all - and indeed, you will not find them anywhere on the ship. The only exception is the time of the "highest" reviews, when the ship is bypassed by the "E.I.V." with retinue (commander, first mate, etc.). Then everything that is is exposed, and "checkpoints" are necessarily doubled. An inquisitive reader may ask: "But what about the light bulbs? After all, you can't take them off, otherwise how can you walk in complete darkness?" I hasten to reassure you: this problem has long been solved at a high ideological and technical level. Light bulbs: a) glue epoxy resin; b) they are wound with wire - preferably barbed; c) supply current to the wire or ceiling. All of these are usually used in combination. And still, those damn light bulbs steal.
Let's get back to our walk. A tier below lives the commander and flagships, here is a "checkpoint", which means light and carpets. Let's go down to the second, gallery deck, located between the hangar and the flight deck. There are "checkpoints" here, which means there is light. But do not flatter yourself, because the BC-5 is always ready to "help", so the flashlight (without it there is nowhere here) must be kept on "tovs". Having descended to the deck below, we will pass along the 3rd deck of the port side (it is walkable from bow to stern). Here, too, "checkpoints" and light.
Now let's turn on the flashlight and go down even lower... Here we will witness another aircraft carrier miracle that makes this ship unlike any other. You can walk along the light-filled clean 3rd deck, but as soon as you go down, you find yourself in the "catacombs" - with torn posts, abandoned cabins, all this is without light and is very often flooded (sometimes sewage, so the smell is "high quality"). Below is the same. Of course, this is not everywhere (no more than 60% of exits below the 3rd deck). If you find yourself at a lighted gathering, it means that there are cockpits or warehouses of the supply service.
We go down even lower, into the hold. There everything is in fuel oil and water, here and there - heaps of garbage (it is far to carry it to the pier, and they are allowed there only at a certain time, and tidying up on the ship is always done, so they throw garbage into the hold). Do you know how much fuel oil and water we have in our holds? How much, how much? 50 tons, you say? Sorry, this is inappropriate. After all, we are an aircraft carrier, not some gunboat. Then 500. Well, impressive - read, 10 railway tanks. Still wrong - add another zero, and it will be just right. Dissatisfied exclamations from the outside are possible: they say, they swam, we know, and we had this, we lived only in the superstructure. May I know what ship this is? Ah, BOD "Udaloy"! This is the one that is already 10 years after the fire in the sludge, and the crew on it is 30 people. Sorry, the comparison is incorrect, because we are not telling you about a sludge ship, but about an entire aircraft carrier that goes to sea!
We declare with all responsibility that there is simply no second such ship. Now in the Northern Fleet all ships are divided into two groups: "running", i.e. clean, tidy and ready to go to sea, but stopped due to lack of fuel, and ships "slack" (they are now the majority). "Kuznetsov" is the only hybrid, "running-sucks."
Facilities in the yard
Please note: when they talk about some kind of miracle ship, they first give the number of guns, their caliber, armor thickness, etc., and only then, in between times, and even then rarely - about the living conditions of the crew. Meanwhile, this is not entirely true, because it is the crew that operates all this variety of weapons. Therefore, in order to avoid this error, we will pay special attention to the crew habitation conditions.
The first thing to note is the lack of heating on the ship, which, you see, is important for the North. There are many reasons for this, but perhaps the main one is the lack of a permanent auxiliary boiler. Therefore, the couple household needs is taken from the power plant, which is very expensive, because requires not ordinary, but special boiler water, which is always scarce in the fleet. You can still apply steam from the ENS (energy-carrying vessel pr. 305), but the pressure from there - "the cat cried" (and in the winter of 1998/1999 nothing was supplied at all). As a result, steam is supplied for heating periodically, which is not provided for in the system, because. no condensate drain. The steam heating system runs along the BPTZ (on-board anti-torpedo protection) or, as it is called on the ship, pipe corridors, i.e. along the side. Therefore, when the steam supply stops, the pipes freeze very quickly. And then everything is like in a physics textbook: the condensate turns into ice, the ice expands, the pipe bursts. As a result, there is no heating, no heat, there is frost on the bulkheads in places, and ice on the deck. The crew, even in the hangar, is built in overcoats. If it's +5°C in the cockpit or cabin, then that's good, but if it's +12-15°, that's, excuse me, nobility!
In such an environment, only heating pads save. Since it is expensive to buy them, and it is difficult to get a ship's one, they are "molded" by whoever is into what. The authorities, on the other hand, seize "non-standard electrical equipment", while its owners receive "awards". But the cold is not an aunt, and the ranks of those who dream of an individual electric sun do not grow dim.
Most often, it is not the heating pads that burn, but the transformers of the lighting network. They are simply not designed for the loads that the heating pads hung on them give. As a result, the voltage in the network is always significantly lower than the TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" on the North Sea roadstead of the regular one (100 V instead of 127 - far from the limit). It adds fuel to the fire and the absence of a 220 V network in the cabins (there is only 127 V that no one needs), so everyone tries to use 220 V for themselves. B, the third one drags kilometer-long wires from rare 220 V shields. And this, in turn, contributes to numerous short circuits.
But the cold is terrible not only for this. They permeate the entire ship's life. After all, not only condensate freezes - the same thing happens with other pipes in which there is water. For this reason, all cabins on the 2nd deck (and this is almost 60% of all ship cabins) are not supplied with water either in winter or in summer. Not a single officer's shower works. Therefore, the slogan of equality and fraternity is especially applicable here, everyone - both sailors and officers - wash in the bow (stern does not work) personnel bath. Of course, this does not apply to the command - they have their own shower.
Water is not supplied to all galleys. The lack of runoff from the cabins has also become a common thing in winter. Accordingly, it is hard on the ship and with latrines. There are more than fifty of them in total, but a good half do not work, and a significant part of the rest are locked up: if you are not the happy owner of the "golden key", then you have less "good", especially since the RF Ministry of Defense is always ready to go in this regard towards.
Winter 1998/1999 even the pipes in one of the main boilers froze.
It's also bad with ventilation - 50% of the fan motors burned out long ago. And without ventilation, it is difficult, because, unlike other ships, there are few portholes here, and the vast majority of living quarters do not have them at all. So only forced ventilation is possible, and if it is not there, the cabin will smell like mold, condensation will drip from the ceiling, and stuffiness - "even hang an ax."
Finally, it is worth talking about our wardroom. As such, it does not exist, but there is a dining room for officers, where they, in the amount of more than 150 people, only eat - and nothing more. In terms of space, it looks more like a rural canteen for machine operators during the harvest. There are no tablecloths at all, knives are also an excess, dishes are not that completely dirty, but it is still better to wipe cutlery "before use". They cook, in principle, well, and the products are good by today's naval standards. However, all this may not be enough, because. stealing in the cafeteria. Therefore, it is better not to be late for the wardroom. Probably, it would have been wiser to make several wardrooms (for example, for each warhead).
All the king's men
What a nightmare, who will live in such conditions? I'm telling.
It was assumed that one and a half thousand people would serve on the Kuznetsov (without an air group and landing), but gradually the crew grew to 2000. The commander is a rear admiral (this is the only floating admiral!), He has a number of assistants: first mate (captain of the 1st rank) , assistant, education assistant, combat control assistant, aviation assistant, survivability assistant, and legal work assistant. The ship has seven combat units, four services and three teams: navigational (BCh-1), rocket and artillery (BCh-2), mine and torpedo (BCh-3), communications (BCh-4), electromechanical (BCh-5) , aviation (BCh-6) and radio engineering (BCh-7); medical, chemical, survivability services (this is only on Kuznetsov); management teams ("KU"), boatswain ("BK") and commandant's. There is also "RO" - a security company that performs the functions of a ship's OMON.
A little more about our organization. We have an average of 10 builds per day, each lasting about 35 minutes (thus, we spend almost 65 days on builds per year). At the formations they always say: "The crew of the AIRLINE CARRIER ... is built." And in general, the command always emphasizes that we serve on the aircraft carrier. Let me remind you that no one has yet changed the classification of ships of the Russian Navy, and there is no aircraft carrier there, there is only a heavy aircraft carrier cruiser. Yes, and the planes on our ship are rare, and they visit it in rather pitiful numbers. And the commander likes to say at formations (he generally likes to talk at formations for at least half an hour): "We must work out an aircraft carrier organization." And this is on the fifth TAKR!
With officers, midshipmen and contract service sailors going ashore on the Kuznetsov, it’s tough. Here is a "two-shift": one week is released on Monday and Wednesday, from 18.00 to 7.30, and also on Saturday, from 18.00 to 7.30 Monday; and next week - from 18.00 Tuesday to 7.30 and from 18.00 Thursday to 7.30 Saturday. It turns out that in one week you rest 64.5 hours, and in the second - 51 out of 168. Forget about the "status of a soldier" with all his days off - the laws of the Russian Federation do not apply here (as, indeed, on most other ships). True, some benefits are still being implemented: for example, you can get an apartment almost free of charge, but - in the village of Vidyaevo, and this is at the "hell on the horns", and it takes four hours to get there by bus. And you will see your family once a week. You understand that only special people can serve in such conditions.
Our bosses are amazing too. On April 12, the whole country celebrates Cosmonautics Day, and we celebrate the Day of our leadership, which soars in the clouds, while we, sinners, walk the earth. From this style of command you feel like a pygmy.
After all that has been said, it is not surprising that "Kuznetsov" is notorious. The authorities everywhere scare like that: "If you behave badly, we will send to Kuznetsov (nickname -" Kuzya ")". Well, those who are "lucky" to get to serve on the Kuznetsov do not really want to serve there. Hence the high staff turnover. Every 4-5 years (at the end of the contract) the junior officers - and this is the main backbone of the ship - changes by 80%. Experienced ones leave, and "green" ones come in their place. The same applies to midshipmen. All this clearly does not contribute to the improvement of the operation of equipment. In connection with such conditions, a contract after military service on an aircraft carrier is concluded only by those who are not at all suitable for a "citizen" - and this, you see, is far from the best "human material". It is no coincidence that not all officers consider it desirable to have "contract servicemen" on board.
As for the personnel, i.e. sailors, then looking at them, you believe that the USSR is alive, lives and will live. What nationalities are not here! Russians - no more than 60%, although they call, it seems, only residents of the Russian Federation. The point, probably, is that among us Russians, "to mow down a sacred duty" is considered an indicator of position in society and prestige. Therefore, all those who did not have the intelligence or money to evade are rowed. You read the addresses of conscripts and believe: Russia has not become impoverished by the land. A village, a settlement, a collective farm, but among the young sailors there are neither Muscovites nor Petersburgers (even Admiral N.O. Essen used to say: "We don't need farmers in the Navy"). Another thing is the North Caucasus. There it is believed that a real man must go through an army school, and they consider it lucky to get into the navy. Therefore, not the worst representatives of the North Caucasus come to the ship. Of course, they quickly get used to the situation, organizing small-town groups and seizing power in the sailors' environment. The situation is different with the Tuvans and Bashkirs: apparently, due to the lack of close acquaintance with civilizations, they simply do not know how to evade the honorable state duty. Now it is probably clear why every tenth conscript does not speak Russian.
Out of harm's way, this entire contingent is not even allowed to go on leave (so that they don't do anything in Murmansk). So they sit for 2 years on the "iron". The main educational measure in relation to the sailors has now become the "lash" ("carrot" is missing), i.e. punishment cell, where even midshipmen sometimes end up. From such a life, sailors like to "get lost", since the ship is large. This happens 3-4 times a month. Then all the officers and midshipmen are painted according to the gatherings, and we are looking for the hidden sailor. Searches usually last 1-2 days (if they do not find them on the first day, and this is a 50% probability, then the sailor, as a rule, goes out on his own in 2-3 days), but there were also record holders. So, one sailor in the Mediterranean was looking for a week. And the most famous was the case of an aircraft engineer who, in a state of extreme intoxication, went missing. He (or rather, his mummy) was found after FOUR YEARS in such a place that no one can still understand how he got there ...
"Prochindiada"
"If you want to live - know how to spin." This is the good old truth, which well characterizes the style of life on the Kuznetsovo. The commander likes to talk about fools - junior commanders who set impossible tasks to "get" something, pushing the sailors to steal, and immediately frightens that they will cover some warhead going ashore if it does not illuminate its corridors by morning. And where can I get these very light bulbs if they are not issued on the ship? Vestimo somewhere - at the neighbors, at night ...
They steal everything and everyone. Somehow they stole 200 pairs (everything is big here) of officer's boots, and then they were almost openly traded at 50 rubles per pair on the ship. And the commander kept shouting that he would imprison everyone.
The most fruitful field here, of course, are galleys. They are dragged from them by everyone who is not too lazy, and not too lazy here for everyone. What is not carried away is eaten, and at night all the galleys smell of fried potatoes. Specially punched canned food is issued to the galleys, but they are still sold at a reduced price to workers from the factory. And the first violin here is played, of course, by the supply service.
It has already been said that we are tight with showers. But this is not for everyone. Particularly "gifted" make themselves "self-made" showers with electric heating - fortunately, there are a huge number of abandoned showers and washbasins on the ship. No less interesting is the case with the cabins. There are many looted and abandoned cabins of landing officers, pilots and aircraft technicians on the ship. With a special desire, you can find a suitable one and repair it. Therefore, often even midshipmen or contract sailors live in single cabins. "If you want to live - know how to spin."
Main : "Eaglets learn to fly"
Unclear; what is the main weapon on an aircraft carrier cruiser - aircraft or attack missiles. "Kuznetsov" is still more aircraft carrier than missile, so aviation is considered the main weapon here. Theoretically, up to 40 Su-33s can be based on the ship. In fact, the country forked out only 24, and with great difficulty prepared only seven cars for permanent deployment.
Our aircraft, unlike the more "backward" American ones, are capable of solving only air defense tasks (although the Air Force has a Su-35 station wagon), so the aircraft carrier solves the strike task with the help of anti-ship missiles. Due to the springboard (instead of ejection) takeoff, the Su-33 is subject to takeoff weight restrictions. If we take into account that (partly due to the fault of the power plant) flights are carried out at 6-8 knots, it becomes clear why they happen only in windy weather and, as a rule, without outboard weapons and with a reduced fuel supply.
The ship is equipped with an automatic landing system, theoretically providing for the possibility of flying in any visibility, but in practice it has not been tested. Therefore, flights are made only in GOOD windy weather.
In general, the basing of aircraft on the Kuznetsov is of some strange nature. Aviation does not even appear in the hangar, and instead of aircraft, there are peacefully standing there: a 25-ton truck crane, four towing tractors, firefighters GAZ-66 and ZIL, a Gazelle, UAZ-452, a goat and a tractor with a jet engine(for cleaning the flight deck from snow and ice).
Our weapons
In the summer of 1998, on Navy Day, we received fuel oil. You ask: "And where does the weapon?" And here's the thing: we took him not only to the tanks, but also to one of the fire control posts. True, only 60 tons, and without malicious intent. The hold, apparently, closed the wrong valve and continued to take fuel oil into a full tank, the loosely closed neck of which was located near the mentioned post. Through this neck, the post was flooded, in which for some reason the BC-2 watch was not found. Hermetic racks could not stand it, and the post failed.
Two of the four air defense systems were also at one time flooded with outboard water from the irrigation system. It was at night, there was a fistula in the pipe, and all the premises of both complexes were flooded "up to the roof." All eight Dirks require scheduled adjustment, for which there is no money. To top it all off, the "horizon-azimuth" system is acting up. Therefore, we can shoot, but hit ...
"And instead of a heart - a fiery engine"
When they talk about the warhead-5, as a rule, they mean the power plant. Let's talk about her.
Firstly, one of the eight boilers and one GTZA are temporarily out of operation - due to the explosion of the gas duct due to an error in operation (they forgot to ventilate the gas duct before the boiler was ignited). Thus, theoretically, the power of the power plant has decreased to 75%. But this is in theory, and in practice - even less.
All four daywoods are leaking, so the bearings of the shaft lines are periodically heated, which imposes a limit on the maximum number of revolutions. The automation of the power plant has long worked out its resource, from this "Kuznetsov" smokes like an armadillo from a photograph of the beginning of the century. In addition, the pipelines are already "barely breathing", and the sailors serving the power plant do not shine with professional skills and knowledge. As a result, instead of almost 29 knots that Kuznetsov gave during tests, or at least 24, on three machines he barely holds 16-18, and usually no more than 10-12 knots.
"Good" is the case with the electrical part. Either the turbogenerator will “sit down”, and the backup diesel generator will not be able to start, then something else will happen. And the whole ship is plunged into darkness. It looks especially piquant on the go: the locators do not emit, there is no connection, the boilers go out - not an aircraft carrier, but " Flying Dutchman". It was under such circumstances that in the summer of 1998 the EM "Fearless" almost died, and even earlier - "Kyiv". In both cases, the ships were carried ashore in a storm, and only miraculously managed to put the power plant into operation. On "Kyiv" this happened in 3-4 cables from the rocks ...
It should also be said about the base of the aircraft carrier. The official place for it is the shipyard No. 35 (SRZ-35). I don’t know how things are in other fleets, but in the North not a single ship is permanently based in the plant. For Kuznetsov, this is perhaps the ideal option, because. otherwise, he would have to be based in the village of Vidyaevo, (where his regular place was earlier). There is nothing there, except for the hills and a dozen houses. Now the decommissioned "Kyiv" is living its life in Vidyaevo.
Next to us is "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov." Once he came to SRZ-35 for repairs and his stern machine burned down. Now he is officially on conservation, but really just dying. After all, money is also needed for conservation, but here they simply "hung a lock on the ship." The working day there is strictly until 17.00, the crew is only 75 people, and the sailors go on leave every day - not a service, but a fairy tale. So they stand half a cable from each other, two antipodes - the "hard labor" and the "resort" of the Northern Fleet. Wonderful are thy works, Lord!
SRZ-35 is not so hot as it is adapted to basing an aircraft carrier. Steam is supplied badly or not supplied at all. With water, the same thing, because. there is not enough pressure to supply it to the tiers of the superstructure. Electricity is also short - the "shore" is rather weak, and in winter, when the load in the network increases due to heaters, the coastal power board periodically "cuts down".
But the story of the SRZ-35 would not be complete without a story about the VOKhR. It is staffed with women of "Balzac age", which, however, does not in the least affect combat effectiveness - God forbid to get into them female hands(It is no coincidence that the Winter Battalion was defended by the women's strike battalion). At the checkpoint of the plant, you will be searched, sniffed (for the slightest smell of alcohol) and, of course, checked for a pass. This is not "Kuznetsov" for you. All this is brought to the point of absurdity. For example, carrying large bags, backpacks and "diplomats" (even empty ones) through the checkpoint without a special pass is prohibited. But if you stuff them into a plastic bag (even if it's two meters), then you can carry it without any passes.
The reader probably left a bad aftertaste from everything that was said - this is understandable. Some will say that this cannot be, while others will be indignant: what the fleet has come to and how the current military has sunk. We had to hear such insulting speeches quite often - and certainly from civilians. Such judgments always evoked a feeling of bewilderment rather than resentment. Our country, even with all its extravagance, is not a "banana republic" where the army is the state. In our country, the Ministry of Defense is only a part of the state mechanism. And in general, over the past 100 years, the army in Russia has been far from being the leading political force. Unlike the civilian sector, we, the military, depend on the government not indirectly (through laws), but directly (through orders). So we are an exact cast from our state-government. And since every nation is worthy of its own government, we should not dissociate ourselves from our, or rather, common problems.
If we continue to develop this topic, it is worth dispelling another misunderstanding, extremely persistent in "civilian circles" - about the supposedly natural totalitarianism of the military. We are the flesh of the flesh of our people, and there are no more supporters of the RNE or the Liberal Democratic Party among the military than among the rest of the people. And the supporters of the Communist Party, perhaps even less.
From some of the military I heard the following: they say, since we do not know how to operate aircraft carriers, then we do not need them, just EM and BOD are enough. But then why do we need these very EM and BOD? Indeed, far from the coast, without the support of aviation, they will be destroyed, and under the coast, their tasks are calmly solved by RTOs and the IPC. And the command of the Navy, thank God, understands this and lately, to the best of its ability, is trying to save this unique ship, and indeed the "aircraft carrier direction." There are even rumors that the Kuznetsov will no longer spend the winter in the north. But can all this be done without support from the very top? For its operation, and especially for the commissioning of at least two dozen Su-33s, a lot of money is needed ...
Terribly shameful for our unique and beloved ship.
The Russian heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" will be transferred to the Mediterranean Sea, to the coast of Syria in the fall. According to a military source, the ship’s air group will strike at the positions of ISIS militants (“Islamic State” is a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) and other gangs in Syria from October 2016 to January 2017. Interestingly, rumors about sending the Admiral Kuznetsov to its first combat mission appeared before, but were refuted after the partial withdrawal of Russian military aviation from the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. Now plans seem to have changed again.
"Complicated" ship requires running-in before deep modernization
"Admiral Kuznetsov", which became part of the Navy in 1991, initially turned out to be a rather problematic ship. Largely due to the fact that the ship was conceived as multifunctional - it performs the functions of both a missile cruiser (Kuznetsov carries 12 heavy P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles) and an aircraft carrier. Compared to the same American Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the Russian analogue has a noticeably lower displacement (59 thousand tons versus 101 thousand tons), and a smaller air wing - 50 vehicles (helicopters and planes) versus 66 (however, if necessary, it can be 90 units ).
In addition, the abandonment of the steam catapult in favor of the springboard on the Admiral Kuznetsov led to the fact that the aircraft carrier did not receive early warning and control aircraft (AWACS), which is why it “controls” a much smaller area than American aircraft carriers. Well, the most the main problem the only Russian aircraft carrier is its power plant. Unlike Nimitz, equipped with a nuclear reactor, Kuznetsov used a boiler-turbine plant, which, moreover, proved to be extremely unreliable. Endless breakdowns and lengthy repairs have long become a habit when it comes to this ship. The problem of an unreliable power plant lies also in the fact that the ship is unable to maintain “full speed” for a long time, which is necessary for the take-off of combat aircraft with a full suspension of weapons and fuel. As a result, planes take off either with a limited supply of fuel or with a reduced ammunition.
In addition, the air wing of an aircraft carrier has never come close to the "regular" one in size - as a rule, there are no more than 7-8 heavy carrier-based Su-33 fighters on the ship. And these fighters themselves, at the moment, are only capable of solving the tasks of gaining air supremacy, and for ground targets they can only use free-falling bombs and unguided aircraft missiles, since their on-board electronic equipment (avionics) corresponds to the basic model of the Su-27 fighter, and a real modernization of the sides has not yet been carried out.
The MiG-29K light fighter, which was originally developed to meet the requirements of the Indian military, and later ordered for the Russian fleet, corrects the situation somewhat. This machine is equipped with modern avionics, which allows the use of a large range of air-to-surface weapons. According to military sources, the Admiral Kuznetsov will go to Syria with an air wing of 15 aircraft (probably 8 Su-33 and 7 MiG-29K) and about 10 helicopters (assault Ka-52K, multi-purpose Ka-27 and AWACS helicopters Ka-31 ). In this configuration, the ship is "filled" with aircraft by about 50-60% of the standard tactical and technical characteristics, which will allow at least a combat training operation in Syria. The small number of sides is largely due to the lack of a sufficient number of carrier-based pilots.
Taking into account the fact that in the spring of 2017 "Admiral Kuznetsov" will go for a long overhaul with modernization, the operation in Syria will become a good testing ground in order to identify the most weak spots ship. The experience gained will make it possible to optimally modernize the ship and air wing. Combat experience for pilots is also very important. The same can explain the appearance on Kuznetsov of Ka-52K attack helicopters, which were originally built for the ill-fated Mistrals, and are not suitable for a full-fledged aircraft carrier - there is simply a task to test the equipment as much as possible in combat conditions.
Taking into account the fact that the number of combat aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase is now noticeably lower than at the beginning of the operation, MiG-29K strikes may turn out to be some positive contribution to the overall balance of power, however, no turning point should be expected. As for the Su-33, they will provide air cover for attack vehicles. Their own strike potential is not well suited to the Syrian conflict.
In the current state, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov is a very ineffective force. Considering that there are no even theoretical prospects for getting a new aircraft carrier earlier than by the mid-2030s (construction is unlikely to begin until 2025, and will last about 10 years), it is very important to bring at least the only one into combat readiness " Kuznetsov. Even if only for the purpose of retaining personnel capable of servicing such a ship and fighting on it. With the right approach, it is possible to make a ship out of Admiral Kuznetsov capable of short-term combat missions at the level of the contingent of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Khmeimim airbase anywhere in the world. To do this, you need to take several basic steps during the upgrade:
1) Replace the power plant of the ship. The ideal would be to use nuclear reactor. This will allow the ship to maintain “full speed” without problems, which will allow aircraft to take off with a full combat load, and will also significantly increase reliability.
2) Carry out a deep modernization of the existing Su-33 fighters, with the installation of modern avionics, corresponding to such machines as the Su-30SM or Su-35S. In this configuration, 14 Su-33s and 12 MiG-29Ks will be able to perform both strike missions and gain air superiority.
3) To somewhat "unload" the ship by removing the launchers of the P-700 "Granit" anti-ship missiles from it, which, according to some information, after one of the incidents on the ship, are completely inoperative. It's better for an aircraft carrier to be an aircraft carrier.
4) Install modern electronic equipment on the ship.
5) During the repair and modernization, train a sufficient number of carrier-based pilots, as well as "put in order" supply ships. Otherwise, it will be impossible to deploy regular 50 aircraft on a ship.
Such a modernization program will last at least 4 years, however, an almost new combat complex will be obtained as a result. Given the very, very vague prospects for the construction of new aircraft carriers (among other things, there are big questions according to the feasibility of such a project at the moment, given the state of the shipbuilding industry and the geographical position of Russia), it is possible to make a ship out of the “raw” Admiral Kuznetsov that can solve combat missions for up to 40 years.