Stealth destroyer Zumwalt - “ship of the future” or another “toy” of the Pentagon? The most expensive destroyer. Priced at an aircraft carrier The newest American destroyer Zamvolt

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

Zamvolt-class destroyers(English) Zumwalt class guide missile destroyers) is a new class of US Navy missile-armed destroyers (also formerly known as DD(X)), with an emphasis on attacking coastal and land targets. This type is a smaller version of the ships of the DD-21 program, the funding of which was stopped. The first Zumwalt-class destroyer, DDG-1000, was launched on October 29, 2013.

The main weapons of the destroyers of this series 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 system for controlling all weapons through Raytheon's TSCE-I, abandoning the concept of local computer systems. The destroyer has stealth capabilities that reduce its EPR by 50 times.

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

History of design and construction

Sketch: missile launch from the vertical silos of the destroyer Zumwalt

Among US warships under development, the DDG-1000 would 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, the budget of which was cut by Congress by more than 50% (as part of the SC21 program of the 1990s).

The Navy initially hoped to build 32 of these destroyers. This number was later reduced to 24, and then to seven, due to the high cost of new experimental technologies that must be included in the destroyer. The US House of Representatives remains skeptical of this program due to the ship's problems with missile defense systems, as discussed below, as well as the lower stealth and much lower loading of cruise missiles of the Ohio submarines. Although the old converted Ohio class submarines are capable of carrying 154 cruise missiles instead of the 80 missiles of the Zamvolt, the cost of converting an old nuclear submarine is more than half as much. Therefore, initially money was allocated only for the construction of one DDG-1000 for “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, numbered 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 life cycle costs for each ship.

On July 22, 2008, a decision was made to build only two similar destroyers. A few weeks later, a decision was made 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	October 16, 2016
Michael Monsour USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001)	1001	Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding	May 23, 2013	June 21, 2016	April 24, 2018
Lyndon B. Johnson USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)	1002	Bath Iron Works	January 30, 2017	2017 (plan)	2018 (plan)

After commissioning, Zamvolt-class destroyers will operate together with Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

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

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

In November 2017, it became known that the United States was partially reducing funding for the project by refusing to create some systems for subsequent ships in the series. In particular, the ship's common computing environment and the Mk57 vertical missile launch system will be abandoned.

Design

General design diagram of the Zamvolt, where its main parts are visible: a single power plant, radar, missile launchers, sonar, and artillery system

Ship control system

Zamvolt's command bridge.

Power plant

The 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 propulsors, are electric, that is, the ship moves with electric motors. Instead of a nuclear reactor, the Zamvolts use a diesel gas turbine engine.

However, such a system sharply increases the cost of the propulsion system, reduces its efficiency and reliability, so in the Ohio submarines it was used only for low-speed movement in sneak mode in order to reduce acoustic noise on the propeller shaft gearboxes. Stealth means for the 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 supply of force from the turbine to the gearboxes propeller shaft, bypassing two stages of energy conversion. The Zamvolt designers convinced US Navy customers that they had managed to solve the problems of reliability of an installation of this class and that direct mode through gearboxes was not required. But in practice, when trying to use Zamvolt on full speed ahead The power plant broke down in less than 1 month of operation and required the vessel, deprived of power supply, to be towed for repairs.

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

Armament

Cruise missiles

Testing of the Zamvolta artillery mount

The main armament of the ship is 20 universal Mk-57 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. According to the designers, this increases the survivability of the ship, since in the event of an emergency rocket explosion, it does not occur inside the ship, but on board with the release of the main energy of the explosion overboard. Critics note that, on the other hand, anti-ship missiles will almost always hit the Zamvolt's ammunition load and the explosion of the anti-ship missiles will be enhanced by the partial detonation of the Tomahawks.

Land-caliber artillery mount

Prototypes of the most exotic artillery system technologies were discussed for the destroyer, including a railgun, but in the end they settled on 155-mm artillery mounts of an unconventional active-rocket design, 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 required is 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 rocket part of the artillery system’s active-rocket projectile and therefore it does not fit entirely into the artillery breech cradle. The Zamvolta gun must take a vertical position each time for reloading.

But the main reason for criticism from the Pentagon is that the cost of one guided projectile for a gun reached 0.8-1.2 million dollars, and taking into account depreciation and current repairs The cost of a gun shot reached 2 million dollars. In other words, the Zamvolt 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 US Navy command also doubted the LRLAP program and did not include the purchase of shells for the artillery system in the 2016 and 2017 budgets, and all three planned destroyers of the Zamvolt series have access to only 100 shells produced by the manufacturer for $120 million in 2009. In 2016, the US Navy was considering abandoning the LRLAP guns or changing ammunition, as the current cost of the projectiles was “unacceptable”.

Stealth means

Zamvolt's floating model, 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 shipbuilding experts immediately stated that the tumblehome profile makes the Zamvolt dangerous for the crew due to reduced stability and, with strong roll, the ship can capsize. Therefore, the smooth operation of the ship's propulsion system is critical for the "dynamic stability of the vessel" due to propulsion, since if the engine breaks down, a stationary vessel may be unstable. In response to this criticism, the ship's designers created a smaller copy of the Zamvolt with an electric motor and demonstrated this model to US Navy customers, proving that the ship was stable.

Zamvolta superstructure. In the photograph, balsa wood panels are visible under the outer cladding for thermal insulation of the structure.

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

Service

Incidents

see also

Notes

1. DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer
2. Andrew Tarantola. America's Newest and Deadliest Destroyer Has Finally Set Sail (English). Gizmodo(29 October 2013). Retrieved December 12, 2017.
3. Losses in Iraq // “Foreign Military Review”: magazine. - 2008. - No. 8. - P. 76.
4. "Zumwalts" today will be like battleships during the Second World War - US Navy command // October 16, 2013
5. The admiral called the newest destroyer accepted into the US Navy the Batman 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. Documents were signed on the transfer of the lead destroyer of the DDG-1000 class Zumwalt to the US Navy. Center for Analysis of the Global Arms Trade (TSAMTO)(May 23, 2016). Retrieved May 23, 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 aggression of the United States and NATO against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, and the prospect of an invasion of Syria clearly showed that the end of the Cold War does not at all mean the advent of an era of universal peace.

Proof of this is the US policy in the development of its armed forces, in particular such an important component as the Navy. If during the Cold War the main task of the US Navy in the event of a crisis situation was actions against the USSR fleet in the vast oceans and the main emphasis was on combating submarines, the focus is now shifting to fleet operations in coastal waters.

To implement this doctrine, ships designed for fleet-versus-shore operations are being developed at an accelerated pace. One of them is a multi-purpose destroyer DDG-1000 "Zamvolt" ("Zumwalt").

DDG-1000 “ZAMVOLT” – DESTROYER OF THE XXI CENTURY

Destroyer "Zamvolt" emerged from the project of a larger ship of the future - DD-21, which began to be developed by the United States in the 90s. last century, but for financial reasons was never fully implemented.

In 2011, the first destroyer of the DDG-1000 Zamvolt series was laid down. These multifunctional ships are designed primarily to perform a wide range of missions in the coastal zone: from fire support for Marine Corps units and other ground forces (previously this function was performed by the now retired Iowa-class battleships), air defense and missile defense to evacuation of civilians and provision of diplomatic missions. When developing the destroyer, emphasis was placed on the ability to gain dominance in the coastal sea zone, air defense and strikes against ground targets. As part of the Combined Expeditionary Force, the Zamvolt destroyers will provide forward presence and “power projection” for the United States anywhere in the world.

Once commissioned, the Zamvolt should become one of the most effective surface combat ships in the world. What are the differences that make it the “ship of the future”?

First of all, when designing the DDG-1000, the maximum reduction in radar signature was put at the forefront. This is achieved by a number of engineering solutions: a maximally smooth deck without unnecessary parts, a “chopped” hull with a pyramidal superstructure made of composite radio-absorbing materials, parallelism of all lines. The special design of the exhaust system and the complete elimination of masts also reduce the visibility of the ship in the radar and infrared spectra. The hull of the DDG-1000 has the shape characteristic of ships of the early 20th century: the side is tucked inside and an unusual breakwater bow. This is done so that radio waves hitting the ship's hull are reflected into the sky and not onto the water. As a result, the effective scattering area of ​​the destroyer when irradiated by radar decreased to the level of the ESR of a fishing schooner. Thus, “Zamvolt” becomes largely “invisible” to modern electronic reconnaissance systems.

Separately, we should dwell on the architecture of the superstructure, which contains a number of innovations. The superstructure is made without protruding parts. At the same time, all radar emitters and communication antennas are integrated into it. There are no rotating parts at all.

A single ship-wide computer network will connect all nodes and systems of the destroyer, providing control of the ship, weapons, technical maintenance etc. At the same time, the DDG-1000 is designed according to the “open architecture” principle. For the first time, the Zamvolta used the so-called “common ship computing environment”, which is practical implementation"US Navy Open Architecture Strategies." The latter will allow the US Navy in the future to completely transfer its ships to the use of standardized software, which will become, regardless of the computer hardware used, a universal base for controlling any ship.

Thoughtful integration of ship systems, further automation and maximum simplification of control made it possible to reduce the ship's crew to 148 people - approximately half as many as on the previous generation destroyer Orly Burke.

ARMAMENT OF THE ZAMVOLT DESTROYERS

Role artillery main caliber in the Zamvolta’s arsenal, it is especially important, since the “destroyer of the future” is positioned as a fire support ship for ground forces and Marine Corps. The unrealized DD-21 and “arsenal ship” projects were supposed to have more serious fire support capabilities. After the battleships "Iowa", which performed these functions, were withdrawn from the fleet, US Marine Corps units can only rely on the support of artillery of small ships. This caused serious concern to the leadership of the US Marine Corps, which began to insist that Zamvolt take over the fire support functions.

"Zamvolt" will be equipped two 155 mm single-barrel gun mounts new type AGS (AdvancedGunSystem) developed by BAE Systems The estimated firing range at stationary ground targets will be up to 83 nautical miles(about 154 km), with a rate of fire of 10 rounds/min per barrel and automatic reloading (ammunition - 920 rounds, of which 600 are in the automatic loader). In terms of firing range, the Zamvolta's artillery is significantly superior to the guns of all existing ships. For comparison, the artillery range of the Orly Burke destroyers is only 12 nautical miles.

The use of high-precision active-reactive guided munitions LRLAP and the use of a global positioning system will ensure unprecedented shooting accuracy. It is planned to use both high-explosive ammunition and projectiles with increased penetrating ability to destroy highly protected targets (concrete bunkers, etc.).

To prevent overheating of gun barrels, they are water cooled. The gun casings, like all other elements of the ship's structure, are made using stealth technologies. For radar camouflage purposes, the gun barrels are retractable into the turret.

All this will allow the Zamvolt, moving along the enemy coast, to quickly and extremely effectively hit the enemy’s coastal infrastructure and military installations: port facilities, naval bases, fortifications, etc. Range, accuracy and rate of fire make just two AGS units equivalent in power to a battery of 12 land howitzers.

In the future, it is possible that the Zamvolt gunpowder artillery mounts will be replaced by rail ones.

Melee artillery“Zamvolta” is represented by two automatic Mk.110 automatic guns of 57 mm caliber. Their rate of fire is 240 rounds/min. These AUs are nothing special. They are considered anti-aircraft artillery, but their capabilities are clearly insufficient in the fight against modern air attack weapons. Their presence in the ship’s armament is more appropriate for close-range self-defense in clashes with pirates, smugglers and the like. The ship is also equipped with four 12.7 mm machine gun mounts.

The DDG-1000 will be able to attack ground, sea and air targets using missiles located in universal launcherMk.57. Its ammunition, loaded into four 20-cell launch silos (80 cells in total), consists of Tomahawk and Tactical Tomahawk guided missiles (for attacks on ground targets or ships), promising FLAM missiles for attacks on ground targets, anti-aircraft ESSM missiles, ASROC anti-submarine missiles. The range of destruction of ground targets with Tactical Tomahawk missiles can be up to 2,400 km. The ammunition load of 80 missiles is less than that of the destroyer Orly Burke (96 missiles). Ammunition had to be sacrificed, firstly, because the Mk.57 UVP is designed for heavier launch containers (up to 4 tons), and secondly, the launcher architecture itself has changed. Its armored cells are located along the perimeter of the deck along the sides. In the event of one missile cell being hit, this will avoid detonation of the ammunition and minimize damage internal systems ship.

Deserves special attention Zamvolt's capabilities in the field of air defense/missile defense . Here, first of all, the issue of equipping the destroyer with Standard missiles: SM-2, SM-3, SM-6, which are used to intercept ballistic missiles, is relevant.

At one time, the United States was developing a project for a promising air defense cruiser CG(X). However, in January 2005, John Young, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, having full confidence in the capabilities provided by the new Zamvolta radar, said that he did not see the need for a separate air defense cruiser. The prevailing opinion was that the new “super-destroyer” would be able to completely fill this niche.

However, on July 31, 2008, Vice Admiral Barry McCullough (Chief of Naval Operations and Capability Integration) and Allison Stiller (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs) stated that the Zamvolt was not fully capable of providing air defense. , since it cannot use SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles. To this, representatives of Raytheon (one of the main development companies) stated that the radar and combat system of the DDG-1000 are essentially the same as those of ships compatible with SM-2 missiles, which means there are fundamental obstacles to use There are no Standard missiles.

In fact, when the United States began developing its missile defense system, the ships were equipped only with the Aegis BIUS from Lockheed Martin, and naturally, all software for missile defense purposes was created and operates on the basis of the latter. "Zamvolt" is equipped with another combat information and control system - TSCE-I. Thus, although both platforms - the DDG-1000 and the DDG-51 (Orly Burke) - are compatible with Standard missiles, only the DDG-51 platform is currently suitable for strategic missile defense purposes (interception of ballistic missiles). The TSCE-I system is only planned to be further developed in this direction.

Aviation group The destroyer can include one MH-60 anti-submarine helicopter or two SH-60 anti-submarine helicopters, as well as several Fire Scout helicopter-type UAVs. The drones will provide intelligence gathering, assess the results of fire strikes, and perhaps even strike some targets. The air group will be based in a spacious helicopter hangar, and the landing pad will occupy the entire aft deck.

INTELLIGENCE AND COMBAT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Almost all of the weapons described above do not represent anything fundamentally new, with the exception of some samples of promising missiles. What then is the combat advantage of the “destroyer of the future” over conventional surface ships? The answer becomes obvious when considering the Zamvolt electronics.

Tactical specifications destroyers DDG-1000 "Zamvolt"
Displacement
Booking	Launch Cell Protection
Power point	2xGTU Rolls Royce Marine Trent-30 78 MW (105,000 hp)
Speed	30 knots (55.56 km/h)
	148 people
Weapons:
Rocket	UVP Mk.57 4x20 cells
Main caliber artillery	2x155mm AGS guns
Melee artillery	2x57mm AU Mk.110 4x12.7 mm machine gun mounts
Air group	1-2 anti-submarine helicopters, several UAVs
Electronics	Multifunctional radar AN/SPY-3 IUSW anti-underwater enemy system

A huge advantage of the DDG-1000 is its multifunctional AN/SPY-3 radar. For the first time, an American warship will be equipped with an active phased array radar—six flat phased arrays that provide a three-dimensional view of the air and surface situation in a 360° azimuth range around the destroyer.

But the full benefits of the AN/SPY-3 are manifested when fighting with guided missiles. The fact is that all modern ships, even those equipped with the Aegis BIUS, are capable of simultaneously firing at only a limited number of targets, since each fired missile requires a separate signal from the target illumination radar. The Orly Burke-class destroyer has three such radars, the Ticonderoga cruiser has four, and the Project 1164 Atlant cruiser has only one. There can be no more missiles in the air at the same time than there are target illumination radars on the ship.

Zamvolt, equipped with the latest AN/SPY-3 phased array radar, is free from these restrictions. AN/SPY-3 active phased arrays consist of thousands of radiating elements grouped into several hundred transceiver modules. Each such module allows you to form a narrow beam to explore a specific quadrant of space. The Zamvolta radar is equivalent to hundreds of conventional radars, and the capabilities of the computing systems exceed all possible needs. Thus, the Zamvolt can simultaneously fire at hundreds of air targets, ballistic and cruise missiles, firing its missiles like a machine gun.

In addition to the functions of viewing, tracking and target recognition, AN/SPY-3 active phased arrays are designed for direct control of the ship’s weapons: programming missile system autopilots, target illumination for semi-active homing heads of Standard-2 and ESSM anti-aircraft missiles, artillery fire control.

The AN/SPY-3 is also capable of performing the functions of a navigation radar, automatically scanning the sea surface in search of floating mines and submarine periscopes, conducting counter-battery warfare and electronic reconnaissance.

One multifunctional AN/SPY-3 radar will be able to replace several types of radars used today on US Navy ships, including:

• AN/SPY-1 airborne surveillance radar of the Aegis system,
• AN/SPG-62 target illumination radar,
• navigation radar AN/SPS-67,
• AN/SPQ-9 artillery fire control radar.

With a lot of advantages, the AN/SPY-3 has only one drawback - its extremely high cost.

Since the DD-1000 will have to operate in coastal areas, where mines and diesel-electric submarines pose a particular danger, new technologies have been developed to counter this under the IUSW-21 (Integrated Undersea Warfare) program, i.e. "Zamvolt" will be the first American ship, specially designed and equipped to combat underwater enemies in the coastal zone. The IUSW system combines two groups of sonars: high-frequency sonars are designed to evade sea mines, and mid-frequency (AN/SQQ-90) are designed to detect and combat submarines, as well as protect against torpedo attacks.

The Zamvolta sonar system is better suited for operations in shallow water than the sonars of the destroyer Orly Burke, but is inferior to the latter in efficiency in deep-sea areas.

Zamvolta's "common ship computing environment" includes 16 single-board computers running the Unix-like LynxOS system (developed by LynuxWorks), placed in high-strength containers protected from shock, vibration and electromagnetic fields.

POWER PLANT

The ship's energy system is powered by two Rolls-Royce gas turbine power plants. Marinetrent-30 with a total capacity of 78 MW. The propulsion system of the vessel is based on modern asynchronous electric motors, which will allow Zamvolt to reach speeds of up to 30 knots (about 55 km/h).

As warships improve and become more complex, the energy spent on the actual movement of the ship will constitute an ever smaller portion of their total number. More and more energy will be spent on the functioning of ship systems and mechanisms. Unprecedented performance in radar, computing and other electronic systems will require the appropriate power of the ship's power plant.

However, the Zamvolta power plant has the required characteristics. Moreover, in the future it is possible to install rail or laser guns on the ship instead of the current gun mounts, the operation of which will require even greater energy consumption.

Unlike existing warships, Zamvolt will be equipped with an integrated IPS power plant (IntegratedPowerSystem), which will be able to redistribute energy between various ship systems based on their current needs. "Zamvolt" has already been called a "fully electric ship." Distinctive features of IPS are reduced noise levels and cost-effectiveness.

VITALITY

The ship is equipped with an autonomous fire extinguishing system AFSS (AutonomicFireSuppressionSystem). It includes sensors, cameras and automatic fire extinguishing equipment and allows you to respond to a dangerous event within a minimum time. This increases the survivability of the ship in both peacetime and war, while simultaneously reducing the number of crew members required to carry out repair and restoration work.

PROJECT HISTORY AND CONSTRUCTION PROSPECTS

The DD-21 “destroyer of the 21st century” program began to be developed back in 1991. After obtaining certain developments, the program was stopped in 2001, and launched on its basis new program DD(X), as a result of which “Zamvolt” appeared. The contract to develop the new ship was awarded to Northrop-Grumman, and Raytheon became the main integrator of electronic and combat systems.

In 2005, construction of a series of the first seven DDG-1000 ships was approved. In total it was planned to build 32 ships. However acute shortage finance crossed out plans for mass construction of expensive ($3.2 billion each, plus $4 billion - cost life cycle) "destroyers of the future." After much hesitation, it was decided to build only three ships of the Zamvolt class. Currently, the US military-political leadership sees it as more expedient to modernize the existing Orly Burke destroyers.

On November 17, 2011, the lead ship of the series, DDG-1000 Zamvolt, was laid down. Construction was entrusted to the company Baz Iron Works. Readiness is currently 80%. On October 29, 2013, the ship was launched. Delivery is planned for 2015.

The second ship - DDG-1001 "Michael Monsour" - was laid down on May 23, 2013 by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, readiness - 48%, delivery is planned in 2016.

The construction of the third ship, DDG-1002 Lyndon Johnson, will also be carried out by Baz Iron Works.

All three ships will likely be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

Despite the high combat power of the Zamvolts, the extreme small number of this series of ships is unlikely to allow them to significantly influence the balance of power in the World Ocean. At the same time, the concepts and technologies used in the Zamvolt destroyers will determine US naval shipbuilding for the next 50 years.

(Prepared based on materials from the website http://www.raytheon.com for the portal " Modern army» www.site)

Text: Sergey Balakin

Recently, the American “shipbuilding miracle”, the “dreadnought of the 21st century” DDG-1000 “Zumwalt”, took to sea for the first time. Much has already been said about this extravagant ship; we will not repeat it. But we will try to answer the question that involuntarily arises in any person who is even more or less familiar with the fleet: why on earth is this floating monster with a displacement of more than 14 thousand tons classified as a destroyer? Why is it not a cruiser - after all, both in size and in tactical purpose, the Zamvolt is closest to this class?

But here’s the paradox: according to the author, the decisive role in the issue of classifying the new ship was played not by technical characteristics or tactics, but by the peculiarities of English-language terminology. One might even say that linguistics is to blame. I'll try to explain.

The ancestors of the destroyer class appeared in England in the first half of the 90s of the 19th century. They were enlarged destroyers with enhanced artillery weapons. According to their plan the main task- fight enemy (then meant French) destroyers. Therefore, they were called “torpedoboat destroyers” - “destroyers” or “fighters” of destroyers (let me remind you that in Russia a torpedo was called a self-propelled mine for quite a long time, hence the name destroyers, not torpedo bombers). In practice, these fast ships have proven to be more versatile than their original specialization. Therefore, the word “torpedoboat” disappeared from the name of their class, and they began to be called simply “destroyers” - literally “destroyers”. This word was borrowed by other navies, and it spread widely around the world in different variations. For example, the Poles called ships of this class “destroyers” (niszczycieli), and the Yugoslavs called them “destroyers” (razaraci).

"Conflict" - one of the first destroyers of the British fleet, 1894.

In Russian Imperial Navy analogues of British destroyers appeared at the end of the 19th century and by the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War there were already dozens of units. Officially, they belonged to the class of destroyers, but since they were still larger ships, they were usually called fighters, and sometimes destroyers, but with the addition of the word “squadron”. Officially the same class destroyers, abbreviated as destroyers, appeared in our fleet in 1907. Ships of this class, both here and abroad, quickly developed and became an increasingly important part of the world's fleets. There are destroyers in the Russian Navy today, although this is purely a tribute to tradition. After all, modern multi-purpose missile ships have long been neither squadron ships nor destroyers at all...

It should be noted that in modern fleets the division of surface ships into classes is generally very arbitrary. Since warships are multi-purpose, corvettes, frigates, destroyers and cruisers differ from each other only in size, and the range of these sizes is very subjective. Almost identical ships are listed as destroyers in Italy, and as frigates in France. Or American destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type and cruisers of the Ticonderoga type: in terms of displacement and armament, they are approximately the same, but the former are destroyers, and the latter are cruisers. But why then is Zamvolt not a cruiser?

Cruiser CG-71 "Cape St. George" - one of the Ticonderoga class ships

Yes, because the class of cruisers today is a dying class. Apart from one relict model in the Peruvian fleet, launched more than 70 years ago, there are only two countries left in the world with cruisers - Russia and the USA. Moreover, in the United States, cruisers are represented only by ships of the Ticonderoga type, which are already being withdrawn from service and will be decommissioned in the near future. Thus, cruisers - the recent beauty and pride of the fleet - will remain a thing of the past. From what? And it’s simple: the reason for this is the cruise boom that began a quarter of a century ago. In English, cruiser is cruiser, and cruising is cruise. Cruise liner - cruise liner or cruise ship. A clear flaw in English terminology: a cruiser has become confused with a passenger ship! A typical example: on a website with the world’s largest collection of photographs of ships (I will not give its name so as not to be considered an advertisement), moderators almost every day have to transfer photographs of liners to the appropriate section. Since the authors regularly place them in the “Cruisers” directory - “Cruisers”.

Nowadays the word “cruiser” is often associated with a cruise ship...

Returning to the Zamvolt, it becomes clear why American sailors like destroyers more than cruisers. Agree: serving on a “cruiser” or on a “destroyer” sounds completely different. So the word “destroyer”, invented more than a century ago (some attribute its authorship to the reformer admiral and “father of the Dreadnought” Jackie Fisher) turned out to be extremely successful. The versatility of its interpretation allows us to call any attack ship a destroyer. Even such a monster as “Zamvolt”.

While all “progressive humanity™” is celebrating the launch of the American technological miracle, the Zumwalt-class destroyer DDG-1000... and the “vatniks” are snorting contemptuously - "I drank this..." Having looked at these “aah-sighs”, I decided to figure out whether this “iron” was worth 4 and a kopecks of a billion dollars.

The ears of the DDG-1000 grow from the program of the “promising destroyer of the 21st century” DD21(later - DD(X)), which was conceived simultaneously with the “21st century aircraft carrier” program CVN-21(CVN(X)), guided missile cruiser CG(X) and the Littoral Combat Ship program ( LCS). All programs are wonderful and deserve separate stories. But later. And I will definitely return to the littoral ship (LCS) and the new aircraft carrier later. :) In the meantime, let's talk about Zumwalt.

The DD21 program was recognized fat even American congressmen... and reduced it by 50% (“well, well,” apparently the guys from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding chuckled at that moment, “we’ll sleep on you... later”), somewhat cutting back on the “sturgeon” and reducing number of ships.
Initially, the military was counting on 32 new destroyers. Then the program was successively cut down to 24, seven and finally three.

About the builders of the miracle ship

In addition to building the ship itself General Dynamics(the second one is being built at another shipyard Northrop Grumman) were also noted in the project Raytheon(designers of the AN/SPY-3 radar) and Lockheed Martin(we designed the second AN/SPY-4 radar).
Remember them?
Yes, yes - these are the same ones who have a child without an eye (c). Only Raytheon was not there, but Boeing was there instead.

Do you have a bad feeling?
It doesn't let you down. Here, too, it didn’t turn out very smoothly. :)

So, about the radar - a revolutionary dual-band radar was planned at Zumwalt DBR"Dual Band Radar" (AN/SPY-3 + AN/SPY-4).
The same thing was previously supposed to be installed on the newest aircraft carrier Gerald Ford (the aforementioned CVN-21 program), launched 2 years ago, but...
Danila the master’s stone flower did not come out. (c) It looks like it won’t be dual-band.

AN/SPY-4 - killed. AN/SPY-3 - not finished yet.

Yes, the attentive reader noticed correctly - the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, already launched in 2013, is still blind and deaf without a radar, and it is not clear when it will see the light.
So the United States does not yet have such an aircraft carrier (otherwise some are already blatantly counting it in their plans). And optimists say that it is unlikely to be completed before 2018.

Armament and design features

The ship is armed... in my opinion - strange.

1. Two automatic 155 mm gun mounts A.G.S.(Advanced Gun System). The total ammunition load of the two guns is 600 rounds.

The guns were created for special ammunition and can not use conventional 155mm artillery shells.
The fantastic firing range (they promised up to 100 miles, but in fact they got 67 miles - 117 km) is explained by the fact that the so-called. Adjustable (GPS-guided) active-rocket projectiles are essentially two-meter rockets with 10 kg of explosives (the mass of the projectile itself is 100 kg).
I wonder how much one such “projectile” will cost? Considering the prices for much simpler ones.

2. 20 four cell UVP Mk-57 with a total capacity of 80 missiles.

Everything is clear with these - the younger brother of the Mk.41 UVP for deploying Tomahawks, ASROC, ESSM and other missiles.
They are located along the sides of the ship before and after the superstructure, providing “additional protection” for the ship.

By the way, there was a misunderstanding with the “Standards”.
It is precisely stated about the short-range missiles (ESSM), anti-submarine ASROC and about Tomahawks. It’s not clear with the “Standards” - because
On July 31, 2008, at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee (Vice Admiral Barry McCullough, Deputy Commandant of the United States Navy, and Allison Stiller, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Shipbuilding Programs): “The URO destroyer of the DDG-1000 type is not capable of carrying out air defense in the theater of operations, including the ability to effectively use Standard anti-aircraft guided missiles of the SM-2, SM-3 or SM-6 types, and even more so cannot solve the problems of missile defense against ballistic missiles."
This is strange.
But judging by the fact that even in our pedivics, SM-2, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles are not included in the range of weapons (and the wiki is usually about American weapons - on the contrary, it exaggerates, giving rise to for the B-1B strat bomber) - something is really wrong with them. Maybe they are “not friends” with the new radar?

3. Two single-barrel 57 mm anti-aircraft gun mounts Bofors Mk110(ammunition - 480 rounds for each gun mount).
But what about the good old six-barreled Vulcan-Phalanx?
Two single-barrel 30mm anti-aircraft guns from Bushmaster.
And why did the hyped super accurate and powerful 57mm, planned until 2012, turn out to be bad?
Well, it’s better for us - now the Zumwalt will not be able to meet anti-ship missiles with powerful 57-mm shells from a range of 15 (!) kilometers, as it could.
:)

4. Two helicopters (SH-60 LAMPS Seahawk or MH-60R Seahawk), or one helicopter and three unmanned aircraft helicopter type MQ-8 Fire Scout.

With a displacement of 14,500 tons, Zumwalt will be the world's largest destroyer, surpassing even the American Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers in displacement.
Only our nuclear power plant is larger than it missile cruiser"Peter the Great" project 1144.

TARKR "Peter the Great" (project 1144)

The strange shape of the Zumwalt's hull - the sides inclined inside the hull, the gun mount barrels hidden in the turret, the faceted superstructure... are due to the adherence to the fashionable "Stealth" technology and the desire to hide from enemy radars.
I don’t know about you, but I immediately remember another Stealth iron being held in the air by a miracle (and a computer) - :)

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk

True, remembering the "Stealth" aviation programs, I have a question - what is the thickness radio-absorbing coating? Pedivicia writes that it’s an inch, but I don’t believe her.
We remember that the thickness of the RPM should be not less half wavelength.

What about the durability of the coating/RAD (radio-absorbing materials)?
Will it peel off after every flight, like the most expensive fighter in the world, the F-22?
How resistant is it to the aggressive marine environment?

Why is all this?

The main purpose of the Zumwalt is to attack coastal and ground targets, as well as to combat aircraft and provide fire support for troops from the sea.
As for the fight against aviation, it’s not clear (taking into account what was said above about “Standards”). Although a lot could have changed since 2008, I admit.
Everything else is clear. A ship to bring democracy from the sea to all Papuans.
Why Papuans?
Yes, because the main “trick” is that the cunning 155-mm guns do not allow them to attack those living on the shore with impunity. Because the ship will fall within the range of coastal anti-ship missiles (let me remind you that both the Bastion with the P-800 Onyx and the Caliber with its various anti-ship missiles have a firing range of at least 300 km). And even an anti-ship missile of a lower class - for example, a non-modernized X-35 (range 130 km) will reach it.

One of the early variants of the DDG-1000

The second point is that it is unrealistic to hit a point target from a cannon even from 100 kilometers away (this is why “cunning” GPS-guided projectiles with a CEP of 50 meters are used). But we remember about electronic warfare systems for protection precisely from such “high-precision” weapons (HPE) - from bombs, missiles and GPS-guided projectiles.

So the price of such shootouts will be high, and the result (against a normal enemy, not the Papuans) is doubtful.

And will the projectile (with a CEP of 50 meters and an explosive mass of only 10 kg) replace expensive high-precision weapons?
IMHO - it’s clearly not suitable as a replacement for adjustable aerial bombs. We'll have to do it the old fashioned way - transport GBUs and JDAMs with Hornets from the aircraft carrier.
And "Tomahawks" can be launched from cheaper "Arly Burks", which have already been set up with a carriage and a small cart.

Comparative sizes of Zumwalt and Ticonderoga

Another point is the lack of anti-ship weapons in the current configuration.
They didn’t give Zumwalt “harpoons,” and shooting at ships with miracle cannons was a rotten idea, in my opinion.
What is this destroyer without the possibility of attacking enemy ships?
Turns out it's big "gunboat".

Well, the last thing is about the notorious “stealth”.
Even leaving the inch-thick RPM alone (what are we going to do with meter and decimeter range locators?), let’s think about how the Zumwalt will camouflage the headlamps of the radar from the enemy? You can’t cover them with RPM, but a corner reflector made of them - be healthy!
Mystery.

How much does it cost?

And didn't you drink it? The question is logical.
Because the initial cost of DDG-1000 from $0.75 billion has already reached $4.4 billion.

Nuclear aircraft carrier class "Nimitz" of the latest series cost, EMNIP $4.5 billion. Aircraft carrier, Karl!

Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

For Zumwalt, the figure of 4.4 billion does not seem to be the limit.
Let's see how much the finished ship will cost, and two other sisterships under construction, for the completion of which money was squeezed out.

By the way, I came across news (if I find it, I’ll add a link) that Raytheon has received a contract to develop additional software for promising Zumwalt-class destroyers worth... don’t fall - $241.3 million!
“What kind of software is this?” - ask. And the software is a graphical interface for control programs for destroyer engines, as well as for damage control systems.
If additional software costs as much, how much did you pay for the main one? :)

Results

The DDG-1000 is increasingly positioned not as a wunderwaffe, but as a technology demonstrator. And it is right.
Because Zumwalt doesn’t look very convincing as a “super destroyer”. Especially considering the lack of anti-ship missiles and the “ambiguity” of the main caliber artillery. If its armament does not include the “Idzhis standards” SM-2/3/6 (which there is reason to suspect), then the matter is completely screwed.
And the “promising radar” must first be brought to fruition. And then there’s another question: will there be a “dual-band” one, or maybe we’ll have to once again tinker with the good old AN/SPY-1D.

The bottom line is that, so far, in addition to being a technology demonstrator... the "Destroyer of the 21st Century" is the most expensive gunboat on the planet.
Whether you write this down as a plus or a minus is up to you.

Enchanting comment, I couldn’t pass it by:
In any case, a ship worth 3 billion dollars is not serious.
anti-ship weapons costing at least 500 million dollars to develop and costing the product itself 1 million dollars will sink these ships in batches with a graphical interface of engine damage.

P.P.S.
An “expert” came to scold me and corrects me. Many thanks to him for his attention to my humble person. :)
Convicted me of two inaccuracies!
And he tried to flog him, but that was not the case... an expert of “all Rus'” (with a bunch of regalia).
Zumwalt is not a destroyer, but a wildly expensive gunboat.