BHC "Rhinoceros": project 1174

Problems with shipments from France of the Mistral class landing craft prompted the Russian leadership to consider the expediency of acquiring them. The fact is that the combat capabilities of these BDKs do not correspond much to the naval doctrine of the Russian Federation. Already by the time of the planned transfer and after Russian crews had been retrained to service imported equipment, doubts had begun about the appropriateness of their use. There were speculations about how to use them most effectively-either as staff control ships, or as floating hospitals. Then they remembered about two BBC project 1174 "Rhinoceros" ("Mitrofan Moskalenko" and "Alexander Nikolaev"), which have been in reserve for many years. Perhaps if you dig and scribble "along the bays", you can find the right thing at home, and not far away from the sea.

Project

Admiral Gorshkov thought for the first time about the need to use force far from his native coasts after the Caribbean crisis, when many military cargoes, including special forces and missiles, had to be transported to Cuban banks by ordinary merchant ships. By 1964, these thoughts were formed in the form of a technical assignment, issued to the Nevsky Design Bureau, located in the city of Leningrad. Two responsible persons were appointed - Chief Designer P. P. Milovanov and the Navy Observer, the co-author Bekhterev A.V.

The KB would have coped with the task more quickly, but the demands of the military often changed, and not in the direction of simplification. The Americans began the construction of universal Tarawa landing ships, they planned interventions (like the Vietnam War), and their technical solutions, which became known to the Soviet leadership, influenced the change in TK. The general sketch was ready by October 1965. The project was approved in 1968. However, changes to it continued to be made, and it was not until almost a decade and a half that the Kaliningrad shipbuilding Yantar finished the work on Ivan Rogov, the first unit of the BBC series of the project 1174 (Rhino), consisting, according to the plan, of three ships.

Current state

At present two of three ships are suitable for the restoration of combat capability. The first of the BBC series "Rhinoceros", which gave it the name of NATO classification, that is, the head one, called "Ivan Rogov" (built in 1977), was written off and disassembled for metal in 1996. The second, "Alexander Nikolaev" (launched in the autumn of 1982), a year later was decommissioned and abandoned. The same fate befell Mitrofan Moskalenko, but later - in 2002. They wanted to sell this ship. Among possible buyers was called China, at one time already used the decommissioned cruiser "Kiev" as a floating hotel in Macau, but the transaction for some reason "not grown together." It is possible that the appearance of the BBC project "Rhinoceros" is not attractive enough to become a bait for tourists, and repair it for the fleet of the PRC found it difficult, complex and expensive. The technical condition of the floating equipment after a long standing at the quay wall has yet to be evaluated by specialists.

Project technical indicators

The main indicator for a shipbuilder is a displacement equal to the mass of the ship in an empty and fully-equipped condition. In this case, it exceeds 11.5 / 14 thousand tons, respectively. The length of the BBC "Rhinoceros" is 158 meters, the width along the midship is 24 m, the keel is immersed in water at full load of five meters. The maximum course is 20 knots, with an 18-knot it can overcome 7,5 thousand miles with full tanks of fuel. Autonomy depends on the number of loaded paratroopers: if there are 500 of them, then provisions for food are enough for half a month. The crew consists of 239 team members, including officers (37 men).

Take fuel from floating tanker tankers can be in the sea, for this BDK "Rhinoceros" is equipped with all the necessary equipment. For the replenishment of food supplies and other "dry" cargoes, there are also devices for transporting from board to board.

Power and power plants

The power plant includes two gas turbines with a capacity of 18 thousand liters. S., Located along the sides in a tiered manner. During the development of the project, it was not possible to solve the problem of their integral aggregate replacement due to the complicated technical requirements imposed on the general architecture of the ship, therefore, repairing, if a decision is made to restore the combat capability of units, can become problematic, although feasible. During the operation ("Alexander Nikolaev" - 15, "Mitrofan Moskalenko" - 12 years), the engines have been subject to wear, they need to either be repaired or changed to more modern ones. Disassemble the turbines will have to place, inside the hull, and this is more expensive.

The sources of power supply for the BBC "Rhinoceros" are on-board generators (there are six of them on the ship) for half a megawatt each, only 3 mW.

Weapons

The artillery and missile arming of amphibious ships serves two main purposes. First, it must ensure the relative safety of the combat unit itself with its troops and military equipment loaded on it. Secondly, during the disembarkation of the landing and in the subsequent period the ship provides him with fire support. Of course, BDK-1174 "Rhinoceros" can hardly be called a superpowerful floating battery, but something he can do. Installation type AK-726 - the most powerful artillery facility on board, its caliber is 76.2 mm. There are also two quick-fire artillery guns AK-630 on four barrels of caliber 30 mm, the purpose of which is to protect against high-speed surface and air weapons of enemy destruction. Air defense is strengthened by four compact anti-aircraft missile systems "Strela-3" and one "Osa-M" (with ammunition in 20 missiles). The fire cover and the preliminary preparation of the landing bridgehead is the task of two MLRS "Grad", mounted on the superstructure. The air wing is represented by four Ka-29 helicopters, providing anti-submarine defense and reconnaissance.

Landing opportunities

The designation of the ships of the BKK project 1174 "Rhinoceros" consists in the landing of the landing battalion on the coast, remote to the distance of its operational radius. There are two main ways to accomplish this task.

The first, and most effective, is the mooring to the enemy shore. In this case, the ship rests with its nose in its cut, opens the doors and expands the ramp (project 1174 has a length of 32 m), along which the military equipment pulls out and the personnel leaves. The drawback of this method lies in the fact that only 17% of the world's shoreline allows it to be used.

The second method involves the use of landing aids, plying between the "beach" and the ship. He also has a fundamental drawback: he reduces the speed of landing and unloading equipment, but, with the use of boats, can provide them in four cases out of ten. Means can serve and helicopters, then the nature of the coastline does not matter.

The ability to apply both methods can not boast of every large amphibious ship. The project 1174 "Rhinoceros" has two main outlets - nasal valves and a stern lapel of the folding type, which closes the docking chamber. Thus, in the case of the shore's suitability, it can land troops from both its extremities, and if one does not come close to it, use the boats.

Capacity

The hold for the tanks is bulky, it measures 54 x 12 meters and occupies a five-meter high inter-deck space. The volume of the dock camera impresses even more - 75 x 12 x 10 meters. In BDK 1174 "Rhinoceros" can fit (in various combinations):

- Light tanks type PT-76 - 50 pcs.

- BMP, BTR - 80 pcs.

- Cars - 120 pcs.

- Marines - 500 people.

In the docking compartment you can place:

- Landing boats (pr. 1785 or 1176) - 6 pcs.

- Vessels on the air cushion (draft 1206 or "Serna") - 3 pcs.

Without personnel, it is also possible to transport 1.7 thousand tons of various cargoes.

Comparison with Mistral

So what is so good about an expensive French giant and what is it superior to the 1174 "Rhinoceros" project? The photo of our ship is really not impressive. Compared with the impressive "Mistral", it looks somehow awkward because of its large superstructure. Yes, and helicopters on it is not enough, 4 to 16. But the attempt to understand the issue objectively leads to a very interesting conclusion that our landing craft in many parameters is quite comparable with it. The displacement of the Mistral (21, 3 thousand tons) is more than 1.5 times, and it can transport approximately the same number of troops and equipment (four dozen tanks and 470 marines). True, its combat radius exceeds 20,000 km, but this advantage is not so important for the Russian fleet. Somewhere in Chile, our General Staff does not seem to plan to land a sea assault.

What in the future is waiting for Mitrofan Moskalenko and Alexander Nikolaev?

If Russia really refuses the "Mistrals", the French side will be in serious difficulty. In the conditions of the world economic crisis, to stay with two very expensive helicopter carriers, which are not needed (and there are no buyers foreseen), and even pay a penalty - the prospect is not the best. But Russia also faces challenges. The niche in the combat composition of the active fleet must be filled. Apparently, a new large amphibious ship will be built. The project 1174 "Rhinoceros" can temporarily replace it, but it is unlikely that it will be worth spending a lot of money on repairing it. The development of a new project that meets all modern requirements will take several years, then installation, launching, debugging. All this is not cheap, but then the French billions will come in handy. Part of the funds - for the modernization of "Rhinoceroses", the rest - for new ships. This, of course, is a guess, but how it will all turn out - time will tell.