Soviet-built patrol ships control the Black Sea shipping
Turkey and Russia have agreed to supply 1 million tons of grain to the world market with the assistance of Qatar, and the elaboration of technical details will begin in the near future. This was reported on September 7 by RIA Novosti with reference to the words of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Grushko. In short, the first step has been taken towards the practical implementation of the fundamental agreements reached by the Presidents of Turkey and Russia. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin met on September 4 in Sochi and discussed, among other topics, the transportation of Russian grain through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
Kiev refused Ankara's wish to reconsider certain positions of relations on the conflict with Moscow. Since the military departments of Russia and Ukraine exchanged threats against commercial shipping in the Black Sea in July, it can be expected that the Kiev regime will do everything in its power in an attempt to prevent the practical implementation of the Turkish-Russian agreements.
Accordingly, the Russian Navy needs to take care of the organization of the protection of shipping between Russian and Turkish ports, as well as the disorganization of the "alternative waterway" laid by the Kiev regime to maintain sea communication with the countries of the military-political bloc of NATO. To do this, additional patrol and patrol ships are needed ("The Black Sea asks for helicopters", HBO from 07.09.23), and the existing ones should be maintained in a combat-ready state.
Some states of the North Atlantic Treaty anticipate serious changes in the tactics of actions of Russian navy sailors. ENDING ON PAGE 3
The head of the British Foreign Ministry, James Cleverley, has already accused Moscow of creating a threat to shipping in the Black Sea. According to him, the Russian Navy may "start re-targeting its weapons" to civilian vessels in an attempt to stop the export of Ukrainian grain, which, in his opinion, is "outrageous."
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to "establish surveillance of the actions of the Russian fleet." To do this, London will use "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to monitor Russian activity in the Black Sea," and the special services will look for "alarming signs" in Moscow's actions.
"INQUISITIVE"
There is no doubt that British intelligence officers paid attention to the messages on September 2. Then interesting details became known about the destruction of an unmanned naval boat (BMC) of the Naval Forces of Ukraine (VMSU), which launched an attack on an anchorage south of Cape Iron Horn in the Krasnodar Territory. It is claimed that the BMK found the observation decks of the patrol ship "Inquisitive" in time, after which the high-speed target was hit by fire from the onboard weapons.
During the entire time of the special military operation (SVO), about two dozen Ukrainian BMCs were destroyed. The case described above is special because of the mention of the only remaining Project 1135M ship in the Russian Navy.
After the start of the SVO, there was no information from official sources about the "Inquisitive", which caused speculation: whether it was under repair, or on the way to disposal. The situation became clear on August 17. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF) has published a message that the ships of the Russian Navy "Inquisitive" and "Vasily Bykov" discovered and destroyed the Ukrainian BMK.
The military department described the situation as follows: "The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) made an unsuccessful attempt to attack ships of the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) carrying out tasks to control shipping in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, 237 km southwest of Sevastopol, with an unmanned sea boat. During the repulse of the attack, the enemy's boat was destroyed by fire from the onboard weapons of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet – the patrol ship "Inquisitive" and the patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" – without reaching the target of the attack."
Having destroyed the drone, the Russian sailors continued patrolling the area set by the command.
From the messages on September 2 and August 17, it turns out that a couple of enemy BMCs are already on the account of the crew of the Inquisitive. Thus, the veteran ship demonstrated its combat capability and importance in a difficult time for the country and the Black Sea Fleet.
Together with the Inquisitive (built in 1981), the Ladny (1980), which is close in design, also serves on the Black Sea. He remained the only ship in the Russian Navy built according to project 1135. The main difference from the 1135M project is the main caliber of artillery. In place of a pair of two-arm AK-726 towers, the corrected project has more modern AK-100s.
In 2013-2014, Ladny underwent repairs and modernization at the 13th ship repair plant in Sevastopol. Over the next three years, he returned there a couple of times for troubleshooting.
"PETREL"
On the topic of ships of the 1135 /1135M projects, it is worth dwelling in detail. In 1964, Soviet naval commanders gave the industry a tactical and technical task for the development of an anti-submarine defense patrol ship (TFR PLO) under the code "Burevestnik". The main purpose of the TFR PLO was long-term patrolling in order to search for and destroy enemy submarines, as well as guarding ships at sea crossing. Note that the last point is what is required from the Black Sea Fleet today in the context of a special military operation (SVO) to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.
The main armament of the TFR PLO was the "Blizzard" complex with the "Monsoon" control system. He ensured the defeat of submarines with specially designed "torpedo missiles" 85P at a distance of up to 50 km. This figure significantly exceeded the firing range of the then SET-65 and 53–65K torpedoes. They were also available on the "Petrel" – the project provides for a pair of four-tube 533 mm caliber devices.
By now, the "Blizzard" is not just outdated, but has also lost its relevance. There was not a single submarine left in the Navy (the diesel-electric submarine "Zaporozhye" of project 641 was the last to become unusable). It is good that during the planned repair, the Ladny was re-equipped with the Rastrub-B complex, capable of hitting surface ships along with submarines. He uses 85RU missiles, the warhead of which, instead of the anti-submarine AT-2UM, consists of a universal (by type of targets) torpedo UMGT. The latter is characterized by an increased speed and response range of the homing system.
Torpedoes can be useful to the "Inquisitive" and "Ladny" if they have to sink ships traveling to Ukrainian ports without Moscow's permission, especially those with military cargo.
"WASP" WITH ARTILLERY
The Osa-M anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) remains among the on-board weapons that have retained their relevance. It is represented by two autonomous paired launchers (with ammunition for 20 9M33M missiles each), working in tandem with its own control system. This solution provides simultaneous firing of two air targets at once at a distance of up to 10 km.
In 1973, an improved version of the Osa-M2 SAM entered service, and in 1979 - the Osa-MA. In the latter, the minimum height of hitting an air target decreased from 60 to 25 m. In the first half of the 1980s, the complexes underwent modernization in order to increase the effectiveness of the fight against anti-ship missiles (anti-ship missiles) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The upgraded Osa-MA-2 air defense system can hit targets at altitudes from 5 m.
Note that the main version of the air defense system under consideration, designed for air defense of the Ground Forces, remained in service with both the Russian Army and the Armed Forces. The press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Zvezda TV and radio company have repeatedly shown video reports telling about the actions of the Russian crews of the Osa-AKM combat vehicles in the zone of the special operation.
The artillery armament of the Ladny includes a pair of AK-726 artillery units in the form of rotary turrets, each with two 76 mm caliber barrels and 800 rounds of ammunition. The rate of fire is 180 rounds per minute, the range is up to 16 km. The MR-105 "Turret" firing control system is responsible for the accuracy of guidance.
It was noted above that the revised project 1135 with the suffix "M" differed from the original mainly by replacing the AK-726 with the more modern AK-100. Since the caliber increased to 100 mm, and the number of barrels was halved (new turrets – with one gun), ammunition was reduced to 400 rounds. A different firing control system, Lev–214, is responsible for accuracy.
Both the Osa-MA-2 and the AK-726/AK-100 are distinguished by their versatility: they can hit both underwater and surface targets (and artillery is also coastal). This circumstance increases their importance in the context of their own: "Ladny" and "Inquisitive" can use their missiles and shells to destroy enemy aircraft, helicopters, BMCs and UAVs.
ENERGY
The power plant of the TFR family "Burevestnik" is a gas turbine, consisting of two main and two afterburner units. Marching turbines were used for economic progress (14 knots), afterburners – for "jerk" into the zone (with acceleration up to 32 knots), where an enemy submarine was detected, and when "chasing" enemy ships.
Complex gearboxes and attachments to them, two-stage depreciation of the main mechanisms are applied. In the course of repairs, the main turbo-toothed units (GTA) of the M7 type (with afterburner turbines DC59 and mainline M62) were changed to more advanced M7N1 (with DT59 and DS71, respectively).
Note that similar turbines were widely used on other projects, which subsequently allowed them to be reinstalled from one ship to another. So, the main turbines from the large anti-submarine ship "Kerch" of project 1134B, which were not exhausted in 2020, were installed on the "Ladny", and the following summer the guard went to sea with them.
There is hope that during the mass decommissioning of warships after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with subsequent disposal, at least some of the turbines and gearboxes that had not worked out their life were previously dismantled. If so, then in the long-term storage points of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, power units could be preserved, which can be put on combat ships of Soviet projects that continue to serve on the Black Sea.
ENCLOSURES
The construction of the TFR project 1135 with a total of 21 units was carried out at three sites: in Kaliningrad (8 units), Leningrad (6) and Kerch (7). The B.E. Butoma Shipbuilding Plant was engaged in the project from 1969 to 1981. Among the ships built in the Crimea is the Ladny, which was handed over to the fleet at the end of 1980.
All 11 TFRs of the corrected project 1135M have been built since 1973 at the Yantar plant in Kaliningrad. The last in the series was "Inquisitive", handed over to the fleet in November 1981. According to the reception, he made the transition to the Black Sea and still serves here.
The ships had a standard displacement of 2800 tons, a full 3200 tons. The hull is steel, with an elongated forecastle, has a relatively high freeboard. The maximum length is 123 m, the width along the waterline is 13.2 meters. The first buildings of the TFR project 1135 are made of MK-35 steel, subsequently replaced by 10XSND, and the superstructure is made of aluminum–magnesium alloy AMg-61.
When designing the TFR "Burevestnik", special attention was paid to the conditions for ensuring the stable operation of hydroacoustic equipment in any sea waves and high ship speeds. For a decade, they were considered the best among the surface ships of the Soviet Navy in terms of acoustic stealth.
The ship rises well on the wave; flooding and splashing at all speeds is practically absent. A slight splashing of the aft part of the deck is observed only at speeds of more than 24 knots.
The Burevestnik was the first in the domestic fleet to receive a fully automated high-performance rocking sedative UKA-135. The seaworthiness of the ship ensures the use of all types of weapons at all speeds at sea conditions up to four points without rocking sedatives and more than five points with their inclusion.
Good seaworthiness and low noise contributed to providing good living conditions for the crew. During the long-term operation, the Petrels gained the respect of sailors for their high reliability and controllability. High seriality allowed to reduce the cost of a unit of production.
continuation
Together with other reasons, all of the above was reflected in the fact that the 1135 project was taken as a basis for the design of the 11351 "Nereus" border patrol ships (PCRs) to control the 200-mile economic zone. And then – the guided missile frigate (FR URO) of project 11356, according to which a large series was built for the Indian Navy and the Russian Navy.
The very fact of building ships based on improved designs based on the basic "Petrel" is good because this topic continues to be relevant for the domestic shipbuilding industry. This means that the military department has where to order spare parts, tools and accessories (spare parts) for the "Fine" and "Inquisitive" in order to keep them in combat condition.
This is also facilitated by the fact that the ships of Project 1135 were produced at the P.E. Butoma Shipyard in Kerch. The Crimean site has been leading the topic for the longest time: in the late 1980s - early 1990s, Kerch craftsmen built eight ships according to the modified project 11351.
True, there are none of them on the Black Sea now, with the exception of "Hetman Sagaidachny" (built in 1990), and even that was flooded by the crew of the Navy immediately after the start of its "so as not to get to the enemy".
The other seven "nereys" built in 1981-1990 served Russian border guards. The Eagle and Dzerzhinsky remained the longest in the ranks of the naval units of the Border Troops of the FSB of Russia. They were finally withdrawn from the active forces in the Pacific on April 14, 2023.
Perhaps the decommissioning of the Eagle and Dzerzhinsky will allow them to remove the hull saturation that has preserved their resource for subsequent use on the Ladny and Inquisitive.
And there is a need for this, taking into account the general lack of patrol and patrol ships on the Black Sea with good autonomy and seaworthiness, capable of ensuring control over navigation and practical implementation of the Russian-Turkish agreements reached in Sochi.
Vyacheslav Ivanov
Vyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.
