The new head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Andrey Puchkov, gave the first interview in which he answered topical questions about the domestic military shipbuilding
For the second time, the International Naval Salon Fleet-2024 is being held in Kronstadt, where the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) is the recognized flagship in the field of development and production of naval equipment. The head of the USC told in an interview with TASS special correspondent Vyacheslav Ivanov about how competitive the developments of the corporation's design bureaus are in the global military shipbuilding market, whether USC plans to sign new contracts with the military department within the framework of the salon and when finally the heavy nuclear missile carrier Admiral Nakhimov will go to sea after deep modernization at the Severodvinsk enterprise Sevmash. Andrey Puchkov, who was appointed to this position in August last year.
— Andrey Sergeevich, with what novelties and time-tested samples does USC perform at the International Naval Salon?
— The salon provides developers and manufacturers of naval equipment with a good opportunity to demonstrate scientific and technical potential, promote objective information about our latest achievements. Fleet 2024 will undoubtedly contribute to the development of business contacts between our enterprises and foreign colleagues, as well as the establishment of industrial cooperation in the creation of samples of weapons and military equipment.
As for the USC exposition at the salon, it traditionally includes shipbuilding and shipbuilding. Promising projects of submarines, warships and boats, as well as civil shipbuilding products will be presented at our stand. I believe that the models of submarines of projects 636 and P-750B, surface ships of projects 22356, 20382, 11711 "Cayman", 12701, boats of project 21980E and 1496M1E will be of the greatest interest to visitors.
— And what is the corporation's share in the state defense arms order?
— The share of JSC "USC" in the state defense order of the Navy is about 75%.
— How competitive do you think the developments of the USC design bureaus are now in the global military shipbuilding market?
— USC's participation in the annual exhibitions of naval equipment only convincingly confirms the existence of sustained attention to the naval component of Russian military exports. The salon demonstrates well that representatives of the national Navy are traditionally interested in Russian multipurpose frigates and corvettes, as well as non-nuclear submarines of various classes.
— In which regions of the world are the most popular ships and vessels built at the shipyards of USC enterprises?
— Domestic naval equipment protects the borders not only of our Homeland, but also of many other countries.
USC, together with Rosoboronexport, is carrying out planned work to promote Russian-made naval equipment to world markets, including joint design and construction of ships at foreign shipyards. After obtaining the right to carry out foreign trade activities in relation to military products at the end of 2016, the corporation is implementing a large-scale modernization program for Russian and Soviet ships previously delivered to foreign customers.
— Does USC continue to use the achievements of the design bureaus of the Soviet period to create the latest ships, or are the ideas and ideas of a new generation of Russian shipbuilders exclusively in the works?
— The creation of each generation of ships, like any other technology, is a step forward, but any generation of marine technology is a further development of the existing, previously created design groundwork that meets the requirements of its time. A modern ship is the embodiment of the design and construction experience of more than one generation of shipbuilders, it is the experience gained during operation in various conditions. Without this generational connection, it is impossible to get the result that we today call the modern look of the Navy.
The design bureaus that are part of the USC have accumulated vast experience, and a powerful domestic shipbuilding school has been created. There are developments in all major complexes and systems of ships that serve as the foundation for the most daring and advanced design solutions.
— Will USC enterprises participate in a Single day of acceptance of military products this year?
— In January of this year, the USC has already participated in a Single day of military acceptance organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Then the Mozhaisk diesel-electric submarine and the Lev Chernavin base minesweeper were transferred to the customer. If the organizer of this event decides to hold another Single Acceptance Day this year, then we will gladly take part in it.
— Tell me a secret, is it planned to sign new contracts with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation within the framework of the International Naval Salon "Fleet-2024"?
— As far as I know, our main customer has plans to conclude new government contracts. The Corporation is conducting pre-contract work on 22 new ships. But whether state contracts will be concluded for the MVMS Fleet-2024 or the Army-2024 forum depends on the customer's decision.
— I can't help but ask, when is the first sea launch planned for the testing of the heavy nuclear missile cruiser project 1144.2M Admiral Nakhimov? And how does USC see the future for this ship? How do you assess the combat capabilities of the cruiser?
— The procedure and timing of the tests are determined by the general schedule for the repair of the cruiser. The first launch of the cruiser for testing is planned after the completion of the entire complex of mooring tests in November 2024. Currently, the work is being carried out in compliance with the deadlines of the general schedule.
After the repair is completed, the Navy will receive a new, modern ship capable of performing its tasks in all areas of the World Ocean and proudly displaying the St. Andrew's flag.
— Is it planned to transfer the nuclear submarine project 955A Borey-A Prince Pozharsky to the Navy this year?
— The Borey-A project 955A cruiser Prince Pozharsky will be transferred to the Navy in December this year.
— Does USC continue to support a network of foreign service centers for servicing marine equipment purchased from us in the current realities?
— USC is actively working in the military-technical cooperation market. The relevant work is being carried out systematically, including within the framework of the license obtained for the repair and equipping with spare parts of military equipment supplied abroad.
Cooperation with foreign shipbuilders is being organized to create joint ventures, participate in the production of components on the territory of a foreign customer, and explore the possibility of industrial cooperation with interested countries.
— Is USC conducting joint development work with other enterprises of the Russian defense industry?
— Such work is carried out continuously. Any lead ship — the first ship under construction under a new project - includes up to several dozen components of the ROC, which are performed by co—executors — enterprises of the Russian defense industry.
— Are the enterprises and design bureaus belonging to the USC working on the creation of completely new projects — ships of the future? What kind of ships will they be, how much will their appearance change? And how do you see the domestic shipbuilding industry in 10-20 years?
— Enterprises and design bureaus work closely with the customer, industry scientific organizations and among themselves in order to identify trends in the development of naval fleets, identify new technologies and develop coordinated approaches to promising projects. This work is ongoing. It is obvious that the appearance of the ships of the future is currently only being outlined. It can be confidently assumed that these ships should ensure the use of new means of armed struggle, much attention will be directed to the development of electronic weapons of ships. Significant changes may be required in the energy sector. Superconductivity technologies, innovative atomic and non-atomic power plants are being actively studied.
— What new developments are currently underway in the USC design bureaus in this regard?
— Priorities have changed in surface shipbuilding: from increasing the number of weapons carriers to increasing the number of precision weapons on a single carrier with the ability to quickly recharge the ship. The modular design of the ship has been developed for maximum efficiency of its use as a carrier platform in solving a whole range of tasks.
At the same time, one of the promising areas for the work of specialists from leading design bureaus is research and development in the field of creating uninhabited underwater vehicles and high-speed unmanned boats.
