- the first journalist to visit the revolutionary US Navy destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000), called by experts the “battleship of the 21st century.” The report contains a lot of new information about the ship and a number of exclusive photos. We provide an exclusive review of this material, supplementing it with information that provides the most complete information about the vessel.
Christopher Kawas attended the sea trials of the 16,000-ton destroyer on March 23. As before, they passed in the area of Portland, Maine, where the ship departed. Upon completion of testing, the ship entered the Kennebec River and went to the Bath shipyard - the place of its “birth”.
Like many other American military vessels, the Zumwalt must go through a series of tests and modifications before it begins full operation. Acceptance tests will take place in April. If they are successful, on May 20 the ship will officially be handed over to its crew - at the disposal of the US Navy. In September, after several months of crew training, the ship will leave the shipyard. An official commissioning ceremony into the Navy (Baltimore, Maryland) is scheduled for October 15, and in December the destroyer will arrive at the fleet base in San Diego, California, its permanent home base.
In accordance with the 2007 plan, for six months, starting in January, the ship will be undergoing maintenance in San Diego: modifications will be carried out taking into account the experience and information obtained by specialists in previous months. The main thing will be done in California: in 2017, the Zumwalt will complete the installation of weapons systems, sensors and software updates. The ship's hull, mechanical and electrical systems were built in Maine, but almost all of the weapons on it will be placed in San Diego. The combat systems will not be tested until early 2018, and only after that the largest destroyer in the history of the United States Navy will be ready for use. Two-stage production was envisaged from the moment the contract was signed.
The ship has a length of 185 m, a beam of 24.6 m and a displacement of 13,200 tons. Zumwalt destroyers are the largest modern non-aircraft-carrying warships in the world after the Soviet nuclear-powered missile cruisers of Project 1144, built at the Baltic Shipyard from 1973 to 1989 (their displacement is 26,000 tons)
At the moment, Zumwalt is the property of Bath Iron Works (BIW), the General Dynamics shipyard in Bath, where the ship has been built since 2008. Work on its concept began even earlier. During testing, the Zumwalt was operated by a team of BIW civil engineers and shipbuilders led by Captain Earl Walker, who has over 30 years of experience. Also present were specialists from the defense company Raytheon (the main supplier of the Zumwalt combat systems) and other weapons manufacturers.
Bath Iron Works specialists. Photo: Christopher Kavas, Defense News.
The journalist spoke about the chronology, progress, specifics of the tests, as well as some of the unique features and capabilities of the ship, the bulk of the information about which is strictly classified.
The tests of the first stage, called "Alpha", took place in early December and lasted about a week - a full-fledged test voyage took place for the first time on December 7. Without the critical first stage, there was no point in moving on to the second, called “Bravo.” Then, during the "alpha" tests, about 20 basic functions and tasks of the ship were demonstrated, said Captain James Downey, who leads the PMS 500 program dedicated to the DDG 1000 of the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Zumwalt returned to Portland several times to change engineers on board.
The December tests were reviewed by the Navy's Inspectorate for Quality Assurance (INSURV) and were deemed successful. The non-standard division of the process into two stages was due to an unprecedented amount of high-tech equipment: about 10 large “hi-tech groups” and dozens of smaller elements.
Photo: Christopher Kawas, Defense News.
Kavas attended the ship’s third night out to sea, during the second series of sea trials, which took place from March 21 to 24. They were successful. During the Bravo phase testing, more than 100 tasks were completed, said Capt. James Kirk, who will become Zumwalt's first commanding officer (CO).
The destroyer left Casco Bay into the Atlantic Ocean. The Zumwalt was escorted by the Moray, a small US Coast Guard cutter. Typically this is done for security reasons, but this time there was a team from NAVSEA on board to test its stealth capabilities. This is no less important than the correct operation of the engines.
As Kavas writes, the white running light is located on the bow of the ship, and not on the mast, as is customary - the stealth design of the destroyer allows it to be placed only there, since one of the features of the ship is the most smooth surface of the hull without unnecessary protrusions on it elements. The only thing that rose above the level, flat forward deck were the huge bow turrets, which “hidden” two 155-millimeter Advanced Gun System (AGS) cannons - the largest (in recent decades) naval guns installed as standard equipment on the ship.
Along the edges of the ship and along the aft flight deck are several rows of 80 missile cells. They are arranged in a new arrangement designed to protect the ship with the "blast shields" of the missile cells (they protect the missiles during combat), leaving the median line free for the artillery system.
When moving on a ship, there are no guardrails or lifelines, although while in port you can manually install racks with railings. Those who dare to go on deck at sea must firmly grasp the safety rope.
The destroyer emerged from the bay with its navigation radar, an AN/SPY-73 centimeter-wave radar, rotating on the top of the foredeck mast. However, at sea the mast was retracted into the hull like a periscope for reasons of stealth.
During the deployment described by Defense News, about 130 members of the destroyer's future crew were on board, which is highly unusual for tests conducted by shipyards. In the coming months, the Zumwalt will become a second home for the crew, but BIW has already allowed the military to gain their first experience of operating the vessel. The future crew was very excited about this opportunity, and they managed to cope with even more tasks than planned. This unique experience gave him a special advantage - it allowed him to better study the complex, revolutionary structure of the ship, equipped with the latest technology - and, most importantly, it happened with the direct participation of the people who developed, built and tested the destroyer.
“We've been waiting 33 months for this,” said Command Master Chief Dion Beauchamp.
The crew visited the Zumwalt for the second time. For the first time he was allowed to visit the ship during the first, December stage of testing. Then the military was present on the destroyer for less time. Now they were involved in controlling the Zumwalt for more than 22 hours. The ship, as then, left Portland, and upon completion of testing, arrived at the shipyard. But this time the ship returned to Bath only the next day, and its tests lasted almost a day.
In its experiment, BIW went even further: in addition to the crew of the destroyer being tested, several engineers from the future crew of the second Zumwalt class ship under construction, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), were present on the ship. They got acquainted with the power plant.
Let us remind you that it is planned to build two more ships of the Zumwalt series. The third in the series will be the Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), which in two years could be equipped with a “sci-fi” rail gun. In the early stages, the US Navy announced the possible construction of 32 destroyers of this type, but due to the complexity of the latest technologies used on the Zumwalt, this number was reduced to 3.
DDG-1000 crew members participated in a number of operations and tests, controlled the ship, and studied the functioning of the engines. They examined and checked the operation of the anchor: it and the associated mechanisms are completely inside the vessel. The anchor extends down through the bottom of the ship.
Crew members check the operation of the anchor. Photo: Christopher Kawas, Defense News.
According to Beauchamp, the destroyer's various systems are so deeply integrated that the crew learned not just to operate individual pieces of equipment, but to operate a huge "system of systems." The total length of the program code is about 6,000,000 lines.
Beauchamp is very experienced, having previously served on an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and two frigates, but even he had to learn and master 19 new technologies for his future work on the Zumwalt, according to Command Master Chief Petty Officer.
The requirements for the crew, according to Beauchamp, are very high: only sailors who show the best results are accepted there. Moreover, only one crew member is under 21 years of age.
Chief Fire Control Officer Dave Aitken was also on the ship, but he stepped away from his usual duties as the Zumwalt combat systems have not yet been installed and will not be operational for another two years. During these tests, the focus was on the destroyer's hull, mechanics, and engineering aspects, so Aitken and his team found other tasks, including working with BIW engineers.
“The sailors learned from the Raytheon guys,” Aitken said. “During testing, a person from Raytheon stood behind them and monitored their work with the consoles.”
Electromagnetic railgun for Zumwalt class destroyers. Photo: MC2 Kristopher Kirsop/Navy.
Aitken's people participated in the work of the IT department with the "computer" infrastructure of the destroyer, operating integrated systems, including communications systems. In the future, once the weapons are installed, the fire control department will have a better understanding of how they will fit into the Zumwalt "system of systems."
During the exercises, the destroyer functioned properly, all planned goals and indicators were achieved. There were no problems of any kind, Downey noted. The BIW team will now review the information received and prepare for acceptance testing. In fact, as the head of PMS 500 noted, the March testing was their “rehearsal.” In April, INSURV will evaluate the ship's performance and, in all likelihood, will recommend it for formal acceptance into the Navy.
Weather conditions during testing were difficult, but the ship demonstrated a high level of stability. It was accelerated to speeds above 30 knots (more than 55 km/h) - with a maximum speed of 33.5 knots (62 km/h). During a sharp turn, the roll angle was 7-8 degrees. This greatly impressed Kirk, who had expected a much greater inclination. The hull of the vessel with its unusual slope (it tapers 8° above the waterline) is incredibly stable - this shape is determined by the need to reduce the ESR (effective dispersion area) - the main indicator that determines the level of visibility of the vessel.
Downey noted that he has no doubts about the stealth qualities of the destroyer and its EPR. According to him, everything looks even “too good.” It is very difficult to detect Zumwalt on radars. It is noteworthy that during the tests, for reasons of navigation safety, reflectors were installed on the ship. Thus, civilian ships could see the stealth destroyer on their radar.
Decks are not intended for permanent occupancy of people, therefore all those fixtures and structures that are usually found on the decks of warships are moved inside or reduced as much as possible. Everything necessary for the daily activities of the crew is located inside the destroyer. This, as you might guess, is also due to the Zumwalt's stealth.
Radar-absorbing materials about an inch thick, which surround the hull and superstructure, made it possible to minimize the number of protruding antennas. This innovation, together with other stealth components, makes the destroyer as stealthy as possible.
The ship carried 388 people, although in the future its crew will be 147. During the planned 40 years of operation of the USS Zumwalt, such a number of people on board will be transported very, very rarely.
It should be noted that thanks to the high-tech hardware and software, the operation of the destroyer is as automated as possible. Thanks to this, the crew size was reduced. 147 people is very little. For comparison: the crew of the Russian guards missile cruiser Moskva, similar in size to the Zumwalt, is about 500 people.
Laser weapons.
The extensive bridge is located on the second level (O2) of the superstructure. The standard watch on the bridge is three officers. There are places for two junior watch officers (Junior Officer of the Watch, JOOW, and Junior Officer of the Deck, JOOD). There is no seating provided for the officer of the watch, OOD: he must stand and walk on the bridge.
Between the watch seats there is a manual control system. All seats are equipped with computer panels. The ship's course can be set by the autopilot or by using a mouse and keyboard, or by turning the "little black knob" used as the ship's wheel.
The places arranged on the bridge are surrounded by consoles. Junior watch officers at their stations monitor screens recording the operation of internal systems and navigation displays. The windows and consoles are separated by a fairly wide passage.
Around the top are eight large flat-panel displays. This is one of the most detailed and impressive information systems located on the bridges of today's warships. There you can connect to any data: various sensors, secret intelligence data, cameras showing different areas of the destroyer.
On either side of the junior watch officers' consoles are separate seats for the commander and his first officer (on the right side) or the commodore (on the left). Directly above them are three large flat panel displays.
In the back there are seats for people responsible for intelligence and mission planning.
At the rear of the wheelhouse on either side are two "alcoves" designed for the captain or officer of the watch to control the ship during docking, resupplying the vessel, and leaving the dock.
There are two wide opening windows through which two people can look far down to the ship's waterline.
USS Michael Monsoor
The Zumwalt's multi-mission Command Center (SMC, Ship Mission Center) is huge, two decks high. It extends from the steel-clad O2 level into the base of the multi-component superstructure that crowns the ship (O3 level). The three flat panel displays at the front of the room are an immediate eye-catcher. There are also 19 watchmen operating four rows of console stations.
The overall layout of the consoles is somewhat reminiscent of the latest Aegis Baseline 9 missile defense system (using similar CDS displays and workstations), but they take up much more space. The first and second ranks are responsible for missile and artillery systems, cyber operations, and anti-submarine warfare. Control and management positions occupy the third row: there are seats for the commander, tactical operations officer and mechanical engineer on watch. The fourth row of consoles is controlled by personnel responsible for engines, mechanics and IT support.
At the top, at the rear of the SMC, is a glass-enclosed second deck intended for command staff or personnel responsible for classified information or mission planning. There they can operate without attracting the attention of watchmen below, but still monitor the same CDS displays.
On the left and right sides of the SMC there are additional closed rooms, which also contain consoles and panels that allow detailed planning of the ship's mission or individual operations.
Kavas also describes the below-deck spaces. Particularly noteworthy is the “Broadway” located in the depths of the hull - a spacious passage on the right side of the vessel, making it easy to move ammunition and ammunition to storage areas.
Broadway. Photo: Christopher Kavas, Defense News.
"Broadway" is wide enough to accommodate forklifts. It is similar to the passages used in the last generation of US battleships, where they were called by the same name.
"Broadway" continues all the way to the artillery depots serving the AGS guns. On the opposite side there is a spacious room where you can place exercise equipment next to the relaxation room.
In the middle of the ship on the second deck there are wardrooms for officers and crew and premises for the chief petty officers (goat locker). They are served by one galley (100% "electric").
The two engine rooms include two power plants consisting of Advanced Induction Motors (AIM) and a Rolls-Royce MT-30 gas turbine, which together produce 39 MW - a total of 78 MW (more than any US destroyer). The ship has the so-called the principle of “fully electric ship”, “electric ship”, “Full Electric Propulsion”: a common primary source of electricity generation is used, which ensures both the propulsion of the vessel and the power supply to all ship systems without exception. The aforementioned powerful British Rolls-Royce gas turbines, built on the basis of modern asynchronous engines, drive electric generators, after which the electrical energy is again converted into mechanical energy using propulsion motors. "Electric ships" are a rarity for the navy. Before this, the only precedent for a “fully electric ship” was the British Daring.
Each Advanced Induction Motor is directly coupled to one of the ship's two propeller shafts, eliminating the need for a gearbox (which in turn reduces noise and vibration). Engine rooms are controlled remotely. High power generation will be needed to operate the rail guns.
Cables suitable for one of the Advanced Induction Motors. In the center it is connected to one of the propeller shafts. Photo: Christopher Kavas, Defense News.
On the left side of the aft is the Secondary Ship's Mission Center (SSMC). It is capable of performing similar functions to the SMC and the bridge, but on a smaller scale, and will be used as a “damage control center” (DCC).
At the stern there is a boat compartment with enough volume to accommodate two 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB). A complex mechanism of a titanium “cradle” and a ramp is used to lower or receive them through the stern gate.
Boat compartment. Photo: Christopher Kawas, Defense News.
Nearby are beds for 14 members of the Special Operations Group. There is also a place where they can store weapons and personal belongings.
The flight deck is not framed by safety nets. Instead, a technical innovation is used - “Personnel Safety Barriers” (PSB). They minimize signals from the ship. PSBs are automated, unlike those nets on ships and cruisers that must be raised and lowered by sailors. The “safety barriers” of the new destroyer are raised when a landing helicopter is “caught” by the ASIST helicopter landing assistance system (The Aircraft Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse helicopter recovery and handling system). ASIST securely “latches on” to the helicopter and moves it into a hangar equipped with a powerful double door, which may be used as a basis for new doors on other ships.
“She is very reliable. It’s very difficult to break anything in it,” says Downey. “This door is very easy to use.”
Newest double hangar door. Photo: Christopher Kavas, Defense News.
In the future, a variety of weapons systems will be placed on board the Zumwalt, including 20 modules of universal vertical launchers (UVP) of the new type Mk-57, which will replace the common Mk-41 UVP: total capacity - 80 missiles of various classes: "Tomahawk" or anti-submarine ASROC-VLS missiles, or ESSM medium-range anti-aircraft missiles.
In addition to the mentioned long-range 155-mm artillery mounts, 30-mm anti-aircraft guns for conventional ballistic projectiles or guided ultra-long-range active-reactive ammunition with increased precision LRLAP, capable of hitting objects at a distance of up to 100 km, will appear on deck.
As mentioned above, the Zumwalt class ships will likely be equipped with laser weapons and railguns (rail guns).
The electromagnetic railgun, an electrode mass accelerator, uses electricity instead of explosives and accelerates the projectile to a speed of 6-7 times the speed of sound (up to 8.5 thousand km/h) with a launch distance of up to 200 km, creating a sufficient amount of kinetic energy to destroy targets . It is believed that this is a technology doomed to huge success: it will be possible to create effective and efficient weapons, spending much less money on it than on guided bombs and missiles.
The ship can carry at least one helicopter and three UAVs. The cost of the USS Zumwalt ranged from $3.5 billion to $4.4 billion, according to various estimates.
At the end of October 2013, the lead destroyer of the DD(X) project - DDG-1000 USS Zumwalt (in Russian transcription “Zamvolt” or “Zumvolt”) was launched at the American shipyard Bath Iron Works. The destroyer USS Zumwalt, named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, is one of the most unusual and controversial developments in American naval shipbuilding. Great hopes are placed on the ships of this project; the American press has already dubbed them “ships of the future” and “the tomorrow of the American Navy.” However, the overseas press is supposed to sing praises to the US government and the Pentagon, but many military experts fundamentally disagree with the enthusiastic assessments of both this ship and the project as a whole.
The history of the DD(X) project dates back to the nineties of the 20th century. Then the American navy voiced requirements for promising ships that were to enter service at the beginning of the 21st century; These programs were designated CG21 (cruiser) and DD21 (destroyer) - later the cruiser and destroyer development programs were renamed CG(X) and DD(X), respectively. The requirements for the new ships were very high: cruisers and destroyers had to perform a wide range of combat and auxiliary missions. Depending on the situation, any of the promising ships CG(X) and DD(X), as conceived by the US Navy command, could attack enemy ships or submarines, protect land and sea formations from air attack, and, if necessary, launch missile strikes against mechanized or well-fortified enemy units, evacuate the population from areas of natural disasters or countries affected by revolutions, etc.
However, estimate calculations at the pre-design stage showed that the cost of such a “universal” ship is prohibitive. In this regard, the US Congress in 2002 insisted on the closure of one of the programs - based on the results of the analysis, it was decided to abandon the development and construction of CG (X) cruisers and focus on the creation of destroyers. Thus, after the end of service life of all Ticonderoga-class cruisers in the US Navy, destroyers of the Arleigh Burke and DD(X) class were to be used as multi-purpose ships with missile weapons.
The Navy initially hoped to receive 32 DD(X) class destroyers. Later, this number was reduced to 24, and then to only 7 units due to the high cost of new technologies and solutions that must be used in the construction of promising destroyers. The US House of Representatives remains skeptical of this program (mainly for financial reasons) and therefore initially allocated money only for the construction of one(!) DD(X) - DDG-1000, solely for the "technology demonstration" opportunity. However, under pressure from the Pentagon, in 2007, another $2.6 billion was allocated for the construction of the hulls of two more destroyers - DDG-1001 and DDG-1002. This is where the “epic” with the promising destroyers of the DD(X) project ended - and as a result, the initial figure of 32 ships turned into 3 (!) pennants, which, as everyone understands, will not make any difference in the fleet.
Preparations for the construction of the lead ship of the DD(X) series began in 2008, and the laying ceremony took place in November 2011. At the end of October 2013, the first destroyer of the new project, the DDG-1000 Zumwalt, was launched. Preliminary work on the construction of the hull of the second ship DDG-1001 (USS Michael Monsoor) started in September 2009 at Ingalls Shipbuilding. In 2015, it was planned to deliver the lead destroyer, Zumwalt, to the customer, as well as continue the construction of subsequent ships. However, due to a number of shortcomings, the date for entry into service of the first ship of the series - DDG-1000 - has been postponed to the end of 2016, and there is no guarantee that it will be met. The deadlines for other ships are also constantly shifting upward.
And now the most interesting thing: the cost of each of the three new destroyers of the DD(X) project, taking into account design and testing costs, has already exceeded the $7 billion mark. For comparison, the ships of the Arleigh Burke project cost the US budget approximately 1.8 billion each, which is almost four times less than the cost of the Zamvolt and its “brothers.” The new destroyer ended up costing the Pentagon more than the last American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), which caused a storm of indignation in the leadership of the US Navy. It is necessary to take into account that the construction time frame for the third destroyer, which is planned to be laid down on the slipway only in 2018, will lead to a further increase in the cost of the ship. What it will be like in the end can only be guessed at, but it is already clear that the military budget is not able to handle another “black hole” like the fifth-generation fighter F-35, which, despite tens of billions of dollars spent on its development, is still It has not yet been adopted by the US Army due to serious problems with the propulsion system and avionics.
The first thing that catches your eye about the ships of the DD(X) project is their unusual appearance. In the case of the Zumwalt destroyer, reducing visibility in the radar range became the main task when designing the hull and superstructure. The American destroyer looks like a long and narrow platform, in the middle of which there is a protruding superstructure of a complex shape, somewhat reminiscent of a battleship of the late 19th century. All the contours of the surface part of the ship are a system of planes connected to each other at different angles (the same technology was used in the development of the T-14 Armata tank - just look at its complex-shaped asymmetrical turret). The outside of the ship's hull and superstructure are covered with radio-absorbing materials approximately 2.5 cm thick, and the number of protruding antennas and other parts of the hull has been reduced to a minimum.
The armament of the Zumwalt destroyer consists of 20 universal Mk-57 launchers with the ability to install up to 80 missiles, two long-range 155-mm AGS artillery mounts and 30-mm rapid-fire anti-aircraft systems. The destroyer is capable of hosting a helicopter and several unmanned aerial vehicles. The ship's displacement is approaching 15 thousand tons, which makes the DD(X) destroyers the largest modern non-aircraft-carrying warships in the world after the Soviet/Russian nuclear-powered missile cruisers of Project 1144 (a series of four cruisers built in the USSR between 1973 and 1989 , at the moment - the only surface ships in the Russian Navy with a nuclear power plant), whose displacement reaches 26 thousand tons. The main power plant on the USS Zumwalt ship is two Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbine engines with a total power of 105 thousand hp. The engines are connected to electric generators into a single power system that supplies energy to all ship systems, including two electric motors that rotate the propellers. This “architecture” of the power plant made it possible to ensure high performance characteristics - the declared maximum speed of the destroyer exceeds 30 knots.
It would seem that everything is fine (except for the cost, of course), but as often happens recently with American military developments, there are nuances:
1. Seaworthiness. The destroyers of the DD(X) project use a daring, innovative solution - a sharp, reverse-angled, “ram-type” stem. This shape of the bow is the embodiment of the opposite concept of waves flowing around the bow and keel of a ship compared to the currently common one - and, according to American shipbuilders, this was supposed to provide the destroyer with good seaworthiness with a low side, in order to reduce radar signature. This shape of the ship’s bow should “pierce”, “cut” the waves - instead of “climbing” onto the wave. However, during sea trials it was discovered that even in moderate seas the USS Zumwalt begins to seriously “nod off,” which has a very negative effect on its speed and stability. It is not possible to eliminate this problem, since it stems from the existing geometry of the ship's hull; the only thing that can be done is to try to somehow neutralize its negative impact on the seaworthiness of the ship. True, American engineers have not yet figured out exactly how.
2. Armament. Initially, it was assumed that the DDG-1000 destroyer would be able to perform the functions of both fire support and missile defense in any theater of military operations, as well as provide air defense cover for sea and land formations. For this purpose, it was planned to equip it with SM-2MR or SM-6 missile defense systems, and for missile defense tasks - with promising modifications of the SM-3 missile defense system. However, at the moment, none of the above is installed on the ready-made Zamvolt, and due to the problems of adapting air defense and missile defense launchers to the hull design, it is unclear when it will be installed - and whether it will be installed at all!
3. Radar capabilities. In addition to radar stealth, detection means are of great importance for ships of this type - after all, if you are “invisible” to an enemy radar, but cannot detect the enemy yourself, then all the advantages of stealth technologies immediately disappear. For the DD(X) series destroyers, a combination of two powerful radar systems of different ranges was initially developed: AN/SPY-3 - for working against low-flying/high-altitude targets and targets in near space and AN/SPY-4 - a "volumetric search" radar. Faced with the fact that the SPY-4, being developed for the “defunct” CG(X) cruiser, did not fit the hull of the DDG1000 project, the Pentagon, without hesitation, simply stopped its development in 2010, and began designing a new AMDR system ( Air Missile Defense Radar) specifically for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt. But then serious problems began with AMDR, and at the moment the Zamvolt is equipped only with the AN/SPY-3 radar system, which meets only half of the stated requirements of the US Navy for this type of ship.
4. Versatility. The Zamvolta also does not have one more type of weapon that modern ships must have if they are declared as independent combat units of the fleet - these are anti-ship missiles. The US Navy has only one type in service - the Harpoon family of subsonic anti-ship missiles. However, the Harpoon could not be adapted to the DDG-1000 silo launchers - since the Harpoon is launched from its own four-container installations, for which, in turn, there was no place in the destroyer’s hull. Vicious circle. As a result, “Zamvolt” was left without anti-ship missiles at all! In order to somehow justify this obvious failure, the Pentagon stated “that the new destroyer does not need PC missiles at all, and the easiest way to fight enemy ships is with aircraft from aircraft carriers.” It was not specified who Zumwalt would fight with then...
5. “Technologies of the future”. Initially, instead of a 155-caliber artillery system, it was planned to install an electromagnetic gun (EMG) on ships of the DD(X) / GG(X) type, but then they decided to abandon this idea. Particularly because when firing from an EMF, it would be necessary to temporarily turn off most of the destroyer’s electronics, including air defense and missile defense systems, as well as stop the ship’s progress and life support systems, otherwise the power of the power system would not be enough to support firing. In addition, the resource of the EM gun is extremely short - only a few dozen shots, after which the barrel fails due to enormous magnetic and temperature overloads. This problem has not yet been resolved. Research and testing, or more precisely, “budget development,” under the program for the development of electromagnetic weapons are currently ongoing, but it is unlikely that an EMF with the characteristics that were announced at the start of this program will appear in service with the US Army in the foreseeable future.
Of course, we can’t say that Zumwalt is completely devoid of advantages. It has them: stealth in the radar range, a new generation hybrid power plant, high automation of all ship control systems, as a result of which the crew is only 140 people, and a rapid-fire AGS artillery system with a caliber of 155 mm. But considering that a number of shortcomings, and quite significant ones, have not yet been eliminated (and some cannot be eliminated in principle), and also that the cost of one ship has already exceeded 7 billion dollars, and will only grow, this negates all the advantages of the destroyer.
You can hear the opinion that the futuristic Zumwalt is the prototype of the “ship of the future”, but the “ship of the future” is characterized not by its appearance, but by a combination of stealth and low noise, seaworthiness, survivability and firepower, allowing it to equally successfully deal with enemy surface, underwater and air targets . And, what is especially important, the “ship of the future,” be it an aircraft carrier, destroyer or cruiser, must also have a reasonable price, allowing it to be produced and put into service in serial quantities. But Zumwalt does not meet these criteria - at the moment it is just a very expensive “toy”, “a showcase of the technologies of the American military-industrial complex,” as one of the US senators put it. So what did the Americans ultimately create - the destroyer of “tomorrow” and the “thunderstorm of the seas” capable of terrifying the enemy fleet, or a floating “museum” advertising the capabilities (and appetites) of the American military-industrial complex? Considering that only 3 ships of the DD(X) project will be built and put into service, the answer is obvious.
MOSCOW, December 13 – RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. The ultra-modern American destroyers "Zamvolt" seem to be haunted by a "family curse." No sooner had experts completed their discussion of last year’s breakdown of the lead ship DDG-1000 in the Panama Canal than this week its “younger brother”, DDG-1001 Michael Monsour, partially failed. . The ship's harmonic filters, which protect sensitive electrical equipment from power fluctuations, failed. As a result, "Michael Monsour" temporarily lost most of its high-tech electronic content. American sailors have an increased headache: ships, second in price only to aircraft carriers, stubbornly refuse to get rid of many “childhood diseases.” Read about why the project of the newest destroyers is still stalled in the RIA Novosti material.
Too advanced
The Zumwalt guided missile destroyers were supposed to become universal warships, but with an emphasis on combating coastal and ground targets. The Zamvolts were planned to be tasked with fire support for amphibious assault, precision weapons strikes against troops and infrastructure, as well as attacks on enemy surface ships. The program for the construction of promising destroyers started in 2007, when Congress allocated $2.6 billion for the creation of the first two Zamvolts. In total, the US Navy expected to receive 32 ships of this type and meet the cost of 40 billion.
However, the cost of the ships of this project, which American engineers tried to adapt to the high demands of the military, began to grow at an astronomical rate. First, the order was reduced to 24 destroyers, then to seven. As a result, in 2008, the fleet decided to limit itself to just three ships. Each of them, according to the latest data, cost the treasury $4.4 billion, not counting the cost of maintaining the ship throughout its life cycle (the total cost could exceed seven billion).
© AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
The first Zamvolt entered service with the US Navy on October 16, 2016. A month later - on November 21 - DDG-1000 stalled in the Panama Canal on its way to the port in San Diego. Seawater had penetrated two of the four bearings connecting the ship's induction engines to its drive shafts. Both shafts failed, and the Zamvolt crashed into the canal walls. The ultra-modern destroyer had to shamefully return to port in tow. Moreover, in San Diego, a leak was discovered on the ship in the lubricant cooling system, but its cause could not be determined at that time. As recent events have shown, the second destroyer in the series is also experiencing serious problems with its power plant.
“We must be aware that the Americans know how to build warships,” military expert Alexey Leonkov told RIA Novosti. “And the Zamvolt, in all its parameters, is a very interesting, original project. Especially its unusual power plant, similar to the one which is used on Ohio-class strategic submarines. The only difference is that on the Zamvolt, instead of a nuclear reactor, it is connected to electric motors, which are used at low and medium speed. In theory, this approach implies fuel economy. when the ship is cruising on electricity alone. In practice, such a system has sharply increased the cost of the propulsion system and reduced its reliability, hence the breakdowns.”
Alexey Leonkov recalled an old joke: “Americans always find the right solution, but only when they have tried all the wrong ones.” The expert emphasized that the same story happened with the initially “raw” M-16 assault rifle and F-16 fighter, which were eventually brought to almost perfection. There is no doubt that over time the Zamvolts will also be polished. But it’s still unclear what niche these three ships will occupy in the Navy.
Hole for the budget
The striking capabilities of the Zamvolt are quite high, but not outstanding. Its main armament is 80 cruise missiles in vertical launch silos located along the sides. The destroyer's know-how was to be artillery weapons. Initially it was planned to install two electromagnetic railguns on it. However, the project was doomed to failure, since this weapon would eat up all the energy capacity of the ship. The destroyer, armed with railguns, essentially turned into a floating gun carriage and “unplugged” after each shot.
Later, it was decided to settle on two 155-mm AGS artillery guns of an unconventional active-reactive design with a firing range of up to 148 kilometers. The LRLAP projectiles used in them, according to developers from the Lockheed Martin concern, are so accurate that they are capable of “hitting targets in the canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.” Everything would be fine, but the cost of one ammunition of this type has already exceeded 800 thousand dollars. For comparison: the Tomahawk cruise missile, well tested in dozens of armed conflicts, has a range of 2.5 thousand kilometers and costs only slightly more - about a million. Since 2016, the US Navy command has been looking for an alternative to “golden” shells for the miracle gun, but so far without success.
© AP Photo/Robert F. BukatyThe newest US destroyer of the Zumwalt type
© AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
“Thus, the Zamvolts have only 80 Tomahawks left per ship,” said Alexey Leonkov. “Now let’s do some simple calculations. One destroyer with 80 missiles costs 4.4 billion dollars. A Ticonderoga-class cruiser (up to 122 Tomahawks cost American taxpayers about a billion. An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (up to 56 Tomahawks plus anti-ship missiles and an Aegis missile defense system), according to recent data, costs about 1.8 billion. Both of these ships are well tested. combat conditions and have been perfected a long time ago. Yes, the Zamvolt is made using stealth technology. But any radar specialist will tell you that all these games with invisibility are only games. You can only partially reduce the visibility in a certain range. Isn’t it easier for the same money to build two Ohio-class nuclear submarines, each of which in a non-strategic version can carry 154 Tomahawks? Such a submarine cruise is certainly less noticeable than the Zamvolt, and is twice as powerful in its striking power? ".
According to the expert, Zamvolt will never go into large-scale production, remaining an expensive and useless “toy.” As Leonkov emphasized, the implementation of at least three ships of this type “in metal” is a direct consequence of the efforts of the project’s lobbyists in the ruling circles of the United States. American industry has long been able to build cheaper and more efficient ships. Even if they are not so high-tech and original in appearance.
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 the American congressmen... and reduced it by 50% (“well, well,” the guys from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding apparently grunted 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 will not be dual-band, it seems.
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 57 mm, planned before 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 MQ-8 Fire Scout helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
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 Project 1144 nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Peter the Great" is larger than it.
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 you to process 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 mask 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.
The Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier 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.
The floating pyramid of Cheops, as if arriving from another dimension. Which era does this ship belong to? Who and why created this outlandish design? Perhaps everything is much simpler. The appearance reflects the essence - a grandiose financial pyramid that has absorbed over 7 billion dollars at a time.
Definitely, Zamvolt has something to be proud of: the largest and most expensive destroyer in the entire history of this class of ships. And this record will remain at least until the early 2030s. Its ominous silhouette leaves no one indifferent. But what secrets are hidden inside this “starship”?
Stealth? Railgun? Linux?
The missile and artillery stealth ship is being built using the latest technologies, many of which were first introduced in the navy. The key direction was chosen to reduce visibility in the radio wave range of the EM spectrum, in which most detection equipment operates. The architecture and appearance of the Zamvolt aggressively display features of stealth technology.
Pyramid superstructure. Powerful blockage of the sides - due to which radio waves are reflected towards the sky, which eliminates their re-reflection from the surface of the water. Stealth casings for artillery guns. Complete absence of masts, radio-contrast mechanisms and equipment on the upper deck. The bow is a breakwater, which allows you not to “climb the wave”, as ordinary ships do, but, on the contrary, to hide from enemy radars among the crests of the waves. Finally, the entire body of the Zamvolt is finished with ferromagnetic paints and radio-absorbing coatings.
These techniques are well known among shipbuilders around the world. Russian corvettes and frigates of the new generation (for example, Steregushchy), French ships Lafayette, Swedish stealth corvettes of the Visby type... But in the case of Zamvolt, the situation is special: for the first time in the history of the fleet, all elements of stealth technology "were implemented on such a grandiose, all-encompassing scale on such a large ship.
14.5 thousand tons - the size of the Zamvolt destroyer would be the envy of other cruisers(as a comparison: the total displacement of the Black Sea Fleet flagship, the missile cruiser Moskva, is “only” 11 thousand tons)
There is no doubt about the effectiveness of techniques to reduce the visibility of enemy radars: stealth technology is widely used in the creation of naval and aviation equipment around the world.
The Zamvolt concept itself is of much greater interest. A missile and artillery destroyer with the dimensions of a cruiser is not a 600-ton Swedish corvette. How to hide such an “elephant” in the middle of an open area?
The creators of Zamvolt explain that this is not about complete invisibility, but only about reducing visibility - as a result, Zamvolt will be able to detect the enemy before he notices the stealth destroyer. Official press releases note that the effective dispersion area (ESR) of a 180-meter destroyer corresponds to the ESR of a small fishing felucca.
Artillery
For the first time in 50 years, an artillery gunship was built. "Zamvolt" is the first and so far the only modern cruiser and destroyer that is armed with cannons with a caliber of over 5 inches. The destroyer's bow carries a pair of 155 mm (6.1 in) automated Advanced Gun System (AGS) mounts that fire precision-guided munitions to a range of 160 km. The total ammunition load of the installations is 920 shells.
The revival of naval artillery is a direct consequence of the discussion about providing fire support to amphibious assault forces and striking the enemy’s coast (more relevant than ever in the era of counter-terrorism operations and local wars).
An artillery shell has a number of important advantages over an aerial bomb or cruise missile:
- all-weather use;
- quick response to calls - within a couple of minutes the specified place will be razed to the ground;
- invulnerability to enemy air defense systems;
- no need for an extremely expensive carrier (a multi-role fighter of 4/5 generations and a trained pilot) - as well as the absence of the risk of losing the carrier on the way to the target;
- much lower cost of shells compared to the Tomahawk cruise missile - with the same capabilities in providing fire support to Marines.
Moreover, the accuracy of modern artillery shells with a GPS or laser beam guidance system is in no way inferior to similar aircraft and missile ammunition.
It is noteworthy that a system with an unusually large caliber was again chosen as an auxiliary artillery system for self-defense of the destroyer - the automatic 57 mm Bofors SAK-57 Mk.3 installation (a pair of such guns is installed in the aft part of the Zamvolta superstructure).
Unlike traditional rapid-fire weapons, the SAK-57 fires only 3-4 rounds per second, but at the same time fires special “smart” ammunition, whose fuses are initiated when flying close to the target. And the power of its shells is sufficient not only for self-defense in the near zone, but also for use in naval combat against boats and other enemy weapons at a range of up to 18 km.
Radars
Initially, a “sophisticated” DBR radar complex with six AFARs operating in the centimeter and decimeter ranges was created for Zamvolt. This provided unprecedented range and accuracy in detecting any type of air, sea or transatmospheric target in Earth orbit - within the DBR radar's field of view.
By 2010, when it became clear that the Zamvolts were too expensive and could not replace existing destroyers, the DBR radar concept was radically reduced. As part of the Zamvolt's detection equipment, only the AN/SPY-3 multifunctional centimeter-range radar with three flat active phased arrays located on the walls of the destroyer's superstructure remained.