Project 11540 escort ship entered
service with the Russian Navy in 1993. The ship commissioning was preceded by a protracted
period of research and development work.
Initially, the work was carried out by the Zelenodolsk
Design and Development Bureau as part of the Project 1154 small antisubmarine ship (L.F.
Fedoseev was the chief designer). According to Navy design and operation requirements
(1972) and its role as a development of the Project 1124 small antisubmarine ship, the new
ship was supposed to displace about 800 tons and develop a speed of 35 knots.
At the design stage, the scope of missions the ship was
assigned to perform gradually expanded. It was equipped with better armament, as more
advanced weapon systems and equipment items were adopted and their nomenclature increased
(new sonars, antisubmarine and antiship missile systems and, in the final ship development
stage, an antisubmarine helicopter entered service). The introduction of new weapon
systems increased the ship displacement. For example, in the approved conceptual design
(1975) the standard displacement reached 1,500 tons and from that time ship was classed as
an antisubmarine escort ship. In the detail design, which appeared in 1976, the
displacement was 1,700 tons. In the altered detail design of 1979 it was about 2,000 tons,
while ship displacement with a helicopter on board reached 2,500 tons. As a consequence,
the full speed fell to 27 - 28 knots. From this point on the work was headed by N.A.
Yakovlevsky, chief designer. After seven years of work, the
displacement of Project 1154 ship approached that of Project 1135 escort ship and the
Naval authorities changed their opinion of the vessel. In 1982 a joint Resolution was
passed by the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry and the Navy to proceed with the ship
development into Projects 1135 and 11351 escort ships, based on new design and operation
requirements, whereby they would carry advanced AA/ASW, radio and radar equipment and have
a striking capability against surface ships.
The primary mission of Project 11540 ship is to combat
submarines and surface ships and provide antisubmarine, antiship and antiaircraft defense
to surface ship task forces and convoys.
Owing to the development of Project 11540 ship, carrying
up-to-date armament (sonar systems capable of considerable operating range and other
equipment items) specific research and development work to reduce the level of underwater
noise and interference affecting the operation of the sonar system, reduce the resistance
to ship cruising at economic, search and full speeds, enhance sea-keeping and provide good
steering qualities had to be conducted by the A. N. Krylov Central Scientific Research
Institute. Considerable attention was also paid to the reduction of physical fields, in
particular the secondary radar field. As a consequence, one of the world's most effective
escort ships (frigates) displacing from 3,500 to 4,500 tons was developed and built.
It
should be noted here that during the development of the documentation for Project 11540
escort ship, potential export sales were considered. The ship's basic characteristics are
given below.
The ship features a long-deck hull with a relatively high
freeboard part in the forward end. The stem is raking a considerable amount, minimizing
the possibility of damage to the nose bulb by anchors. A relatively small flare of the
ship sides in the forward end reduces slamming and sea spray.
The considerable ship length and draft and relatively large
freeboard height in the forward end and considerable depth of the nose bulb have had a
valuable effect on its sea-keeping qualities.
The ship is fitted with ram-type fin stabilizers, enhancing
the sea-keeping qualities, by ensuring an almost three-fold reduction in the roll
amplitude. The ship is also provided with shoulder keels.
The escort ship is equipped with facilities to take in
liquid and dry cargoes from replenishment ships at sea. If the ship refueling and
replenishment of provisions and other items of supply are made at sea, her endurance can
be increased.
Habitability standards of the Neustrashimy class escort ship
are fairly high. Ranks are accommodated in 8 - 22 two-high berth cabins, chief petty
officers are accommodated in 4-berth cabins equipped with two-high berths (there is only
one 6-berth cabin). Officers are accommodated in 2-berth cabins equipped with two-high
berths (there are only two 4-berth cabins). The ship commanding officer and task force
commander are accommodated in room blocks and have work rooms. There are spare rooms for
the ranks, chief petty officers and officers on board the ship. Provision is also made for
recreation, sports and service spaces. All accommodation and working spaces are
air-conditioned. To produce fresh water, the ship is provided with distilling plants.
The main propulsion unit of Project 11540 escort ship has
been developed from the technical solutions implemented in the propulsion unit, which
showed good performance on Project 1135 escort ship.
The ship's generating capacity is represented by two 800-kW
and three 600-kW diesel-generators grouped into two electric power plants: forward and
after. The main propulsion unit and electric system are manipulated via remote control
systems.
The armament fitted in accordance with the design and
operation requirements allows the ship to conduct active operations against subsurface,
surface and air targets. The ship has advanced submarine detection facilities, based on a
new-generation sonar system, whose transducer arrays are accommodated in the nose bulb and
towed vehicle. The towed transducer array is used primarily in adverse hydrological
conditions.
Submarines may be engaged with rocket-propelled or
antisubmarine torpedoes fired from single-tube below-deck launchers (three on each side).
To kill submarines in shallow waters, A/S mortar RBU-6000 can be used. The antisubmarine
capability is enhanced by the ship-borne helicopter Ka-27, which has a flight-deck hangar,
landing pad, ammunition magazine and fuel stock.
The anti-surface capability of the Neustrashimy class escort
ship is limited. Surface targets can be engaged with the AK-100 multipurpose gun mount
controlled via the MR-145 radar system.
Starting with the second ship in the series, the
Neustrashimy class escort ships will be armed with four Uran-type quadruple antiship
missile launchers, which will dramatically enhance the ship's combat capabilities.The
ship's air defense capability is provided by the Klinok-type multi-target air-defense
missile system with a phased-array radar forming its basis. The missile load is stored in
four below-deck drum-type modules. Each module has one launching cell and eight missiles
stored in container-launchers.
The Kashtan gun-missile system is designed to engage targets
with missiles at ranges from 8,000 to 1,500 m and then kill survivors with 30mm automatic
guns at ranges from 1,500 to 500 m.
The ship's electronic equipment is represented by the MR-750
air and surface target acquisition radar, navigation radars and electronic countermeasures
facilities (ESM/ECM system and decoy launchers).
A combat information and control system, supplied with
information by shipborne and external sensors, facilitates the employment of the weapon
systems the ship is armed with.
The Neustrashimy class escort ships are built at Yantar
shipyard in Kaliningrad.
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