Project 956 destroyers are third-generation Soviet destroyers, whose construction lasted from 1976 to 1992. The ships of this project became the last destroyers built in the USSR. Project code 956 is “Sarych”, in NATO they were called Sovremenny class destroyer - after the name of the first ship of this series, the destroyer “Sovremenny”.
The construction of Project 956 ships was carried out at plant No. 190 named after. Zhdanov in Leningrad, the customer of the latest ships of the series was already the Russian Navy. Today, the Russian fleet includes six Sarych destroyers: three in service, two in reserve, and another ship undergoing scheduled repairs.
After the collapse of the USSR, the laying of new ships of Project 956 "Sarych" was stopped due to insufficient funding, two ships were completed for the Navy of the People's Republic of China under the export project 956-E (1997-2000), and more were manufactured for the Chinese in the 2000s two Sarychs according to the modernized project 956-EM.
Initially, it was planned that Project 956 destroyers would become the most popular not only in their class, but also in the entire Soviet fleet. In total, they planned to build about fifty of them. In total, 17 destroyers of the Sarych project entered service with the USSR Navy (and then Russia).
History of creation
A destroyer (destroyer) is a class of multi-purpose, high-speed maneuverable ships capable of solving a large number of combat missions: fighting submarines, destroying enemy aircraft (including missiles), working on enemy surface ships, covering formations of ships and escorting convoys. Destroyers can also be used in landing operations, patrol and reconnaissance duties, and laying minefields.
The first destroyers appeared at the end of the 19th century. At that time, their main task was to destroy enemy destroyers using powerful artillery weapons. The prefix “squadron” meant that these ships could operate as part of a naval formation in the sea or ocean zone.
Destroyers were actively used during the First and Second World Wars. The wide range of tasks that these ships could solve significantly increased their importance in the fleet. The displacement of modern destroyers is approximately equal to the cruisers of the Second World War, but is much more powerful than them. The role of destroyers grew even more after the advent of missile weapons.
In the early 60s, the active development of the surface fleet began in the USSR. In the 50s, a large number of large surface ships were disposed of, and the main emphasis was placed on the submarine fleet and missiles. This was a clear mistake.
In the 60s, the USSR Navy became an ocean-going one; it was given a number of new tasks: protecting patrol areas of Soviet missile submarines, tracking enemy strategic submarines, detecting and reconnaissance of enemy aircraft carrier groups, controlling sea communications, and conducting foreign policy actions.
Aircraft-carrying ships would be best suited to perform such tasks, but their construction was very expensive. Large anti-submarine ships (BODs) became the Soviet alternative to aircraft carriers, but they had to be covered by escort ships, which were sorely in short supply. In addition, the destroyers that were in service with the USSR Navy at that time were already considered obsolete. The ships of projects 3-bis, 56, 68-K and 68-bis did not have missile weapons and could not compete on equal terms with their foreign counterparts. All of the above was especially clearly demonstrated by the large ocean maneuvers “Ocean”, carried out in 1970.
The Soviet fleet needed a modern destroyer, equipped with powerful artillery and missile weapons and capable of operating both as part of naval groups and independently.
The creation of such a ship was provided for in the shipbuilding program for 1971-1980, which was adopted in 1969. The military wanted the new destroyer to be able to take part in landing operations, destroy small targets on the shore, suppress enemy anti-landing defenses, and provide air defense in the landing zone. The future destroyer was called a “landing fire support ship.” The Project 56 destroyer was chosen as its prototype, so the new project was assigned the number 956.
Work on the creation of a new destroyer started in 1971 and progressed rather slowly.
The fact is that the customers changed the purpose of the ship several times right during the design process. The program to create the American destroyers Spruance, the first truly multi-purpose ships of the US Navy, had a strong influence on the Soviet military. It was the emergence of such a program among the Americans that contributed to the transformation of the “landing fire support ship” into a multi-purpose destroyer.
In addition, the Project 956 destroyers were planned to be used in conjunction with the Project 1155 BOD. Soviet strategists believed that together they would be more effective than a pair of American Spruance destroyers.
The preliminary design of the new ship was developed by the Leningrad TsKB-53 (Northern PKB). As the work progressed, the designers were given more and more new tasks, the ship's armament options and the type of its power plant were constantly changing. The developers were limited by the capabilities of the shipbuilding plant named after. Zhdanov, where they planned to build new destroyers: its length should not exceed 146 meters and width - 17 meters.
A total of thirteen versions of the pre-design designs were produced, all of them were carefully studied from the point of view of combat effectiveness and cost.
As a result, the following requirements were put forward for the future destroyer:
- steam turbine power plant (EP);
- the presence of anti-ship missiles "Moskit" in the armament;
- SAM "Hurricane";
- placement of a helipad for the Ka-252 on the deck of the ship;
- presence of AK-130 gun mounts.
The preliminary design was approved by Admiral Gorshkov at the end of 1972. However, even after this, changes continued to be made to the project. The steam turbine power plant was replaced by a boiler-turbine power plant, which is recognized by many experts as a rather unfortunate decision.
The Platina State Joint Stock Company was chosen as the main sonar system of the future destroyer. It was not possible to install the more advanced Polynom complex on the Sarychi due to the significant weight and size characteristics of the latter.
For this reason, the Project 956 ships were never able to approach the anti-aircraft defense capabilities of the American destroyer Spruance, but the Soviet ship was significantly superior to its opponent in terms of artillery power.
The result of all the improvements and changes was an increase in the ship's displacement by a thousand tons. The development of the destroyer 956 project cost the Soviet budget 165.6 thousand rubles.
On November 1, 1973, the design of a new ship began, the following year with the shipyard named after. Zhdanov, an official contract was concluded for the construction of ships. The cost of detailed design was 2.22 million rubles.
In June 1975, construction began on the first ship of Project 956, the destroyer Sovremenny. The Sarych project was completed in 1993, when the last ship from this series was accepted by representatives of the Russian Navy.
Initially, in 1976, it was planned to build from 32 to 50 Sarych destroyers, that is, Project 956 was to become one of the most massive in the history of the Soviet fleet. In 1988, the number of ships was reduced to twenty units. However, a total of 17 destroyers of this project were transferred to the Soviet and Russian fleets. On average, each Project 956 destroyer took four years to build.
There was an attempt to establish production at the 61st Communard shipyard in Nikolaev. They even began to build a new boathouse there and received documentation from the Northern Design Bureau, but in 1986 this idea was abandoned, and the two destroyer hulls that had already been laid down were mothballed.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, 14 destroyers of Project 956 were transferred to the navy, and three more ships were being completed for the Russian Navy (“Restless”, “Nastoichivy” and “Fearless”).
The construction of Project 956 Sarych ships was carried out using a sectional hull assembly method. The cost of one destroyer (at the time of construction of the lead and two subsequent ships) was more than 90 million rubles. The cost of building subsequent ships dropped to 71 million rubles.
The destroyer project 956 was created exclusively for the needs of the Soviet Navy. It was the newest ship, and no one was going to sell it abroad. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the situation changed: insufficient funding forced them to look for customers outside. In addition, by the beginning of the 90s, the Sarych’s weapons were somewhat outdated.
In the mid-90s, an export modification of the destroyer, 956E, was created. In 1999, the first Sarych entered the Chinese Navy. It is armed with anti-ship missiles with a slightly longer range (up to 200 km), instead of four AK-630s, it is equipped with two Kashtan missile and artillery systems, there is no aft artillery installation, but it is equipped with a full-fledged helicopter hangar. The ship's displacement has been slightly increased. Until 2006, four destroyers of Project 956E and 956EM were built for China.
PROJECT 956U
Description of project 956U
Work on the project of a destroyer with enhanced armament (Project 956U) began at the Northern Design Bureau in the late 1980s. The chief designer of the project remained I. I. Rubis, the main observer from the Navy was first Captain 2nd Rank S. N. Surgaev, and later Captain 2nd Rank M. A. Tsyukh. The project provided for three modernization options. The difference between the first option and the basic project 956 was that instead of launchers for the Moskit anti-ship missile system, the ship carried SM-403 inclined universal launchers for 16 cruise missiles of the anti-ship missile and CBMD class. The difference between the second option and the first was that in addition to replacing the launchers of the Moskit complex on the ship, in place of the aft launcher of the AK-130, there was a 3S-14 vertical launch installation for 16 Caliber cruise missiles. The third modernization option provided for the placement of only the aft UVPU for 24 missiles with the dismantling of the Moskit anti-ship missile launcher [1].
The UPU and UVPU of all three options were supposed to accommodate Onyx and Caliber cruise missiles in any combination. Target designation for cruise missiles was to be provided by the new radar complex (RLK) "Monument", installed to replace the radar complex "Mineral" (KRS-27).
The RBU-1000 installations and all ZAK AK-630M units were removed. Instead, it was planned to place 2 combat modules of the ZRAK "Kortik" (for the first two options) and 4 similar modules for the third option. The standard displacement of the modernized ship in the final version approached the level of 6,700–6,750 tons[1].
All necessary design work was completed by the end of 1991. However, due to the lack of financial resources during the period of almost complete cessation of funding for military shipbuilding, the completion of already laid down ships under Project 956U was not carried out, and all further work on it was curtailed[1].
Drawings of the 956U project are not presented in open sources.
[1] Ovsyannikov S.I., Spiridopulo V.I. Soviet super destroyer of the third generation. Part 3. Distinctive features of Project 956 // History of the ship: almanac. - entrepreneur Bogatov S. A., 2005. - Issue. 3, No. 1. - P. 18.
Evaluation of Project 956U
So, although the 956U project was not implemented, the experience of the past decades gives reason to evaluate the individual design solutions that formed its basis.
Thus, the experience of combat operations of the Russian Navy in 2015 against terrorists in Syria showed the high combat effectiveness of the UKSK 3S14 “Caliber” VPU.
The SM-403 inclined launchers were not mastered by industry. The only project of an inclined launcher implemented by the domestic military-industrial complex was the project of a four-container launcher for the Uran anti-ship missile system.
The hypothesis of the 80s..90s about a significant increase in the effectiveness of a ship's air defense due to the replacement of six-barreled 30-mm anti-aircraft artillery systems AK-630 with anti-aircraft missile artillery systems "Kortik-M" or their analogues did not find its objective confirmation. On the contrary, during the implementation of the program of military-technical cooperation with India, the supply of the Kashtan air defense system as part of the Talvar-class frigates was stopped upon completion of the construction of the first series, with the replacement of the frigates in the second series by the AK-630.
The death of the Korean corvette Cheonan in 2010 as a result of an external explosion, presumably the result of a torpedo attack, shows that the need for anti-torpedo weapons on board a surface ship has not lost its relevance in the 21st century. Thus, the dismantling of the RBU-1000 anti-torpedo weapons proposed by Project 956U without adequately replacing them with other versions of anti-torpedo weapons currently appears to be erroneous. The combination of RBU and two twin-tube 533-mm torpedo tubes, with excessive mass-dimensional characteristics in comparison with modern anti-submarine and anti-torpedo weapon systems "Packet-NK", retains its combat value in 2022, which is confirmed by the continued delivery of Project 11356 frigates to India .
Description of design
Domestic and foreign researchers of naval history note that almost all warships created at the Northern Design Bureau have a characteristic “spectacular” appearance. Project 956 is no exception. In descriptions of the appearance of destroyers of this project, the terms “aggressive”, “sinister”, “expressive” are often used. And this can hardly be considered an accident.
Warships are not only a tool for conducting combat operations at sea, they are also a serious geopolitical instrument, a symbol of the power of the country whose flag they represent. The navy is a means of political persuasion and influence, a demonstration of the achievements of the country's scientific and technological development and the power of its economy.
Naturally, the “expressiveness” of the ship’s external appearance should not reduce its combat effectiveness. However, the Project 956 ships are fine with this: most experts believe that the destroyers of this series are an example of an excellent combination of high functional qualities and aesthetic perfection.
The Sarych destroyers have a long-deck design with a sheer bow. The shape of the hull reliably ensures that the deck does not flood and provides optimal firing angles for the ship's artillery weapons. The contours of the hull ensure non-flooding in seas up to 6-7 points. The deck aspect ratio is 8.7. The hull of the ship is made taking into account the requirements of reducing the radar signature of the ship, although it should be noted that the Sarych destroyers are not classified as “stealth ships”.
In the bow of the hull, in the keel bulb, there is the antenna of the Platina State Joint Stock Company.
The side sail area of the destroyer is 1700 m2. The decks are placed parallel to the waterline, which simplified the installation of equipment during construction and made the Project 956 destroyers more technologically advanced.
Fifteen main bulkheads divide the ship's hull into sixteen watertight compartments. Project 956 ships have six decks: the second, third and upper decks, the forecastle deck, two platforms, one of which smoothly passes into the second bottom flooring. The main hull structures, reinforcements and foundations are made of low alloy steel. There are two longitudinal bulkheads located from the stern to the engine room; they provide additional rigidity to the aft part of the ship. The destroyer's frames have a significant camber, which increases the stability of the ship.
Project 956 destroyers have high seaworthiness (unlimited seaworthiness). Sailors can use onboard weapons systems in sea conditions up to five. The vessels are equipped with heave stabilizers. When the sea state is six, the destroyers are capable of developing a speed of up to 24 knots.
The superstructures of Project 956 ships are made of aluminum-magnesium alloy; they are connected to the hull and decks using rivets.
The ship's superstructure can be divided into two large blocks: bow and stern. The bow ends with a foremast, and the stern consists of a block with a chimney and a movable hangar on which the mainmast is located.
The standard displacement of the destroyer is 6500 tons, the total displacement is 7940 tons, with overload - 8480 tons.
The power plant of Project 956 destroyers consists of two GTZA-674 boiler-turbine units (total power 100 thousand hp), located in two engine rooms - bow and stern. It should be noted that these are the only third-generation warships in the world with a boiler-turbine power plant.
The turbo-gear unit has a control system that is capable of adjusting the rotation speed in different operating modes of the installation. Each engine room contains two boilers and a steam turbine. All destroyers, starting with the seventh (“Stoikiy”), were equipped with more reliable KVG-3 boilers. Despite this, the boilers are called the weakest point of the ships of this series. They are very demanding on the water supplied and quite often fail.
The water treatment system installed on the project ships does not properly ensure water quality, which led to rapid wear of the boilers. Unlike nuclear submarine missile carriers, it is open, that is, it communicates with atmospheric air.
Experience in using high-pressure boilers has shown that the domestic fleet (both Soviet and Russian) is not yet ready to switch to such power plants.
In addition to the main ones, the ship’s power plant also includes an additional emergency boiler, which can produce 14 thousand kg of steam. The destroyer has two shafts and two low-noise propellers. The maximum speed of ships of this project is 33.4 knots. The fuel reserve is 1.7 thousand tons, which provides a cruising range of 3,900 nautical miles.
The steering unit consists of a hydraulic machine and a semi-balanced steering wheel.
Project 956 destroyers are equipped with two steam generators (total power 2500 kW) and two diesel generators (600 kW each), which provide the ships with electricity.
Under normal conditions, the crew size is 296 people, including 25 officers and 48 midshipmen. In wartime, the ship's crew increases to 358 people. The Sarych destroyers have created comfortable living conditions for the crew: single and double cabins are equipped for officers, and double and four-berth cabins for midshipmen. Sailors are accommodated in sixteen cubicles of 10-25 people each. There are more than three square meters of living space per person.
On board there is a separate wardroom for feeding officers, another one is intended for feeding midshipmen, and several dining rooms where sailors eat food. There are several showers and a sauna on board. The crew has a library, a cinema room, cable TV, and there is even a prefabricated swimming pool.
All living and working areas of the destroyer are equipped with an air conditioning system; it provides comfortable working conditions for the crew in the temperature range from −25°C to +34°C. It should be noted that Project 956 destroyers compare favorably with other Soviet and Russian-built ships in terms of living conditions for the crew.
The autonomy of the Sarych destroyers in terms of provisions is 30 days.
The last destroyers of the Soviet Union - Project 956
Project 965 destroyers, code "Sarych", NATO "Sovremenny class destroyer" - 3rd generation destroyers of the "Modern" type. The last Soviet-built destroyer. The ships were built for the Navy of the Soviet Union, the last ships were completed for the Russian Navy. Due to financial problems, the remaining unfinished ships were sold to the Chinese Navy and completed at Russian shipyards.
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union had an urgent need for large ships, as the Navy began to actively enter the World Ocean, be replenished with middle-class ships and serve in the ocean zone.
The main combat missions of the USSR Navy emerged:
— ensuring the combat stability of strategic missile submarines; — search, detection and tracking of enemy submarines; — revealing the surface situation, tracking the main enemy surface groups (AUG, KPUG); — detection of enemy communications; — readiness for combat use in potential sea and ocean theaters; — fulfillment of foreign policy tasks.
Various options for solving these problems were reviewed: - connections with aircraft-carrying cruisers. The implementation of this option was impossible due to too expensive construction; - mass construction of anti-submarine ships. The implementation of this option has not been fully realized due to the need to cover their own RK or RKA;
In addition, destroyers with 130mm artillery and artillery cruisers of projects 68-K\B had reached their service life and did not have modern weapons - anti-ship missiles. It becomes clear to everyone that such tasks cannot be accomplished using only a certain class of ships. Multipurpose ships were required, equipped with modern types of artillery and missile weapons - destroyers were required.
The beginning of the history of Project 956 destroyers - Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Party No. 75-250 of 09/01/1969. In the first task of operational-tactical significance, the new ship was called a fire support ship for landing detachments and, additionally, for joint operations with the Project 1155 BOD. The EM-BOD combination was supposed to surpass in efficiency (theoretically) the pair of Spruance EM (USA).
The pre-design design (advanced design) was assigned to the Leningrad TsKB-53. As development progressed, more and more new tasks were identified for the ship, which required the designers to carry out multi-variant execution of the project. Various types of combinations of weapons and power plants were considered. Due to the capabilities of the planned shipbuilder (plant named after A. Zhdanov), the overall dimensions did not exceed 146 meters in length and 17 meters in width. Based on the preliminary design work, a preliminary design begins to be developed.
According to agreement No. 927/e/1017-71 between the Main Administration of the Navy and TsKB-53, the development of a sketch of an EM under the number 956 and the code “Sarych” begins. A thorough analysis of 13 options for pre-design projects with a military-economic assessment is carried out. As a result, the fourth of the presented options was chosen with additional modifications to the weapons and amount of ammunition. At the end of 1971, the first presentation of Project 956 of the Navy Civil Code ended with the continuation of work to find the optimal option. At the same time, information appeared about the start of development by a potential enemy of the Spruance multi-purpose EM. It is from here that the development of a domestic multi-purpose ship begins. The ship was renamed EM, and since 1971 it has been documented as a destroyer. The second presentation ended with approval during which the choice completely fell on the tenth of thirteen options: - the presence of a site for a Ka-252 type helicopter; — installation of the Uragan air defense system; — launchers with Moskit anti-ship missiles (8 units); — AK-130 gun mounts; — installation of a steam turbine power plant.
In the final version, a gas turbine power plant was chosen instead of the selected power plant. With all the modifications, selected equipment and weapons, the displacement of the EM has increased by one thousand tons. The cost of the preliminary design cost the Soviet Union 165,000 rubles.
Mid 1973. The designers received the task to complete the technical project. Chief designer V. Anikiev. All work on the technical project was ready by the end of 1973, although various adjustments and clarifications subsequently took place. It turns out that it is impossible to install the planned boiler units - they are being replaced with steam KVN 98/64-PM. They also added a hangar and the ability to refuel a helicopter. The total cost of the technical project is 205 thousand rubles.
Construction of EM project 956
November 1, 1973 is the official date of construction of the newest domestic EVs of Project 956. As planned, construction began at the A. Zhdanov plant. A working draft was also developed by TsKB-53 by 1978. The total cost is more than 2 million rubles. By 1981, operational documentation and improvements were prepared for the project to build the first ship (the lead ship).
The lead ship began to be built in mid-1975 - the EM "Modern" under serial number 861. In 1976, the EM series of Project 956 was reduced to 32 ships, in 1988 the series was reduced to 20 units. Over the entire period, 22 destroyers were laid down, of which 17 became part of the USSR/Russian Navy. 2 EMs were completed according to project 956-E for the Chinese Navy. 3 unfinished ships were scrapped in the 1990s. Until 1991, the USSR Navy received 14 Project 956 destroyers. Construction of one destroyer took an average of 4 years. The average price of one destroyer is 90 million rubles at the beginning of the series launch and 70 million rubles by the middle of the series.
Device and equipment
The northern design bureau had a distinctive feature when designing ships: they had an external effectiveness of a propaganda nature. That is, by their very appearance they were supposed to influence the enemy. At that time, ships were used not only to perform combat missions, but were also an excellent tool for political influence and persuasion. The appearance was tailored to the maximum functionality of onboard weapons and equipment. Project 956 EMs are created using a long-deck design with a sheer front part of the ship. The sheerness and optimized hull contours ensure non-flooding of deck structures and wide firing angles for the AK-130. The decks are placed parallel to the waterline. To give the ship stability, the frames are installed with a large camber. The surface part of the side is made with a double fold to reduce radar visibility.
The ship has 15 bulkheads, 16 compartments and 6 decks. The main body structures are low-alloy steel. In places of high stress, steel sheets with increased fluidity were used. The ship's superstructure consists of bow and stern blocks, and is made of aluminum and magnesium alloys. Rivet type fastening.
Project 956 EMs are the only 3rd generation destroyers with a boiler-turbine type power plant. The power plant consists of two GTZA-674 KTAs in echelon arrangement (stern/bow) with a power of 50,000 hp each. To maintain the required rotation speed under various operating modes of the CTA, there is an automatic control system with a frequency regulator. In the bow of the engine room there are two boilers with a right turbine, in the aft there are two boilers with a left turbine and a shortened propeller shaft.
The first 6 units of Project 956 EM received steam boilers of the KVN-98/64 type, producing 98,000 kilograms of steam. On the seventh and further, steam boilers of the KVG-3 type were installed, producing 115,000 kilograms of steam. Excess or deficiency of air for boilers is regulated by a special turbine or damper. The boilers became the weakest link of the destroyer - they were very demanding on the supplied water and quickly failed. Additionally, an emergency boiler for 14,000 kilograms of steam was installed. To provide the ship with electricity, 2 AK-18 type steam turbine generators with a total capacity of 2500 kW, and 4 diesel generators (reserve) of 600 kW each were installed. The steering unit is an electro-hydraulic machine and a semi-balanced steering wheel. Two shafts and two low-noise fixed-pitch propellers allowed the EM to reach speeds of up to 33.4 knots. Fuel reserve is 1.7 thousand tons. Range from 1,300 to 3,900 miles.
Operating temperatures inside the case range from 34 to -25 degrees. There are 5 tanks of 50 cubic meters each for waste collection. To receive cargo on the go, a “String” device is installed on each side.
The ship's crew in peacetime and wartime is 296 and 358 people, respectively. To accommodate the crew on board, there are 21 cabins for officers (38 seats) and cabins for midshipmen with 48 seats. For conscript sailors there are 16 cabins with 310 seats. All premises have radio communication devices. The destroyers have libraries, cinema installations, gyms and even collapsible swimming pools. The entire ship is provided with a unified cable television system. The medical unit has an operating room, an outpatient clinic, an infirmary, an isolation ward and a sterile room. Due to the installed weapons and power plant, the passages and corridors are tighter than on the Project 1155 BOD.
Installed weapons:
— SAM "Hurricane" (with 14 EM-SAM "Hurricane-Tornado"). It consists of two single-beam guided launchers located on the forecastle and behind the helipad. Ammunition - 48 “9M38M1” anti-aircraft guided missiles. ADMC control system - 6 radio searchlights for illuminating targets and computing equipment. The air defense system is capable of operating against surface ships. At the same time, the air defense system is capable of striking 1-6 air targets at an altitude of up to 15 kilometers at a distance of up to 25 kilometers. Probability of hitting aircraft/CR – up to 0.96/0.86;
— AK-130 gun mounts. There are two twin AK-130 mounts installed on board the ship. SU AK-130 is a multi-channel MP-184, which includes a dual-band radar, television, laser range finder, digital computer, and optical device. The installations have an optical device, an ammunition supply complex and interface equipment. Rate of fire up to 90 rounds/min, range up to 24 kilometers. Ammunition - 500 rounds of ammunition per barrel (180 of them are ready for combat use). A special sighting post is used to fire at coastal objects. The control system allows only single-sided use of gun mounts. - Artkompleks AK-630M - anti-aircraft rapid-fire air defense system. Consists of two 30-mm batteries of the AK-630M complex. One battery - two artillery mounts with a rotating six-barreled unit and a Vympel control system. Effective firing range up to four kilometers. Rate of fire 4,000 rounds/min. The artillery complex's ammunition capacity is 16 thousand rounds. The probability of defeating the Harpoon anti-ship missile is 0.4 -1.0. - PKRK "Mosquito". Anti-ship complex with Mosquito missiles. Consists of 2 quadruple launch blocks. Ammunition – 8 CR. The destruction range is 120 kilometers. Speed – up to 3M. The weight of the missile launcher is almost 4 tons, the weight of the warhead is 0.3 tons. The destroyer's control system fired a full salvo in half a minute. Probability of defeat - 0.94-0.99;
— RBU-1000 – anti-submarine/anti-torpedo weapons. Jet bomb launcher with 48 RSL ammunition. Damage range up to one kilometer. — 2 TA caliber 533mm. anti-submarine weapons. Torpedoes SET-65/53M and USET-80 were used. — RM-1/UDM/PM-1-mine weapons. To use mines, mine rails are installed. Ammunition 22 mines. — KA-27PL/KA-25PL – aviation weapons. To use a helicopter on the ship there is a platform (the middle of the ship) and a telescopic hangar. The onboard fuel supply allows the helicopter to be refueled twice. - 21-KM - salute guns. Two 45mm salute guns are installed in the bow of the ship (forecastle).
RTV includes:
- Fregat cm-band detection radar on the first 3 ships, Fregat-M radar on the next two, and Fregat-MA radar on the remaining ones; — the “Most” over-the-horizon target designation system, which includes the KRS-27 passive radar (4 bands), RTS and VZOI. — target designation complex “Mineral” for the anti-ship missile system; - SJSC "Platina-S" - submarine detection station, installed in a bulbous nose cone. From the sixth ship - SJSC "Platina-MS" and control system "Purga"; - station MG-7 - station for detecting saboteur swimmers.
The electronic warfare includes:
— MP-401 – RTR complex; — MP-407 – active jamming station; - PK-2M - a complex for setting passive false targets. Consists of two 140 mm double-barreled PU ZiF-121; - SU "Smeta" - PK-2M control system - from the 9th ship an additional PK-10M is installed - a complex with 4/8 122-mm ten-barreled decoy launchers; — SREP with RTR “Sprint-401S” additional SOiP.
Navigation: navigation radars type MR-212, lag IEL-1, gyrocompass, autoplotter, echo sounder, navigation systems type KPF-3K/KPI-7F, radio direction finder, magnetic compass, space navigation systems type Parus, ADK-3M, Tsikada.
Squadron destroyers project 965 – 22 units:
— ships decommissioned: “Desperate”, “Modern”, “Excellent”, “Inspired”, “Impeccable”, “Effortless”, “Combat”, “Rampant” / “Thundering”. - sold to China: “Important” / “Ekaterinburg” / “HANZHOU”, “Thoughtful” / “Alexander Nevsky” / “FUZHOU”, “Impressive” / “TAIZHOU”, “Eternal” / “NINGBO”. - recycling: “Prudent”, “Persistent”, “Impressive”. — unfinished: “Impressive.”
As part of the Russian Navy:
- KTOF - "Stormy" (repair), "Bystry", "Fearless" (reserve) - KSF - "Admiral Ushakov".
- DKBF - “Restless” (reserve), “Moskovsky Komsomolets” / “Persistent”. Total: operating Project 956 destroyers for 2012 - 3 units
Main characteristics:
— standard/full/max displacement – 6.5/7.9/8.5 thousand tons; — length along the waterline/max—145/156.5 meters—width along the waterline/max—16.8/17.2 meters; — average/max draft – 5.9/8.2 meters; — autonomy up to 30 days; - additional watercraft - command boat pr1390, work boat pr338M, six-oar yawl.
Sources of information: https://korabley.net/news/esminec_sovremenii_proekta_956/2008-12-06-72 https://voencom.net/index.php?id=103 https://azlok.livejournal.com/482183.html https://shipwiki.ru/voennye_korabli_2/drugie_voennye_korabli/esminec_sovremennyy_proekta_956.html
Armament
The anti-aircraft missile armament of the Sarych destroyers consists of the M-22 Uragan air defense system, which is a naval modification of the Buk complex. On ships of later construction, the Hurricane-Tornado air defense system was installed. Two anti-aircraft missile launchers are located at the bow (forecastle superstructure) and at the stern (behind the runway) of the ship. The mass of each air defense system is 96 tons, the total ammunition load is 48 guided missiles, which are located in the cellars on special drums.
The characteristics of the Uragan air defense system allow you to simultaneously fire at 4-6 targets at altitudes from 10 to 1 thousand meters and at a distance of up to 25 km. The capabilities of the Uragan-Tornado air defense system are even more impressive: the maximum destruction range is 70 km. The rate of fire is one missile launch every 6-12 seconds. The probability of hitting an aircraft with a salvo of two missiles ranges from 0.81-0.96, and a cruise missile - 0.43-0.86.
Destroyers of the Sarych project have powerful artillery weapons, consisting of two twin AK-130 artillery mounts (130 mm caliber) and rapid-fire anti-aircraft artillery, which is the last line of ship air defense. The artillery armament of the destroyers also includes the MP-184 multi-channel fire control system, consisting of a radar, laser range finder, television and ballistic computer.
Each gun mount has a mechanized supply of ammunition, which allows it to fire at a rate of 30 to 90 rounds per minute at a range of over 24 km. The ammunition capacity for each barrel is 500 rounds, of which 180 are always ready for use.
Automation of the processes of loading and supplying ammunition allows you to fire until the ammunition is completely exhausted.
The weight of one gun mount is 98 tons.
The rapid-firing anti-aircraft artillery of Project 956 destroyers consists of two batteries of AK-630M automatic systems. The batteries are located on each side of the ship and are designed to destroy cruise missiles at low altitudes. Each battery includes two six-barreled gun mounts with a rotating barrel block and a Vympel control system. The firing range of the AK-630M is 4 km, the rate of fire is 4 thousand rounds per minute.
The main anti-ship weapon of the Sarych destroyer is the Moskit anti-ship missiles. The Bespokoiny and all subsequent ships of the project are equipped with the modernized Moskit-M complex. Project 956 destroyers have two fixed launchers, each of which houses four Moskit anti-ship missiles.
The target engagement range of the Moskit is 140 km, and that of the Moskit-M is 170 km. The missiles have a combat mass weighing 300 kg and develop flight speeds of up to M = 2.5-3. The ship can fire all eight missiles in just 30 seconds.
On the upper deck of the destroyers there are two twin-tube torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber. Mine weapons are represented by two RBU-1000 rocket launchers, which can fire at a distance of 1 thousand meters. Bomb launchers are located at the stern of the ship. Their main task is to destroy enemy submarines at shallow depths in the immediate vicinity of the ship. The warhead of each rocket bomb is 98 kg. Project 956 destroyers can lay barrage mines (up to 22 mines can be taken on board).
Project 956 destroyers do not have a permanent helicopter hangar, but a temporary, removable one is provided. The Ka-27 helicopter can be based there. The helipad is located almost in the center of the ship, so it is less affected by pitching.
The helicopter can be used for anti-submarine warfare, and it can also conduct reconnaissance and provide target designation for anti-ship missiles.
The destroyers "Sarych" are equipped with several types of radar stations: "Fregat", "Fregat-M" and "Fregat-MA". For over-the-horizon detection of enemy objects and target designation, the “Bridge” system is used; it can search at distances of up to 200 km. Target designation for the anti-ship missile system is provided by the Mineral system; it has both an active and passive radar channel. The ship can receive target designation from airplanes or helicopters.
Project 9566 destroyers do not have an onboard information and control system; its functions are performed by the Sapphire-U situation tablet.
Project 956 ships are equipped with a complex of electronic warfare equipment, which includes electronic reconnaissance equipment and a jamming system, as well as passive and active countermeasures.
Project 956 destroyers have a well-thought-out survivability system. Fire compartments have been created around potentially dangerous areas of the ship (cellars, engine rooms) by strengthening the hull with steel structures.
There is a fire main with several pumps, volumetric fire extinguishing systems, foam extinguishing systems, and water spraying of decks and bulkheads. The ship also has systems for rapid irrigation and flooding of cellars.
To eliminate the water threat, the ships of the project have: drainage, dewatering and tank balancing systems. There is an external washing system in case of contamination of external surfaces.
Only artillery mounts and the Moskit anti-ship missile launcher are provided with armor protection (anti-fragmentation).
SKETCH PROJECT 956M FOR RE-ARMING OF THE PROJECT 956 DESTROYER
Original design of the Project 956 destroyer
The armament of the Project 956 destroyer includes: two twin 130-mm AK-130 universal naval artillery mounts, four six-barreled 30-mm AK-630 anti-aircraft artillery systems; two quadruple launchers of P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles; two Uragan anti-aircraft missile systems (total ammunition capacity of 48 missiles); two six-barreled RBU-1000 rocket launchers; two twin-pipe 533 mm torpedo tubes. The ship's aviation group may include one Ka-27 helicopter in a movable hangar.
Rearmament, part 1
The basis of the combat power of modern warships are missile systems. In this regard, there seems to be almost no alternative to the need to arm the Project 956 destroyer with a certain number of vertical launch cells of the UKSK Kalibr, without significant reconstruction of the below-deck space.
Analysis of the longitudinal section shows the possibility of placing three VPU UKSK 3S14 "Caliber" of 8 cells, provided that the aft or bow AK-130 artillery mount is dismantled and a new aft or bow superstructure with a height of about 2 meters is installed.
However, restrictions in the width of the hull in the area of 2 and 17 frames, respectively, determine the aft artillery mount AK-130 as the only place for mounting three VPU UKSK 3S14 “Caliber”:
The weight of the AK-130 artillery mount together with the mechanized magazine is about 130 tons, which allows, without increasing the weight of the weapons, to place three UKSK 3S14 “Caliber” VPU with 8 launch cells, an ammunition load of 24 missiles (3x14 tons + 24x2 tons = 90 tons) and steel superstructure
Thus, the first part of the modernization of the Project 956 destroyer could include the dismantling of the AK-130 stern artillery mount (9), the stern magazines of 130-mm rounds (11), the modular stern AK-130 (8) and the installation of three UKSK 3S14 “Caliber” VPUs 8 cells each with the installation of a new aft steel superstructure with structural protection. At the same time, part of the below-deck volumes is released for other intended purposes:
Rearmament, part 2
The second part of the modernization could include the placement of a number of four-container inclined launchers for the Uran anti-ship missile system in place of the inclined launchers for the obsolete P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles that are to be dismantled.
And in this case, the limiting factor is rather the limitation on available space than the limitation on mass (the mass of the Uran Kh-35UE anti-ship missile is about 600 kg, and the mass of the Moskit anti-ship missile is about 4000 kg).
Following the example of the Indian Delhi-class frigates, it seems possible to install two Uran anti-ship missile launchers in place of one Moskit anti-ship missile launcher:
Thus, after modernization and rearmament according to the presented preliminary design 956M, the destroyer will be armed with 40 missiles, of which 16 Uran anti-ship missiles and 24 missiles of the Caliber, Onyx and Zircon families (tactical, hypersonic and anti-ship). At the same time, the number of twin 130-mm AK-130 artillery mounts is reduced from two to one. Target designation for cruise missiles will have to be provided by the new Monument-M radar complex (RLK), installed to replace the Mineral radar complex, as provided for by Project 956U:
The re-equipment of the destroyers "Admiral Ushakov" and "Bystry" under Project 956M will significantly increase the strike capabilities of Project 956 destroyers, due to a fivefold increase in the number of missiles from 8 to 40, a manifold increase in the range of targets hit, an increase in the range of destruction of ground targets to several thousand kilometers and increasing the probability of hitting targets through the use of hypersonic missiles.
Additionally, the re-equipment and modernization of destroyers under the proposed Project 956M will allow the formation of small tactical strike groups consisting of “one destroyer of Project 956 + one BOD of Project 1155” to be implemented at a new technical level. As is known, in such groups the anti-submarine defense of the order is assigned to the BOD, and the anti-aircraft defense to the destroyer. After modernizing the Project 1155 BOD according to the version implemented on the Marshal Shaposhnikov BOD, the fire capabilities will be harmoniously distributed between both ships of the small tactical strike group, and the same type of strike weapons will facilitate logistics.
Project 956 Sarych ships
| Ship name | Launch date | Write-off date | Notes |
| "Modern" | 18.11.1978 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Desperate" | 29.03.1980 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Great" | 21.03.1981 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Prudent" | 24.04.1982 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Irreproachable" | 25.06.1983 | 20.07.2001 | |
| "Combat" | 4.08.1984 | in 2010 | |
| "Persistent" | 27.07.1985 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Winged" | 31.05.1986 | 30.09.1998 | |
| "Stormy" | 30.12.1986 | Under repair | |
| "Thundering" | 30.05.1987 | 18.12.2006 | |
| "Fast" | 28.11.1987 | As part of KTOF | The ship "Bystry" is the oldest ship of the project in service |
| "Efficient" | 4.06.1988 | Decommissioned | On disposal |
| "Fearless" | 18.02.1989 | In reserve | |
| "Thundering" | 30.09.1989 | Decommissioned | |
| "Restless" | 9.06.1990 | In reserve DKBF | |
| "Persistent" | 19.01.1991 | As part of the DKBF | Flagship of the Baltic Fleet |
| "Admiral Ushakov" | 28.12.1991 | As part of the KSF | |
| "Impressive" | 17.10.1987 | Cut to metal | |
| "Hangzhou" "Important" | 27.05.1994 | Part of the Chinese Navy | |
| "Fuzhou" "Thoughtful" | 16.04.1999 | Part of the Chinese Navy | |
| "Exuberant" | — | Construction stopped | |
| "Taizhou" "Impressive" | 27.04.2004 | Part of the Chinese Navy | |
| "Ningbo" "Eternal" | 23.06.2004 | Part of the Chinese Navy |
LIFE CYCLE OF PROJECT 956 DESTROYERS
Today, Project 956 destroyers can be classified as outdated missile and artillery ships of the first rank, the combat value of which in 2022 is reduced mainly to the ability to conduct effective artillery shelling of coastal targets and air defense of a small ship group. The presence of only eight anti-ship missiles for a ship of such displacement seems completely insufficient.
At the same time, today there are only two modern missile and artillery ships of the first rank in service with the Russian Navy: these are the Project 22350 frigates “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov” and “Admiral Kasatonov”. If the publicly known plans for commissioning new ships are implemented, then the number of modern missile and artillery ships of the first rank in the Russian Navy will significantly increase by 2028..2029, presumably reaching ten frigates of Project 22350.
In this regard, in conditions of an acute shortage of first-rank ships in service, the dismantling of the two Project 956 destroyers in service (Admiral Ushakov and Bystry) before 2030 is unlikely, and soon after 2030 it is almost inevitable. Thus, the life cycle of the remaining Project 956 destroyers can presumably be defined as “subject to disposal in 2030.” Consequently, taking into account the fact that the Project 956 destroyers will be in service in the next 10 years, it is of interest to modernize them with re-equipment, carried out under the motto “maximum effect as quickly as possible for the smallest money.”
Taking into account the 10-year life cycle of Project 956 destroyers, the duration of implementation of such a stage of the life cycle as “modernization and rearmament” should be limited to one or two years, for which it is necessary:
firstly, limit modernization and rearmament to a minimum number of changes;
secondly, to focus exclusively on strike weapons that contribute to the fulfillment of the ship’s target function, leaving the auxiliary functions (anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense of the ship) in the “as is” state;
thirdly, use exclusively serial models of weapons and military equipment (avoiding, for example, the use of hypothetically possible inclined launchers UKSK "Caliber").
Characteristics
| Displacement, t: | |
| Standard | 6500 |
| Complete | 7940 |
| Dimensions, m: | |
| Length | 156,5 |
| Width | 17,19 |
| Draft | 5,96 |
| Max. speed, knots | 33,4 |
| Cruising range, miles: | |
| at a speed of 32.7 knots | 1345 |
| at a speed of 18 knots | 3920 |
| Autonomy, days | 30 |
| Crew, people | |
| peacetime | 296 |
| wartime | 358 |
| Main power plant | 2xGTZA-674 |
| Total power, l. With. | 100000 (2x50000) |
| Armament | |
| Impact missile | Anti-ship missile "Mosquito" |
| Anti-aircraft missile | M-22 "Hurricane" |
| Artillery weapons | AK-130 |
| Artillery anti-aircraft weapons | AK-630M |
| Anti-submarine | 2xDTA-53, 2xRBU-1000 |
Birth of the project
The Soviet surface Navy, until a certain point, remained a military force with limited tactical capabilities. The artillery ships that formed the basis of Soviet naval power in the 50s and 60s no longer met modern conditions. The cruisers and destroyers available in the Soviet fleet are obsolete. For a power that sought to create a combat-ready high seas fleet, ships with new types of weapons were required. Instead of main-caliber artillery, the main place was to be taken by anti-ship missile systems. Gas turbine propulsion systems are replacing steam turbines. The concept of fleet development is changing, where the universalization of military vessels prevails. The fleet needed universal ships that would have wide tactical and technical capabilities.
Destroyers were perfect for this role - a class of ships that successfully went through the crucible of naval battles of the Second World War. Destroyers have become versatile combat vessels, participating in almost all operations carried out with the participation of military fleets. The Soviet Union had quite a wealth of experience in using destroyers in combat conditions. All that remained was to build new and modern warships, which eventually became the Project 956 destroyers.
These ships were conceived as combat vessels capable of providing fire support for landing operations and providing flanks for ground forces. At the same time, the opportunity was not missed to use new ships for operations in open and vast waters, both independently and as part of fleet operational formations. The start of a new ship construction program was given by the Resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers of September 1, 1969, which indicated the need to build new fire support ships in the Soviet Union, capable of operating in close conjunction with Large Anti-Submarine Ships.
The start of design work was spurred by the appearance of information about the beginning of the design of Spruance-class destroyers overseas. The Soviet ship had to be on par with its overseas counterpart in all respects. How well this worked out, time has shown.
The development of the sketch and the creation of design documentation was undertaken by the Central Design Bureau No. 53, located in Leningrad. The designers were tasked with creating several design options that, during subsequent consideration and implementation, would serve as a design basis for the start of construction. The main reason for the development of several versions of the project at once was the uncertainty with the intended purpose of the ship. During the design, there was a struggle between supporters of the idea of creating a multi-purpose ship equipped with all types of naval weapons and supporters of building a ship with a predominance of strike weapons. As a result, the party supporting the creation of a multi-purpose, universal ship, in which anti-ship missiles became the main means of armed struggle, won. Anti-aircraft air defense systems, anti-submarine warfare weapons and artillery performed an auxiliary function. From a technical point of view, the final vision for the new ship was formed in 1971, which resulted in Project 956.
It was assumed that the construction of new Soviet combat ships would be carried out by the Leningrad Shipyard named after. Zhdanova. This shipyard had experience in building large ocean-going ships, and the close proximity of the design bureau could have played a role in successful and rapid construction. The change in the purpose of the ship led to the fact that already in the design documentation, starting in 1971, the class of the ship began to appear - a squadron destroyer, instead of a “fire support ship”.
Officially, the class of destroyers appeared in the Soviet Navy only in 1977. From that moment on, all ships of this project were transferred to the class of destroyers. Although even at the design stage, the new ship, according to the NATO classification, belonged to the class of destroyers - Sovremenny class destroyer.
In the process of making the decision on construction, new Soviet destroyers were to be built in the most massive series, up to 50 units. It was planned to equip all four fleets with ships, creating powerful operational formations on the main flanks. Over the course of four years, the design documentation was finalized, the result of which was the Project 956 destroyer, which received the code “Sarych”.
Project evaluation
The Project 956 Sarych destroyers were created during the Cold War era, and their main opponent in the oceans was the American ship of a similar class, Spruance. This US Navy destroyer and its characteristics had a great influence on the future appearance of the Buzzards. There was a competition between the two superpowers and the Soviet admirals demanded that our ship be no worse.
The first thing that catches your eye is the difference in the power plants of the two ships. Moreover, the Spruance gas turbine power plant looks much more preferable both in terms of characteristics and reliability. An American power plant can reach full power in twelve minutes; a Soviet destroyer needs an hour and a half for this.
The artillery armament is, of course, more powerful than the Soviet ship (it was originally designed as a landing support ship), but the American destroyer is superior to it in anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Initially, the Sarych had more powerful missile weapons, but after modernization, the Spruance was equipped with universal launchers for Tomahawk missiles, which gave the American a significant advantage.
However, currently the main US destroyer is the Arleigh Burke class. This ship was designed in the mid-80s and is significantly superior to Project 956 ships in almost all respects. The Arleigh Burke is a fourth-generation destroyer, so comparing it with the Sarych is not very correct.
SCHEDULE FOR RE-ARMING OF PROJECT 956 DESTROYERS UNDER PROJECT 956M
Since 2022, the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, the destroyer Nastoychivy, has been undergoing scheduled repairs, during which it was planned to replace the propulsion system and repair a number of the ship’s life support systems. Provided that technical readiness is restored by the beginning of 2021, it seems advisable to re-equip the Nastoychivy destroyer under Project 956M in 2021-2022.
A further rearmament schedule could include the rearmament of the destroyer Admiral Ushakov in 2023-2024 and the destroyer Bystry in 2025-2026.
In connection with the approaching scheduled date for dismantlement of Project 956 destroyers, the completion of repairs and subsequent rearmament of the Burny, as well as the withdrawal of the Boevoy, Bespokoyny and Gremyashchy from the reserve, seem unlikely.
Moscow, September 2022.
