Ship arly burke. Destroyers "Orly Burke"

In June 2011, the US Navy announced its plans for the future of US Navy destroyers. Promising destroyers of the Zumwalt type turned out to be too expensive for mass production, so it was decided to leave the Arleigh Burk project as the main destroyer of the Navy. In addition, ships of the type Orly Burke» The fleet will be replenished until the beginning of the thirties of this century. During this time, American shipyards will assemble two dozen destroyers. Based on the normal service life of ships in the United States Navy, it can be assumed that the last ship of the Orly Burke class will be withdrawn from the fleet only in the seventies of this century. Apparently, the US Navy command has its own considerations that allow these destroyers to be included in such a distant future.

To ensure an advantage over the Soviet Navy in the mid-70s, American sailors wanted to receive destroyers of a new project. The recently appeared "Spruences", although they were modern ships, yet did not have great prospects and required, if not a replacement, then at least a serious addition. In addition to this, Spruance class destroyers, despite the available weapons, in official documents were listed as ordinary destroyers, and the time and situation required full-fledged URO destroyers (with guided missile). Work on the formation of the appearance of the new ship and the terms of reference for it took several years, and the development competition began only in 1980. It took seven shipbuilding companies at once about three years to create competitive preliminary designs, after which three contestants remained: Bath Iron Works, Ingalls Shipbuilding and Todd Shipyard. The third firm was never able to get the “attention” of the tender committee, which is why the construction of the first two ships of the new project was entrusted to Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding, respectively. The project, as well as its lead ship, was named after Admiral Orly Albert Burke, most World War II commander of various formations of destroyers. The contract with the Bath Iron Works for 322 million dollars was awarded in April 85th. However, the total cost of the lead destroyer turned out to be several times higher. Taking into account all electronic equipment, weapons, etc. it cost the Pentagon $1.1 billion.

USS building Arleigh Burke(DDG-51) began at the end of 1988, and on Independence Day 1991, he entered service. In the future, two shipyards - Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding - built another two dozen such ships. The first two dozen ships of the new project were made in accordance with the first version of the project, which was named Flight I. However, soon after the start of construction of the lead project of the first series, American shipbuilders began to modernize. As a result, the destroyer USS Mahan, ordered back in 1992, was completed as the first ship of the second series. The construction of the destroyers of the Flight II version had a more modest scale: only seven ships. It is argued that a small second series was originally considered as a transitional link from the first to the third. And so it happened, however, contrary to logic, the new version of the project had not a triple in the index, but the designation IIA. This line turned out to be the most numerous. On the this moment 34 Orly Burke destroyers of the IIA series have been built and their construction continues. The total number of ships according to the old plans was to be 75 units, but for now only 62 are ready. Most likely, those 24 destroyers that will be ordered later will be made according to the next version of the project.

All existing series of ships - I, II and IIA - have only minor differences in design. They are caused by the features of the installed equipment and the features of the operation of helicopters. The rest of the design is similar. "Orly Burke" of all three series are single-hull ships with a long forecastle. It is noteworthy that the vast majority of ship hull parts are made of high-strength steels. The fact is that after the Second World War, American shipbuilders began to actively use aluminum parts in the construction of ships of this class. In engineering terms, this was a good undertaking, but the experience of fighting with the participation of aluminum ships forced a return to steel. Aluminum destroyers "Orly Burke" made only some parts, such as masts. The low-sitting hull has a relatively small flare in the bow and a relatively wide middle section. This hull shape slightly increases water resistance, but improves stability and reduces pitching. On ships of the IIA series, a bow bulb was added to compensate for the deterioration of the flow due to the peculiarities of the hull contours. Watertight bulkheads divide the internal volume of the hull into 13 compartments. It is curious that the lower decks have a layout that allows you to move around the ship without restrictions without leaving the upper deck. This is done so that the crew is not at risk if the enemy uses weapons. mass destruction. In addition to specially planned interior spaces, protection of the crew from chemical, biological and nuclear weapons is carried out by a special ventilation system with multiple filtration of the air taken from outside.

Orly Burke became the first American destroyer, whose hull and superstructure are made using stealth technology. To reduce radar visibility, the outer surface of the ship's superstructure consists of several large, even panels mated at sharp angles, which leads to a noticeable scattering of radio waves. Chimney casings are made in a similar way. In addition, exhaust power plant before ejection, it passes through a special mixing chamber, where it is mixed with atmospheric air and cools down. As a result, ships of the Orly Burke type have almost half the radar and thermal visibility than their Spruence-class predecessors. The use of large parts that reduce visibility, among other things, made it possible to make the design of the ship modular. Thanks to this, 10-15 weeks pass from the laying of the ship to its launch.

The twin-shaft power plant of the Orly Burke destroyers of all series is composed of four LM2500 gas turbine engines manufactured by General Electric. Each engine is equipped with a thermal insulation circuit, which reduces fuel consumption by up to a quarter, and is mounted on shock-absorbing mounts to reduce noise. The entire power plant of the ship is a single module, which, if necessary, can be dismantled entirely. The maximum possible power of the power plant is in the range of 100-105 thousand horsepower. As backup engines, destroyers of all series have three Allison 2500 gas turbine engines. The power of the main and standby engines is transmitted to two shafts that rotate five-blade variable-pitch propellers.

The destroyers of the Orly Burke project are capable of speeds up to 32 knots, but the maximum cruising range is achieved at an economic speed of 20 knots. In this case, the destroyers of the first series can travel up to 4,400 nautical miles, and the ships of the II and IIA series - five thousand miles more. At the same time, some American sources claim that reducing the speed to 18 knots can bring the cruising range up to six thousand miles. However, there are some doubts about this.

The first 28 ships of the Orly Burke type (series I and II) had a crew of 320-350 people: 22-25 officers and 300-330 sailors, warrant officers, etc. The difference in numbers was due to some differences in armament and in the number of helicopters. On the ships of the IIA series, the required number of crew in a number of services was revised and a maintenance group for two helicopters was added. All this led to an increase in the crew to 380 people (32 officers). The Americans especially note the fact that designers and ergonomics specialists participated in the layout of the living quarters of the Orly Burke ships. Due to this, with an area of ​​​​about four square meters per person managed to create everything the necessary conditions for normal living.

The weapons of the Orly Burke destroyers include many systems, but its basis is the Aegis control system (read "Aegis"). This multifunctional combat information and control system (CICS) combines a whole set of detection, control and destruction tools. Aegis includes a multifunctional phased array radar, air and surface target detection radar, electronic warfare equipment, communications equipment, etc. In addition, Aegis has a number of subsystems for outputting information, transmitting data to other ships, and direct weapon control systems.

The Orly Burke destroyers are armed with various types of missiles. In the bow and stern of ships of all series there are universal silo launchers Mk 41. On ships of series I and II, the bow and stern launchers have 30 and 60 cells, respectively. On the IIA series, the number of cells increased to 32 and 64. A transport and launch container with a BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile, an SM-2 or SM-3 anti-aircraft missile or a block of four containers with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles can be placed in one cell . The launcher equipment makes it possible to simultaneously prepare 16 missiles of various types for launch and launch them at a rate of one missile per second. Except launchers The Mk 41 has several cranes to load the TPK with missiles. However, the features of the crane equipment and the design of the destroyer do not allow reloading Tomahawk or SM-2/3 missiles from supply ships. Loading such weapons is possible only in the conditions of the base. This disadvantage is compensated by the flexibility of the range of weapons: if the ship is to attack ground targets, then it will receive Tomahawks, if the ship will perform air defense functions, it will be loaded with Sea Sparrow or SM-2 / 3.

The “main caliber” of the destroyers’ artillery armament is the 127-mm Mk 45 mount. At the same time, the Mk 45 Mod was installed on the first 30 copies of the Orly Burke. 2, on the rest - Mk 45 Mod. 4. A mount with bulletproof armor can aim a 127-mm rifled gun in the range from -15° to +65° vertically and in almost all horizontal directions, of course, with the exception of the sector covered by the ship's superstructure. The rate of fire of the Mk 45 with conventional projectiles reaches 20 rounds per minute, and in the case of guided munitions, it drops by half. The maximum firing range of an unguided projectile for the Mk 45 mod. 4 is 35-38 kilometers. When using an ERGM guided active rocket, this figure increases to 115 kilometers. In the artillery cellar of the destroyers "Orly Burke" fits in the ammunition load of 680 shells of various types. It takes about 15-16 hours to load all this number of shells.

Anti-aircraft artillery "Orly Burke" can be equipped with various types of weapons. On ships of the I, II series, as well as on the first few destroyers of the IIA series, six-barreled 20-mm anti-aircraft guns Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS were installed with a rate of fire of up to 3000 rounds per minute. A smaller number of ships were equipped with 25-mm Bushmaster automatic guns, and almost all Orly Burkes carry several (three to six) Browning M2HB heavy machine guns on board. Despite their original purpose, the M2HB and Bushmaster are ineffective for air defense. Therefore, they are used only for training personnel and shelling small targets, like light boats and motor boats.

To destroy more serious surface targets, the destroyers of all three series have two built-in Mk 32 torpedo tubes with a total ammunition load of six torpedoes. It can be Mk 46 or Mk 50. When creating the Orly Burke destroyers, the main emphasis was on missile weapons, so reloading torpedo tubes by the crew after firing all six torpedoes is not provided. In the early versions of the project, engineers considered the possibility of using depth charges on the Orly Burke, but this tactical and technical solution did not even reach Flight I.

One SH-60 helicopter could be based on the deck of ships of the first and second series. Near the landing site there was a kerosene tank and a small "warehouse" with weapons - nine Mk 46 torpedoes. Helicopters intended for deployment on the Orly Burke destroyers are equipped with the LAMPS-3 anti-submarine system integrated into the overall Aegis CICS. Due to the limited volumes of the ships of the first two series, they did not have any means of maintaining or repairing the helicopter, other than those that are on board. Thus, any more or less serious damage led to the fact that the ship was left without rotorcraft "eyes". When creating the version of the IIA project, these shortcomings were taken into account and the shipbuilders made a special helicopter hangar in the aft part of the ship's hull, due to which the destroyer's aviation group doubled. This is what required the introduction of an aircraft maintenance group into the crew. The engineers also increased the arsenal for helicopter weapons: on the Orly Burke IIA series, it fits up to 40 torpedoes, air-to-ground missiles of various types, and even several MANPADS.

Destroyers of the Orly Burke type participated in several military conflicts, starting almost from the very beginning of their service. Iraq in 1996, 1998 and 2003, Yugoslavia in 1999 and several other operations. Due to their large number (there are currently sixty ships in service), these destroyers participate in almost every campaign of the US Navy. However, in Russia these ships are better known thanks to the "mission" of the destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74), which he carried out in August 2008. Recall that then, a few days after the end of the infamous "War of the Three Eights", this ship brought 55 tons of humanitarian cargo to the Georgian port of Batumi.

In addition to combat successes and an interesting design, the Orly Burke destroyers are in some way record holders in the US Navy. The fact is that with a total displacement of about 8500 tons (series I), 9000 tons (series II) and 9650 (series IIA), the Orly Burke is the most massive American warship with a displacement of more than five thousand tons. This fact suggests that this type of ship is an undoubted success of American shipbuilding. Also in favor of the success of the project is the fact that the Japanese were interested in it at one time. In 1993-95, four destroyers of the Kongo type entered the Japan Self-Defense Forces. In fact, these are the same "Orly Burke", but modified in such a way as to comply with the legal features of the Japanese fleet.

Like any other project, Orly Burke eventually had to be replaced by more new technology. But, unfortunately for the US Navy, promising project destroyer URO called Zumwalt turned out to be much more expensive than planned. Thanks to such a failure of the Zamvolta, the Orly Burke will remain in service in the future. When these ships were put into service, it was planned that they would serve for about 35 years. But the lack of the possibility of mass production of Zumwalt destroyers forced the command of the US Navy to begin last year the creation new version project ( series III) and outline plans for the purchase of 24 ships in addition to the 75 already ordered. Together with the assumption regarding the possible duration of the Orly Burke's service until the seventies of the current century, this may help these destroyers set another record. This time it's about durability.

Orpi Burke-class URO destroyers, equipped with a gas turbine power plant, replaced the Kuntz-class URO and the Legi and Belknap-class URO cruisers.
Initially, it was assumed that it would be cheaper than a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, a ship with less combat capabilities. However, it has become a multi-purpose warship with very large combat capabilities based on the presence of modern weapons and other combat systems.

The destroyer URO "Orpy Burke" (DDG 51) became the first large American warship built using stealth technology, which reduced the radar visibility of the ship. Initially, it was planned to use these ships in confrontation with the Soviet Navy, but at present they carry out anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-ship defense of the advanced groups of the US Navy, and also strike at ground targets during operations in crisis regions.
The configuration of the hull of these ships significantly improved their seaworthiness and allowed them to maintain high speed sailing in difficult sea conditions. The ship's structures, except for the masts, made of aluminum alloys to reduce weight, are made of steel. The combat posts and the premises of the power plant are additionally protected by Kevlar armor. Surprisingly, destroyers of this type were the first ships in the US Navy capable of fighting in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction due to the complete sealing of the hull and superstructures.
The AN / SPY-1D radar with phased antenna arrays has significantly increased the capabilities of the AEGIS system, especially in the context of the use of electronic warfare by the enemy.

The AEGIS system is capable of repelling a massive strike by existing and future cruise missiles against ships of the American group. A conventional radar with a rotating antenna "sees" a target when the antenna beam illuminates it once per full rotation around its axis. To accompany this target, another radar is required.
In the radar of the AEGIS system, these processes are combined. The four phased array antennas of the SPY-1D radar radiate energy in all directions at once, providing constant search and tracking at the same time. The SPY-1D radar and the Mk 99 fire control system ensure the destruction of enemy aircraft and cruise missiles at long range with Standard missiles launched from the UVP. For self-defense, ZAK "Phalanx" Block 1 is used.

The US Navy planned to have combat strength by 2004, 57 Orly Burke-class destroyers, but budgetary restrictions imposed by the US Congress pushed this deadline to 2008. One of the design elements of these ships that was criticized was the lack of a helicopter hangar, although the first 28 destroyers have a platform for an SH-60 helicopter.
The helicopter hangar is installed on destroyers of the PA series. They are also equipped with an oversized UVP, a new 127mm gun and an improved REV.

First Arleigh Burke I-class destroyer entered service Navy Navy USA in 1991. The contract for the construction of the ships was divided between the two companies Litton and Ingalls SB.

Ships of the Arleigh Burke I series are the main and most numerous representatives of the class. EM Destroyer in Navy Naval Forces USA - by the end of the 90s it is planned to have Navy Naval Forces about 50 such ships.

When starting to create an Arleigh Burke I-class destroyer, the Americans proceeded from two fundamental points: the ship must have high survivability and have Aegis IFSO. The composition of weapons was taken the same as on Ticonderoga, only by reducing the total number of container-cells MK41 from 122 to 90. Compared to Spruence, the speed decreased slightly. Among other innovations, it should be noted a gas turbine power plant with a heat recovery circuit, which made it possible to achieve a 25% fuel economy, an improved system of protection against weapons of mass destruction (in particular, all doors along the outer contour are equipped with air tambours), a device for deflecting torpedoes, an artillery control system fire with laser rangefinders.

EM Destroyer type "Arleigh Burke I" are intended, like cruisers URO guided missile weapon type Ticonderoga, for zonal protection against air attack means of NK formations (primarily AUG carrier strike group), landing groups and convoys, combating PL Submarine and NK of the enemy, artillery support for landing operations, tracking the ships of a potential enemy, ensuring a naval blockade of certain areas, as well as participating in search and rescue operations. At the same time, "Arleigh Burke I", compared to Ticonderoga, has smaller dimensions, better stability parameters and combat survivability (due to the increased width of the hull, the absence of AMG in superstructure designs and a more rational division of the hull into watertight compartments).

For "Arleigh Burke I" a new hull was developed with full contours in the bow and a small collapse of the surface branches of the bow frames. According to experts Navy Naval Forces USA, despite some increase in water resistance, this form of hull has the best seaworthiness. These include the smoothness and smallness of the pitching range, the moderation of flooding and splashing, small roll angles on the circulation. The hull of the ship is steel, with a characteristic forecastle extended far into the stern. It is divided by watertight bulkheads reaching the upper deck into 13 compartments and has a double bottom throughout, as well as two continuous decks, not counting the upper one. The collapse of the sides is more than 8 ° over a significant part of the length, the hull is made low-sitting. During the tests, the possibility of maintaining a speed of 30 knots with hurricane winds and waves up to 9 points was demonstrated.

When designing the Arleigh Burke I, special attention was paid to the issues of providing constructive protection and survivability. To this end, the dimensions of the all-steel superstructure were minimized, its outer surfaces received an inclination to the main plane with surfaces lined with radar-absorbing coatings to reduce the EPR. To reduce the thermal field, the chimneys were equipped with special mixing chambers in which the exhaust gases are mixed with cold air; vital combat posts were located in the ship's hull; AP REV was distributed throughout the ship in order to reduce the likelihood of damage. Premises GEM Main power plant, REV and control posts have Kevlar anti-fragmentation protection. To protect mechanisms and equipment below the DWL, local armor made of high-strength aluminum-magnesium alloys up to 25.4 mm thick also serves. Plates made of these alloys protect the main waveguides and cables, as well as the most important combat posts (BIP rooms, ammunition cellars and upper tiers of superstructures). The ship has a system of collective protection against weapons of mass destruction. Also to reduce hydroacoustic visibility EM Destroyer equipped with air supply systems under the "Masker" bottom and to the edges of the PRAIRIE propeller blades.

The main means of illuminating the air and surface situation is a multifunctional radar Radar station AN / SPY-1D with four HEADLIGHTS. To provide a circular view, they are mounted on the outer surfaces of the superstructure bow block. radar Radar station capable of detecting and tracking air targets at distances up to 400 km. Data on the elements of the movement of air targets are transmitted to BIUS and a system for displaying information, as well as a system for making recommendations to the commander of the ship for making decisions. From BIUS Combat information and control system information about air targets is transmitted to the control system by firing SAM Anti-aircraft missile systems and ZAK Anti-aircraft artillery complex Mk 99, which has three radar Radar station AN/SPG-62 designed for control SAM anti-aircraft guided missile and illumination of shelled CCs. System SAM anti-aircraft guided missile Mk 99 can control 18 at the same time SAM anti-aircraft guided missile. Systems for displaying information and making recommendations to the commander can also receive information from radar Radar station AN / SPS-67 on the air and surface situation, from GAK Hydroacoustic complex SQQ-89 (V) 4 about the underwater situation and from the AN / SLQ-32 complexes about the radio technical situation. In addition, these systems can receive information from other SC and LA. Based on the information received, decisions are made on the use of a particular weapon.

A feature of "Arleigh Burke I", unlike other American EM Destroyer and KR cruise missile URO guided missile weapon is the lack of a helicopter hangar. Available only WFP Airstrip with RAST forced landing system.

EM Destroyer type "Arleigh Burke I" took part in all conflicts of the late twentieth - early twenty-first century. The presence on the ships of the VPU made it possible not only to provide tasks air defense Air Defense and PRO Anti-missile defense AUG carrier strike group, but also to participate in strikes on the coast.

Summarizing the above, we can conclude that Arleigh Burke I-class destroyers are really successful ships high class capable of equally successfully operating in the most different conditions when performing various tasks. American shipbuilders managed to achieve a rare harmony in the seaworthiness of the ship, its architecture and armament. EM Destroyer type "Arleigh Burke I" can be called one of the best ships of the late twentieth century.

A worthy continuation of the Arleigh Burke I series was the Arleigh Burke II series and the Arleigh Burke IIA series.

10/12/2000 in Yemen, in the port of Aden, there was an explosion on board the ship. At first it was reported that the cruiser was attacked by a boat loaded with explosives.

In one of our articles, we have already touched on the topic of American destroyers. There we gave general information about the entire history of destroyers, and now we decided to give a complete picture of the modern Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which is the only (except for 2 Zumwalt-class destroyers) representative of the family destroyers American fleet. I called it “the only one” because the destroyers of the Zumwalt series did not live up to the expectations of the command of the Navy and have a high price of construction, which led to their removal from mass production (it is planned to build a maximum of 1 more destroyer of this type). As a result, it was decided to continue the serial construction of the Arleigh Burke warships.

History of creation

The time of the Cold War consists of changes of confrontation and warming. By the end of the 1960s governments Soviet Union and the United States agreed that the risk nuclear war can lead to disastrous consequences for both sides and the world in general. Therefore, from the beginning of the 1970s, the emphasis was more concentrated on the defusing of nuclear weapons. However, the rivalry did not end there, but simply moved from weapons of mass destruction to conventional ones.

Design

From the navy's point of view, the US wanted to maintain its advantage. But the destroyers built in the 1970s, the Spruance, did not meet the standards of the changed policy. The main disadvantage of the Spruence destroyers is the lack of control missile weapons. After the advent of the URO system, the Naval Command decided to create a new type of destroyer to complement the Spruence destroyers and replace the old ones. The first project of a destroyer with a URO system appeared in 1980. This project was supposed to give America a significant advantage in terms of destroyers. Seven shipbuilding companies offered their projects for a new type of ship. In 1983, only 3 companies remained, and in 1985, 2 shipyards won the construction tender: Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Construction

This type of destroyer was named "Arleigh Burke" by the ex-head of combat naval operations (Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations) Admiral Arleigh Burke, who proved himself to be a true leader and strategist during the Second World and Korean Wars. The first ship also received the name of the admiral.

The squadron destroyer "Arleigh Burke" was built in a year and was launched in 1989 with the participation of the wife of the ex-leader (the complete process of building the ship took a little over a year), and entered into operation the US Navy on June 4, 1991 ( 2 years was on trial). The admiral himself attended the ceremony.

After successful tests of the destroyer, which took place from September 1, 1989 to June 1, 1991, the mass construction of this type of combat ships was approved. Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding have received an order for twenty more Arleigh Burke-class ships.

Like all military equipment, "Arleigh Burke" is not a cheap pleasure. On average, the price of each ship cost America a little more than 1 billion. dollars (in 1985 1.1 billion, in 2009 1.25 billion). Moreover, there are ship maintenance costs. Every 2 years, the destroyers undergo a planned repair, where each one spends from 20 to 25 million dollars. If we take into account that there are 62 Arleigh Burks in the American fleet, then every 2 years an average of 1.4 billion is spent on repairs. dollars.

general characteristics

The latest destroyer model has a length of 153.9 m, a width of 20.1 m, a displacement of 8,900 tons, a power of 108,000 hp, maximum speed 32 knots, range 4,400 miles (at optimum speed 20 knots).

Design and General Data

Destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type are slightly different from the Spruence in terms of technology, material, armament and the hull itself.

The Arleigh Burke family is divided into 3 models ("I", "II" and "IIA"). Each model is an indicator of modern technologies and weapons, as a result of which the destroyer was modernized, changed internally or externally. Therefore, to describe the design to you, we will analyze each of the models separately. We will discuss topics related to general data and differences in the hull here, and we will analyze the topic of weapons separately.

Model "I"

The construction of the hull takes place according to a modular system, i.e. First, separate blocks are prepared, then they are assembled into one whole. This was facilitated by the very design of the ship, which was designed using the Stealth technology. The Arleigh Burke are the first destroyers built on the Stealth principle. In this regard, the very concept of the ship consists of sharp corners and a minimum of unnecessary on the open deck, which increases the scattering of radio waves. Moreover, ships of this type are equipped with a radio wave absorption system. A ship's chimneys have a similar system for reducing heat waves. Hot air mixes with cold air before it exits the chimney, reducing their visibility on enemy thermal radars. In connection with the innovations listed above, "Arleigh Burke" has 2 times less visibility on radar and thermal radars from its predecessors, "Spruance". And the modular system made the construction of the hull only 10-15 months.

By general characteristics The Arleigh Burke is a classic single-hull ship with an extended waterline and a low-draft hull. After the lessons learned by the allies (Great Britain) in the Falklands War, as well as incidents (fires on ships) that occurred in the US Navy, the ship's hull in the first for a long time became steel again (before that it was aluminum). The bow of the new hull has full contours, and the branches of the bow frame have a small camber. Despite the fact that because of this, the destroyer may have lost a little in speed and range, for that it received better stability (the pitching range decreased) and seaworthiness.

Due to the danger of weapons of mass destruction, the design of the destroyer URO "Arly Burke" allows personnel to reach any part of the ship without leaving the open deck. The destroyer consists of 13 compartments, 3 decks (2 internal and 1 open) and has a double bottom (increases the quality of survivability).

A total of 21 Model I destroyers were built.

Model II

In general, this model does not have any special changes from the first. Here is a list of all the innovations of the new model:

• Improved living conditions for the crew;
• Reduced fuel consumption due to minor changes to the bow;
• Reduced cavitation noise thanks to a new screw system;
• Increased metacentric height;
• Increased armor thickness.

In total, 7 destroyers of the II model were built.

Model IIA

The third model has significant changes both in the hull and in the construction technology. First, the technology of connecting already saturated modules began to be used, which clearly simplified its construction. The length of the hull was increased by 1.37 m, the width remained the same. Due to this small change in length, they were able to put a full-fledged hangar for servicing the helicopter. Experts consider this one of the main changes in the new model. the lack of a hangar compromised air mobility, submarine protection, reconnaissance and support capabilities should the helicopter fail. Accordingly, the crew of the ship increased (the group serving the helicopter). Moreover, satellite communications and the Internet appeared on the ship.

A total of 34 IIA destroyers were built.

The armament of the destroyer "Arleigh Burke"

There are many different weapons systems and installations on board the main destroyer of the US Navy, but of all I want to single out the Aegis control system, with the advent of which the role of destroyers in the armed forces system has radically changed. Therefore, from all the weapons, we will first analyze it.

Aegis Control System

With the advent of Aegis control system technologies, destroyers got the opportunity to independently destroy any targets in the air, on land or water. "Aegis" is a multi-profile combat information and control system that is responsible for the unification ship systems awareness, control and destruction. In other words, the Aegis system is the central bank of all the data that comes in from many ship subsystems, which gives a clear picture of the actions. Of course, the bank is important for almost all systems / subsystems, but especially for the ship's weapons system.

However, according to some experts, this multifunctional "miracle" has its drawbacks. They are mainly associated with the AN / SPY-1 blind-sighted radar, which does not respond well to low-flying targets.

Artillery

chief artillery piece the Arleigh Burke family is artillery mount 127mm "Mark 45" class. In different periods of time, these installations had different characteristics. Today, the 127mm Mark45 Mod 4 class mount is used, which allows firing 20 rounds per minute at a maximum distance of 37 km. (high-explosive fragmentation) up to 115 km. ("ERGM" and "BTERM") depending on the projectile class.

Flak

Anti-aircraft artillery has undergone modernization the most. While in "I" and "II" models had 6-barrel complexes "Vulcan-Phalanx", now the destroyers are equipped with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow in the amount of 24 pieces. The main weapons are Standard-3 cruise missiles with a range of up to 500 km. and "Tactical Tamahawk" with a maximum range of destruction up to 2500 km. Each destroyer has up to 56 Tamahawk cruise missiles.

Mine and torpedo weapons

The main anti-submarine security system is LAMPS-III class helicopters. From the onboard weapons - RUM-39 VL-Asroc class PLUR and the Mk32 torpedo system. On the latest model The destroyer, due to financial aspects, was decommissioned by the Harpoon-class anti-ship missiles.

Aviation armament

After the modernization of the hull and the appearance of a helicopter hangar on the deck, it became possible to maintain 2 helicopters of the SH-60 Sea Hawk class. These helicopters can use Hellfire and Penguin air-to-ground missiles, Mark-46/51 torpedo submarines, and provide air support to groups of allied forces.

Interesting cases that happened with "Arleigh Burke"

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been in operation for over 25 years and have completed many missions. These were mainly tactical exercises, but sometimes military service, held in hot spots of the last 3 decades. Therefore, we will consider only some cases.

The destroyer "Cole" and the terrorist attack in Aden

The destroyer "Cole", belonging to the first model "Arleigh Burke", has an incident in 2000, which showed the world that the armor of the destroyers is not so strong. When the Cole docked in Aden (Yemen) to replenish food supplies, it was later subjected to a terrorist attack. From the explosion of 200-250 kg of explosives by suicide bombers from the left side, a hole 6 * 12m was formed, as a result of which 17 people died and 39 were injured. The engine compartment, cabins, dining room, propeller shaft fell into disrepair.

"Donald Cook" and the Russian Air Force

While the Donald Cook was in the Baltic Sea in 2014, the Russian SU-24 fighter flew over the destroyer more than 10 times and used an electronic attack, after which the Aegis control system failed.

Destroyer "Porter"

After using Tamahawk cruise missiles, Porter successfully neutralized military base Syrian troops in April 2017.

Project evaluation

Of course, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are considered high-class representatives of their kind. However, we all know that nothing is perfect. Therefore, despite the shortcomings of this type of destroyer, we can say that the Arleigh Burke are worthy warships of our time.

The Arleigh Burke class destroyers are a type of URO (guided missile) destroyers of the third generation. Destroyers have been built by order of the US Navy since 1988,

the construction of ships of this type continues. The name of the type was given by the lead ship, the destroyer URO Arleigh Burke, named after the American admiral of World War II Arleigh Albert Burke.

The first Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was commissioned into the US Atlantic Fleet on July 4, 1991.
After the decommissioning of the last Spruence-class destroyer, USS Cushing, on September 21, 2005, the only type of URO destroyers left in the US Navy was the Arleigh Burke destroyers.
As of September 2009, the Arleigh Burke destroyer is the largest-scale type of surface warship with a total displacement of more than 5,000 tons in the entire post-war history fleet. Given the rather low pace of construction of destroyers in other states, in the coming years, not a single state in the world will be able to beat this kind of record.

In addition to the US Navy, 4 ships of the Arleigh Burke type, albeit with a slightly modified design and built according to civilian standards (destroyers of the Congo type), are in service with the Japanese Naval Self-Defense Forces.
For 2000, it was planned to introduce three more ships into the Japanese Navy by 2010, upgraded to the level of the IIA series, but at present, the construction of these ships has been abandoned in favor of more advanced Atago-class destroyers.

Purpose

The main combat missions assigned to destroyers of the Arleigh Burke URO type include:

1. Protection of own aircraft carrier and ship strike groups from massive enemy missile attacks, which uses anti-ship missiles launched both from surface ships and from nuclear submarines with missile systems.

2. air defense own forces (naval formations, convoys or individual ships) from enemy aircraft.

The secondary tasks of ships of this type are:

1. The fight against submarines and surface ships of the enemy;

2. Ensuring a naval blockade of certain areas;

3. Artillery support for landing operations;

4. Tracking enemy ships;

5. Participation in search and rescue operations.

Thanks to the combat capabilities of the Aegis system, destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type are capable of conducting a fleeting three-dimensional battle (while providing air, anti-ship and anti-submarine defense) in conditions of a high degree of threat from the enemy.
Compared to the Ticonderoga cruisers, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have smaller dimensions, the best parameters of stability and combat survivability, and are also equipped mainly with later and more advanced modifications of electronic, anti-aircraft missile and artillery weapons systems.

When designing and then building Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the project designers tried to implement the justification put forward by the fleet for this type: to create a ship that has 3/4 of the capabilities of Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers for 2/3 of the price of the latter.

Development history

The development of a new type of URO destroyers, capable of supplementing the 31 Spruence-class destroyers and replacing the destroyers of previous types, began in the late 1970s and, as a result, led to the creation of the appearance of ships of this type and the emergence of a program for their construction. A fundamentally new type of URO destroyers was supposed to be a means to achieve the superiority of the US Navy over Navy Soviet Union.
Initially, the development of a new destroyer project was proposed in 1980 to the designers of 7 shipbuilding enterprises. Their number was already reduced to 3 companies in 1983: Todd Shipyards, Bath Iron Works, and Ingalls Shipbuilding.

As a result, on April 5, 1985, the Bath Iron Works shipyard won a contract to build the first ship of the Ι series. The contract was signed for $321.9 million, and the total cost of the first-born destroyer, together with weapons, was $1.1 billion (in 1983 prices). The Bath Iron Works shipyard also received a contract to build the 3rd and 4th destroyers in the series, and later sought more and more contracts. The second destroyer of the first series was ordered by a second company, Ingalls Shipbuilding (Todd Shipyards was unable to obtain a contract at all).

Serial construction

After the order for the construction of the first three destroyers (DDG-51 - 53) on December 13, 1988, an order for the construction of another 5 destroyers of the series followed. This order was followed on February 22, 1990 by a new one for the construction of an additional 5 destroyers, then the shipyards received an order (dated January 16, 1991) for another 4 destroyers.
The last order for 5 destroyers of the first series of the ship was received by the Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyards on April 8, 1992, and the last of the 5 destroyers ordered in 1992, Mahan, was already being completed as a ship of the Flight II series.
Orders for ships of the II series were distributed as follows: January 19 - January 21, 1993 - 4 destroyers (DDG-73 - DDG-76), July 20, 1994 - 3 (DDG-77 - DDG-79), and the last of these 3 destroyers, "Oscar Austin", built according to the Flight IIA project.

Orders for the construction of ships of the IIA series were carried out: January 6, 1995 - 3 units. (DDG-80 - DDG-82), June 20, 1996 - 2 units. (DDG-83 - DDG-84), December 13, 1996 - 4 units. (DDG-85 - DDG-88), March 6, 1998 - 13 units. (DDG-89 - DDG-101), September 13, 2002 - 11 units. (DDG-102 - DDG-112). At the beginning of October 2009, it is planned to build 62 destroyers of this type, of which 56 ships have already been built and 2-3 new ships are put into operation annually.
The last, 56th destroyer of the series, "Jason Dunham", was accepted into the US Navy on October 10, 2009. After the refusal in July 2008 of the serial construction of destroyers of the DDG-1000 type, there are plans to build another 8-11 ships of the Arleigh Burke type, so that, perhaps, the total number of Arleigh Burke destroyers built will reach 70 - 73 units.

The construction of new destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class, following USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), will allow US shipyards to continue the production of destroyers until the start of mass production of cruisers of new types CG (X) and CGN (X) at these enterprises, which expected no earlier than 2015 (except for the small-scale construction of the DDG-1000 destroyers).

Cruiser "Belknap" before the fire

Construction cost

The cost of building the lead destroyer in 1983 prices was $ 1.1 billion. In 2004, the average cost of building one ship of the IIA series was $ 1.1 - 1.25 billion, and the annual cost of servicing one ship (with one repair every two years )= $20 million.
By 2009, due to inflation, the cost of one destroyer of the third sub-series (Flight IIa) increased to $1.4 billion (equivalent to 26.32 billion rubles in purchasing power parity, and the annual maintenance cost to $25 million).

The bulk of the funds from the total cost of building and arming destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type goes directly to the acquisition and installation of weapons systems on destroyers.
So, 6 destroyer hulls ordered by Bath Iron Works for laying down in 2002-2005 cost $3,170,973,112; hull of one destroyer, equal to ≈ $ 500 million, that is, slightly more than a third of the total cost of the ship.
Thus, almost two-thirds of the cost of commissioning a ship is its armament. The most expensive element of the armament of the Arleigh Burke destroyers is the Aegis combat system - its cost is approximately $ 300 million.

The next Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) (construction is expected to begin in 2009) will cost the US Navy $2.2 billion.
It is assumed that average cost the remaining destroyers of the future series, the construction of which is still only planned, will not exceed $ 1.7 billion.

The increase in costs is due, in addition to inflation, to the installation of new weapons systems on ships under construction.

Hull and superstructure

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are typical single-hull ships with a hull aspect ratio (along the waterline) = 7.1 of a long-tank design. The hulls of the ships of the series for the first time in many years in American shipbuilding practice began to be made almost entirely of high-strength steel, using only individual units and sections of aluminum, in particular, pipes of gas turbine plants and the main mast.
The experience of the Falklands War, which revealed weak security, prompted American designers to return to the use of steel in the construction of ships. British ships with aluminum hulls, as well as a number of fires on their own ships (in particular, a fire on the Belknap missile cruiser that occurred on November 22, 1975 when the cruiser collided with the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy completely destroyed the superstructure of the cruiser and claimed the lives of 7 people).

Developed for the destroyers of this project, the new hull has full contours in the bow and a small collapse of the surface branches of the bow frames, which differs markedly from its predecessor, the Spruence-class destroyer project.
According to the developers of the Arleigh Burke destroyer project, despite some increase in water resistance, this hull form has the best seaworthiness.
The positive qualities of the Arleigh Burke destroyers are the greater smoothness and smallness of the pitching range, the moderation of flooding and splashing, and the small angles of the ship's heel in circulation. The destroyer's hull is low-sitting.

The hulls of the ships are divided, taking into account rationality, by watertight bulkheads reaching the upper deck into 13 compartments and have a double bottom throughout their length.
Two continuous decks run through the entire ship, not counting the top. In the lower decks there is a through passage that allows the crew to take up combat posts without going to the upper deck for this. The collapse of the sides is more than 8 ° over a significant length of the hull length. The height of tween decks for the US Navy is standard - 2.9 m.

The ships are built according to the modular principle, that is, the ship's hull during construction is formed from pre-assembled modules (blocks). This facilitates and speeds up the construction process.
The complete process of building a ship (from laying to launching) takes from 10 to 17 months, with most ships built in less than 15 months.
A certain delay in construction schedules was observed after Hurricane Katrina, which slowed down the delivery of several destroyers by the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Pascagoula.

The Arleigh Burke-class URO destroyers were the first ships after the Lafayette-class frigates to use stealth technology in their construction. The destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class are the first ships in the US Navy, which, as a result of the creation of superstructure architecture made using stealth technology (with sharp ribs, for greater scattering of radio waves) and the use of coatings that absorb radio emission energy, have significantly reduced the effective scattering area.
In order to reduce the thermal field, the chimneys of destroyers are equipped with special mixing chambers in which exhaust gases are mixed with cold air. The reduction of the thermal field of the ships was achieved by isolating hot sections through the use of an air cooling system for exhaust gases.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are equipped with two 24-foot (7.32 m) semi-rigid inflatable search and rescue boats RHIB or RIB (abbreviated from the English rigid hull inflatable boat), stored on sloops on the starboard side. A commercial crane is used to launch and retrieve RHIB boats.
The equipment of the destroyers "Arly Burke" also includes 15 life rafts, each of which is designed for 25 people.

Series II

The metacentric height of the ships of the 2nd series has been lowered by reducing the weight of the superstructure. On three quarters of the hull length of the destroyers of the 2nd series, the thickness of the metal plating was increased, the fuel efficiency of the ships was improved due to changes in the design of the bow of the vessel.
The propeller design has also been improved to reduce cavitation noise levels. In addition, the living quarters of the destroyers of the series were expanded to accommodate the personnel of the air group, as well as women soldiers.
In order to increase the combat survivability of the Arleigh Burke destroyers, five armored bulkheads were additionally installed in the ship's hull.

Series IΙA

Compared to the Arleigh Burke destroyers of the first series, the hull is lengthened by 1.37 m - up to 155.29 m. The width of the hull remains the same. For the construction of destroyers of the IΙA series, a previously unused technology is used, in which sections are saturated before they are integrated into the main hull modules.
Beginning with USS Shoup (DDG-86), helicopter hangars are made from composite materials to reduce secondary radar field levels. All destroyers of the IIA series are equipped with satellite communications, allowing members of the ship's crew to call home at any time, or use the Internet.
All destroyers, starting with USS McCampbell (DDG-85), have a dedicated laundromat. In addition, a number of other, more minor changes have been made to the design and equipment of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers of the IIA series.

Engine

A new phenomenon for American shipbuilding was the twin-shaft main power plant installed on the Arleigh Burke destroyers, consisting of 4 General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines with a heat recovery circuit, giving an additional 25 percent fuel economy.
The main power plant of the ship is mounted on soundproof foundations and shock-absorbing supports. GEM (gas turbine, compressor, pipelines) and soundproof casing are made in the form of a single unit (module).

The propulsion system of the ship allows it to develop a full speed of at least 30 knots in any sea state. The lead destroyer of series I USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) on sea trials with a full displacement of the hull developed a 30-knot speed in a 35-foot (10.67 m) wave and a total shaft power of 75,000 hp. With.
On ships of all series there are 3 standby Allison 2500 gas turbine engines (each with a capacity of 2.5 MW), on which the ships are able to move when the power plant fails. The movement of the Arleigh Burke destroyers is provided by 2 five-bladed KaMeWa variable-pitch propellers.

The stock of ship fuel is 1300 tons. The maximum range of destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type of the I series on the operational-economic course (20 knots) reaches 4400 nautical miles (8148.8 km), on ships of the II and IIA series due to increased fuel efficiency ship, achieved through the improvement of the design of the bow of the hull and the placement of additional fuel tanks, the range of the ship was increased to 4890 miles (9056 km).

The range of destroyers at economic speed (18 knots), according to some sources, reaches 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 km). The range of the Arleigh Burke destroyers is estimated to be relatively short, especially since for the previous type of US destroyers, the Spruence-class destroyers, it was 6000 miles at 20 knots and 3300 miles at 30 knots.