Missile destroyer USS " Arleigh burke(DDG 51) is an Arleigh Burke-class lead destroyer built for the US Navy. Named after Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, who fought in Pacific During the Second World War.

It was built at the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. The construction contract was signed on April 02, 1985. The keel-laying ceremony took place on 6 December 1988. Launched on September 16, 1989. The ship was sponsored by the wife of Admiral Arlie Albert Burke, after whom it was named. The admiral himself was present at the ceremony of entering the ship into the Atlantic Fleet on July 4, 1991 in Norfolk. Home port is a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.

Main characteristics: Full displacement 6630 tons. Length 153.92 meters, width 20.1 meters, draft 9.3 meters. Maximum speed of 32 knots. Cruising range 4400 nautical miles at 20 knots. The crew is 337 people, including 23 officers.

Engines: 4 General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbine units, with a total capacity of 108,000 hp. Mover 2.

Armament:

Tactical strike weapons: 2 Aegis launchers for 29 (bow) and 61 (aft) missile cells, respectively. In various combinations, they can arm themselves: Tomahawk missile launcher Tomahawk, RIM-66 SM-2 Standard-2 missile defense system, RUM-139 ASROC PLUR.

Artillery: 1x1 127 mm. AU Mark 45. Mod. 2/54 cal., 680 rounds.

Flak: Two 6-barrel 20 mm. ZAU "Falanx".

Missile armament: 2x4 Harpoon anti-ship missiles up to 74 RIM-66 SM-2 "Standard-2" missiles.

Anti-submarine weapons: PLUR RUM-139 ASROC.

Mine-torpedo armament: 2x3 324 mm. TA Mk. 32 (torpedoes Mk. 46 and Mk. 50).

Aviation group: 1 SH-60 LAMPS helicopter, no hangar.

In 1993 he took part in the "Provide Promise" operation.

During the second combat deployment of the ship in 1995, he arrived in the Mediterranean and participated in the air security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During his third sea voyage in 1998, he visited the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Red and Black Sea as a participant in numerous naval exercises with the participation of the US Navy.

During the fourth long-range cruise of the ship in 2000-2001, she served in the Mediterranean and Red Seas and in the Persian Gulf, ensuring the implementation of UN sanctions against Iraq and conducting joint naval exercises with US partners in the military-strategic sphere.

During its fifth deployment, which lasted from January to June 2003, the destroyer, along with other ships of the aircraft carrier strike group formed around the aircraft carrier, participated in Operation Enduring Freedom. During this military campaign, the destroyer struck targets in Iraq with the help of cruise missiles"Tomahawk", escorted merchant and auxiliary warships, and also fought piracy in the Gulf of Aden. During deployment, spent almost 93 percent of the time at sea.

In October 2007, he was involved in anti-piracy operations in Somalia.

In 2009 it was deployed to east coast Africa.

Arrived at BAE Systems Ship Repair in Norfolk, Virginia in August 2010 to upgrade the ship's systems and extend the service life to 40 years.

On September 23, 2014, he launched a Tomahawk rocket from the Red Sea at ground targets in Syria.

Left home port for planned deployment on 28 August 2018. In September, conducting operations in the area of ​​responsibility of the US Sixth Fleet as part of an aircraft carrier strike group. October 25 with a scheduled visit to the port of Haifa, Israel.

In one of our articles, we have already touched on the topic American destroyers... There we gave general information the entire history of destroyers, and now they decided to give a complete picture of the modern destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class, which is the only (apart from 2 Zumwalt-class destroyers) representative of the destroyer family of the American fleet. “The only one” I named it because the destroyers of the “Zumwalt” series did not meet the expectations of the naval command and have a high construction price, which led to their withdrawal from mass production (it is planned to build a maximum of one 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, confrontation and warming. By the late 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, since the early 1970s, the focus has been more on relaxation. nuclear weapons... However, the rivalry did not end there, but simply switched from weapons of mass destruction to conventional ones.

Design

In terms of the Navy, the United States wanted to maintain its advantage. But the destroyers built in the 1970s, the Spruence, did not meet the standards of the changed policy. The main disadvantage of the destroyers "Spruance" is the lack of control missile weapons... After the missile defense system appeared, the Naval Command decided to create a new type of destroyers to complement the Spruance destroyers and replace the old ones. The first destroyer project with an URO system appeared in 1980. This project was supposed to give America a significant advantage over in terms of destroyers. Seven shipbuilding companies have proposed 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 "Arlie Burke" by the ex-head of naval operations (Eisenhover and Kennedy administration), Admiral Arlee Burke, who proved himself as a real leader and strategist during the Second World and Korean Wars... The first ship also received the name of the admiral.

The Arleigh Burke destroyer was built in a year and was launched in 1989 with the participation of the ex-leader's wife (the complete process of building the ship took a little more than a year), and entered service with the US Navy on June 4, 1991 ( 2 years was on trials). The admiral himself was present at 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 orders for another twenty Arleigh Burke-class ships.

Like all military equipment Arlie Burke is not a cheap treat. On average, the price of each vessel cost America a little more than $ 1 billion. dollars (in 1985 1.1 billion, in 2009 1.25 billion). Moreover, there are the costs of servicing the ships. Every 2 years, the destroyers undergo planned repairs, where from 20 to 25 million dollars are spent on each. Considering that 62 Arleigh Burks are in the US Navy, then every 2 years, on average, 1.4 billion rubles are 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 capacity of 108,000 hp, maximum speed 32 knots, range 4,400 miles (at an optimum speed of 20 knots).

Design and general data

Destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class differ slightly from the Spruence in terms of technology, material, weapons and the hull itself.

The Arleigh Burke family is divided into 3 models (“I”, “II” and “IIA”). Each model is an indicator modern technologies and weapons, as a result of which the destroyer was modernized, changed internally or externally. Therefore, in order to describe the design to you, we will analyze each of the models separately. We will analyze 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 building is carried out according to a modular system, i.e. first, separate blocks are prepared, then they are assembled into one whole. This was facilitated by the design of the ship itself, which was designed using the Stealth technology. Arlie Burke are the first destroyers to be built on the Stealth principle. In this regard, the very concept of the ship consists of sharp corners and a minimum of unnecessary on an open deck, which increases the scatter of radio waves. Moreover, ships of this type are equipped with a radio wave absorption system. The chimneys of the ship have a similar system for reducing heat waves. Hot air is intermixed with cold air before it leaves the chimney, thereby reducing their visibility on enemy thermal radars. Due to the innovations listed above, "Arleigh Burke" has 2 times less visibility on radar and thermal radars from its predecessors "Spruence". And the modular system made the building of the building in only 10-15 months.

By general characteristics The Arlie Burke is a classic single-hull ship with an increased waterline length and a low-slung 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 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 she received better stability (heaving swing decreased) and seaworthiness.

Due to the danger of weapons of mass destruction, the design of the destroyer URO "Arleigh Burke" allows personnel to get to 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).

In total, 21 Model I destroyers were built.

Model "II"

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

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

In total, 7 model II destroyers 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, we were able to deliver a full-fledged hangar for servicing the helicopter. Experts consider this to be one of the main changes in the new model. the lack of a hangar put at risk airmobility, submarine protection, reconnaissance and support features should the helicopter fail. Accordingly, the crew of the ship (the group serving the helicopter) increased. Moreover, satellite communications and the Internet appeared on the ship.

A total of 34 IIA destroyers were built.

Armament of the destroyer "Arlie Burke"

The main destroyer of the United States Navy has many different systems weapons and installations, but of all I want to highlight the "Aegis" control system, with the advent of which the role of destroyers in the system of the armed forces has radically changed. Therefore, of all the weapons, the first thing to do is to disassemble it.

Aegis Management System

With the advent of Aegis control system technologies, destroyers were able to independently destroy any targets in the air, on land or in water. Aegis is a multidisciplinary combat information and control system that is responsible for integrating shipboard information, control and destruction systems. In other words, the Aegis system is the central bank of all the data that comes from many of the ship's subsystems, thereby creating a clear picture of the action. 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 blinded radar, which responds poorly to low-flying targets.

Artillery

The main artillery gun the Arleigh Burke family is gun mount 127-mm class "Mark 45". In different periods of time, these installations had different characteristics. Nowadays, a 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 class of the projectile.

Flak

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

Mine torpedo armament

The main anti-submarine security system is LAMPS-III class helicopters. Onboard armament - PLUR class "RUM-39 VL-Asroc" and torpedo complex "Mk32". On latest model Because of financial aspects, the destroyer was removed from service with the Harpoon-class anti-ship missiles.

Aircraft weapons

After the hull was modernized and a helicopter hangar appeared on the deck, it became possible to maintain 2 SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters. 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 "Arlie Burke"

Destroyers of the "Arlie Burke" type have been in operation for over 25 years, they have completed many missions on their account. These were mainly tactical exercises, but sometimes combat services held in hot spots of the last 3 decades. Therefore, we will analyze only a few cases.

Destroyer "Cole" and the terrorist attack in Aden

The destroyer "Cole", owned by the first model "Arleigh Burke", has an incident in 2000, which showed the world that the booking of destroyers is not so strong. When the Cole docked in Aden, Yemen to resupply food, she was later subjected to a terrorist attack. From the explosion of 200-250 kg of explosives by suicide bombers on 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 were in a bad state.

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 malfunctioned.

Destroyer "Porter"

After using Tamaghawk cruise missiles, Porter successfully neutralized the Syrian military base in April 2017.

Project evaluation

Undoubtedly, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are considered high-class representatives of their kind. However, everyone knows very well that nothing is perfect. Therefore, despite the shortcomings of this type of destroyer, we can say that the Arlie Burke are worthy combat ships of our time.

In June 2011, the command of the military naval forces The United States announced its plans for the future of US Navy destroyers. Prospective squadrons were too expensive for mass production, so it was decided to leave the Arleigh Burk project as the main destroyer of the Navy. In addition, the fleet will be replenished with ships of the Arlie Burke class until the early thirties of this century.

During this time, American shipyards will assemble two dozen destroyers. Based on the usual for the United States Navy service life of ships, it can be assumed that the last ship of the "Arleigh Burke" type will be withdrawn from the fleet only in the seventies of this century. Apparently, the US Navy command has its own considerations that make it possible to fit these destroyers into such a distant prospect.

To provide an advantage over navy In the mid-70s of the USSR, American sailors wished to receive destroyers of a new project. The recently appeared "Spruyens", although they were modern ships, still did not have great prospects and required, if not replacement, then at least a serious addition.

In addition to this, the 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 weapons). The work on the formation of the appearance of the new ship and the technical specifications for it took several years and the competition for the development began only in 1980. It took seven shipbuilding companies at once to create competitive advance projects about three years, after which three contestants remained: Bath Iron Works, Ingalls Shipbuilding and Todd Shipyard.

The third company 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, who commanded various destroyer formations for most of the Second World War.

The Bath Iron Works contract for $ 322 million 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.

Construction of the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) began in late 1988, and was commissioned on Independence Day 1991. Later, two dozen of such ships were built by two shipyards - Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding. 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 head project of the first series, American shipbuilders began to modernize.

As a result, the destroyer USS Mahan, ordered back in 1992, was being completed as the first ship of the second series. The construction of the destroyers of the Flight II version was of a more modest scale: only seven ships. It is argued that the small second series was originally seen as a transitional link from the first to the third. And so it happened, however, contrary to the logic, the new version of the project had in the index not a triple, but the designation IIA. This line turned out to be the most numerous.

On this moment 34 Arleigh Burke IIA destroyers were built and construction continues. According to the old plans, the total number of ships was supposed to be 75 units, and so far only 62 destroyers 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 design differences. They are caused by the features of the installed equipment and the features of the operation of helicopters. The rest of the design is the same. "Arlie Burke" of all three series are single-hull ships with a long forecastle... It is noteworthy that the overwhelming majority of the ship's hull parts are made of high-strength grades of steel. 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 start, but the experience of battles with the participation of aluminum ships forced them to return to steel. Only a few parts are made of aluminum on the destroyers "Arlie Burke", for example, masts. The low-slung hull has a relatively small camber in the bow and a relatively wide middle part. This shape of the hull slightly increases water resistance, but improves stability and reduces roll. On ships of the IIA series, a bow bulb was added, which compensated 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 of mass destruction. In addition to the specially planned interior, the crew is protected from chemical, biological and nuclear weapons by a special ventilation system with multiple filtration of the air taken from outside.

The Arleigh Burke became the first American destroyers to feature stealth hull and superstructure. To reduce radar signature, the outer surface of the ship's superstructure consists of several large flat panels connected under sharp corners, which leads to a noticeable scattering of radio waves. The casings are made in the same way chimneys... In addition, the exhaust power plant before being discharged, it passes through a special mixing chamber, where it is mixed with atmospheric air and cooled.

As a result, ships of the Arleigh Burke class have almost half the radar and thermal signatures than their predecessors, the Spruens class. The use of large parts that reduce visibility, among other things, made it possible to make the ship's design modular. Due to this, it takes 10-15 weeks from the laying of the ship to its launching.

The twin-shaft power plant of the Arleigh Burke destroyers of all series includes four LM2500 gas turbine engines manufactured by General Electric. Each engine is equipped with a thermal insulation circuit, which reduces fuel consumption by almost a quarter, and is mounted on shock-absorbing mounts that 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 Horse power ... The destroyers of all series have three Allison 2500 gas turbine engines as backup engines. Power of the main and backup engines is transmitted to two shafts that rotate five-blade variable-pitch propellers.

Destroyers of the Arleigh 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 4400 nautical miles, and the ships of the II and IIA - 500 miles more. At the same time, some American sources claim that reducing the speed to 18 knots could bring the cruising range to six thousand miles. However, there are some doubts about this.

The first 28 ships of the "Arlie 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 ships of the IIA series, the required amount crew in a number of services and added a group Maintenance two helicopters. 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 planning of the living quarters of the ships "Arleigh Burke". Due to this, with an area of ​​about four square meters per person managed to create everything the necessary conditions for a normal stay.

The Arleigh Burke destroyers are armed with many systems, but they are based on the Aegis control system (read "Aegis"). This multifunctional combat information and control system (CIUS) combines a whole set of detection, control and destruction means. The Aegis includes a multifunctional radar with a phased antenna array, radar for detecting air and surface targets, electronic warfare equipment, communication equipment, etc. In addition, Aegis has a number of subsystems for outputting information, transmitting data to other ships, and direct weapons control systems.

The weapons of the Arleigh Burke destroyers are based on missiles different types ... In the bow and stern parts 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 has increased to 32 and 64.

One cell can hold 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. The equipment of the launcher makes it possible to simultaneously prepare for launching 16 missiles of various types and to launch them at a rate of one missile per second.

except launchers The Mk 41 has several cranes for loading TPK with missiles. However, the features of the crane equipment and the design of the destroyer do not allow the reloading of Tomahawk or SM-2/3 missiles from supply ships. Loading of such weapons is possible only in base conditions. This disadvantage is compensated for by the flexibility of the armament range: if the ship is to attack ground targets, it will receive Tomahawks, if the ship will perform the functions air defense- Sea Sparrow or SM-2/3 are loaded on it.

The "main caliber" of the destroyers' artillery armament is the 127-mm Mk 45 mount... At the same time, the first 30 copies of "Arlie Burke" were installed Mk 45 Mod. 2, the rest - Mk 45 Mod. 4. An installation with bulletproof armor can aim a 127-mm rifled gun in the range from -15 ° to + 65 ° vertically and practically in all directions horizontally, of course, with the exception of the sector covered by the ship's superstructure.

The rate of fire of Mk 45 conventional projectiles reaches 20 rounds per minute, and in the case of guided ammunition, it drops by half.
The maximum firing range of an unguided projectile for the Mk 45 mod. 4 is 35-38 kilometers.
When using a guided missile ERGM, this figure increases to 115 kilometers.
The artillery cellar of the Arlie Burke destroyers can hold 680 rounds of various types of ammunition. It takes about 15-16 hours to load all this number of shells.

Anti-aircraft artillery "Arleigh Burke" can be equipped with various types of weapons... On ships of series I, II, as well as on the first few destroyers of series IIA, six-barreled 20-mm anti-aircraft guns Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS with a rate of fire up to 3000 rounds per minute... Fewer ships were equipped with 25-mm automatic cannons Bushmaster, and almost all "Arleigh Burke" have on board several (from three to six) heavy machine guns Browning M2HB.

Despite their original purpose, the M2HB and Bushmaster are ineffective for air defense. Therefore, they are used only for training personnel and firing at small targets, such as light boats and motor boats.

To destroy more serious surface targets, destroyers of all three series have 2 built-in Mk 32 torpedo tubes with a total ammunition load of 6 torpedoes. It can be Mk 46 or Mk 50. When creating the Arleigh Burke destroyers, the main emphasis was placed on missile armament, so the reloading of torpedo tubes by the crew after shooting all six torpedoes is not provided. In early versions of the project, engineers considered the possibility of using depth charges on the Arleigh Burke, but even before Flight I this tactical and technical solution did not reach.

One SH-60 helicopter could be based on the deck of the 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 designed to be based on the destroyers "Arleigh Burke" are equipped with the LAMPS-3 anti-submarine system integrated into the general Aegis CIUS.

Due to the limited volumes of the ships of the first two series, they did not have any means of maintenance or repair of the helicopter, other than those that are on board. Thus, any more or less serious breakdowns led to the fact that the ship was left without rotary-winged "eyes". When creating a 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. Also, the engineers have increased the volume of the arsenal for helicopter weapons: the Arleigh Burke IIA series can hold up to 40 torpedoes, air-to-ground missiles of various types and even several MANPADS.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have 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. Thanks to its a large number(at the moment there are sixty ships in service) these destroyers take part in almost every campaign 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. Let us remind you that then, a few days after the end of the notorious "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 Arlie Burke destroyers are, in some way, champions in the American fleet. The fact is that with a full displacement of about 8500 tons (series I), 9000 tons (series II) and 9650 (series IIA) "Arlie 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 for the American shipbuilding industry.

Also in favor of the success of the project is the fact that the Japanese became interested in it at one time. In 1993-95, Japan's naval self-defense forces included four Congo-class destroyers. In fact, these are the same "Arleigh Burke", but modified in such a way as to fit legal peculiarities Japanese fleet.

Like any other project, "Arleigh Burke" over time had to be replaced with newer technology. But, unfortunately for the US Navy, a promising URO destroyer project called Zumwalt turned out to be much more expensive than planned. Thanks to this failure of the Zamvolt, Arlie Burke will remain in service in the future.

When these ships were adopted, 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 American fleet to begin the creation of new version project (series III) and outline plans for the purchase of 24 ships in excess of the 75 already ordered.

Together with the assumption about the possible duration of service "Arlie Burke" until the 2070s, this could help these destroyers set another record. This time regarding the service life.

/Based on materials topwar.ru and ru.wikipedia.org /

In June 2011, the US Navy announced its plans for the future of US Navy destroyers. Promising destroyers of the Zumwalt type proved 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, the fleet will be replenished with Orly Burke-class ships until the early thirties of this century. During this time, American shipyards will assemble two dozen destroyers. Based on the usual for the United States Navy service life of ships, it can be assumed that the last ship of the "Orly Burke" type will be withdrawn from the fleet only in the seventies of this century. Apparently, the US Navy command has its own considerations that make it possible to fit these destroyers into such a distant prospect.


To provide an advantage over the Soviet Navy in the mid-70s, American sailors wished to receive destroyers of a new project. The recently appeared "Spruyens", although they were modern ships, still did not have great prospects and required, if not replacement, then at least a serious addition. In addition to this, the Spruance class destroyers, despite the available weapons, were listed in official documents as ordinary destroyers, and the time and situation required full-fledged URO destroyers (with guided missile). The work on the formation of the appearance of the new ship and the technical specifications for it took several years and the competition for the development began only in 1980. It took seven shipbuilding companies at once to create competitive advance projects about three years, after which three contestants remained: Bath Iron Works, Ingalls Shipbuilding and Todd Shipyard. The third company 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, who commanded various destroyer formations for most of the Second World War. The Bath Iron Works contract for $ 322 million 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.

Construction of the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) began in late 1988, and was commissioned on Independence Day 1991. Later, two dozen of such ships were built by two shipyards - Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding. 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 head project of the first series, American shipbuilders began to modernize. As a result, the destroyer USS Mahan, ordered back in 1992, was being completed as the first ship of the second series. The construction of the destroyers of the Flight II version was of a more modest scale: only seven ships. It is argued that the small second series was originally seen as a transitional link from the first to the third. And so it happened, however, contrary to the logic, the new version of the project had in the index not a triple, but the designation IIA. This line turned out to be the most numerous. To date, 34 Orly Burke IIA destroyers have been built and construction continues. According to the old plans, the total number of ships was supposed to be 75, but so far 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 design differences. They are caused by the features of the installed equipment and the features of the operation of helicopters. The rest of the design is the same. "Orly Burke" of all three series are single-hull ships with a long forecastle. It is noteworthy that the overwhelming majority of the ship's hull parts are made of high-strength grades of steel. 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 start, but the experience of battles with the participation of aluminum ships forced them to return to steel. On the Orly Burke destroyers, only a few parts are made of aluminum, for example, masts. The low-slung hull has a relatively small camber in the bow and a relatively wide middle part. This shape of the hull slightly increases water resistance, but improves stability and reduces roll. On ships of the IIA series, a bow bulb was added, which compensated 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 of mass destruction. In addition to the specially planned interior, the crew is protected from chemical, biological and nuclear weapons by a special ventilation system with multiple filtration of the air taken from outside.

The Orly Burke was the first American destroyer to feature stealth hull and superstructure. To reduce radar signature, the outer surface of the ship's superstructure consists of several large flat panels, mated at sharp angles, which leads to a noticeable scatter of radio waves. Chimney casings are made in the same way. In addition, the exhaust of the power plant passes through a special mixing chamber before being ejected, where it is mixed with atmospheric air and cooled. As a result, Orly Burke-class ships have almost half the radar and thermal signatures than their Spruens-class predecessors. The use of large parts that reduce visibility, among other things, made it possible to make the ship's design modular. Due to this, it takes 10-15 weeks from the laying of the ship to its launching.

The twin-shaft power plant of the Orly Burke destroyers of all series includes four LM2500 gas turbine engines manufactured by General Electric. Each engine is equipped with a thermal insulation circuit, which reduces fuel consumption by almost a quarter, and is mounted on shock-absorbing mounts that 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. The destroyers of all series have three Allison 2500 gas turbine engines as backup engines. Power of the main and backup engines is transmitted to two shafts that rotate five-blade variable-pitch propellers.

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 - half a thousand miles more. At the same time, some American sources claim that reducing the speed to 18 knots could bring the cruising range to six thousand miles. However, there are some doubts about this.

The first 28 Orly Burke-class ships (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 ships of the IIA series, the required number of crews was revised in a number of services 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 specialists in ergonomics participated in the planning of the living quarters of the Orly Burke ships. Thanks to this, with an area of ​​about four square meters per person, it was possible to create all the necessary conditions for a normal life.

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 (CIUS) combines a whole set of detection, control and destruction means. The Aegis includes a multifunctional radar with a phased antenna array, radar for detecting air and surface targets, electronic warfare equipment, communication equipment, etc. In addition, Aegis has a number of subsystems for outputting information, transmitting data to other ships, and direct weapons control systems.

The weapons of the Orly Burke destroyers are based on missiles of various types. In the bow and stern parts 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 has increased to 32 and 64. A transport and launch container with a BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile, 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 equipment of the launcher makes it possible to simultaneously prepare for launching 16 missiles of various types and to launch them at a rate of one missile per second. In addition to launchers, the Mk 41 has several cranes for loading TPK with missiles. However, the features of the crane equipment and the design of the destroyer do not allow the reloading of Tomahawk or SM-2/3 missiles from supply ships. Loading of such weapons is possible only in base conditions. This disadvantage is compensated for by the flexibility of the armament range: if the ship is to attack ground targets, then it gets Tomahawks, if the ship performs the functions of air defense - Sea Sparrow or SM-2/3 are loaded onto it.

The "main caliber" of the destroyers' artillery weapons is the 127-mm Mk 45 mount. At the same time, the Mk 45 Mod. 2, the rest - Mk 45 Mod. 4. An installation with bulletproof armor can aim a 127-mm rifled gun in the range from -15 ° to + 65 ° vertically and practically in all directions horizontally, of course, with the exception of the sector covered by the ship's superstructure. The rate of fire of Mk 45 conventional projectiles reaches 20 rounds per minute, and in the case of guided ammunition, it drops by half. The maximum firing range of an unguided projectile for the Mk 45 mod. 4 is 35-38 kilometers. When using a guided missile ERGM, this figure increases to 115 kilometers. In the artillery cellar of the Orly Burke destroyers, ammunition load of 680 rounds of various types fits. 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 the ships of series I, II, as well as on the first several 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. Fewer ships were equipped with 25-mm Bushmaster automatic cannons, and almost all Orly Burks have on board several (from three to six) large-caliber Browning M2HB machine guns. Despite their original purpose, the M2HB and Bushmaster are ineffective for air defense. Therefore, they are used only for training personnel and firing at small targets, such as light boats and motor boats.

To destroy more serious surface targets, destroyers of all three series have two Mk 32 triple 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 placed on missile armament, so the reloading of torpedo tubes by the crew after all six torpedoes have been fired is not envisaged. In early versions of the project, engineers considered the possibility of using depth charges on the Orly Burke, but even before Flight I this tactical and technical solution did not reach.

One SH-60 helicopter could be based on the deck of the 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 designed to be based on the Orly Burke destroyers are equipped with the LAMPS-3 anti-submarine system integrated into the general Aegis CIUS. Due to the limited volumes of the ships of the first two series, they did not have any means of maintenance or repair of the helicopter, other than those that are on board. Thus, any more or less serious breakdowns led to the fact that the ship was left without rotary-winged "eyes". When creating a 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. Also, engineers have increased the volume of the arsenal for helicopter weapons: the Orly Burke IIA series can hold up to 40 torpedoes, air-to-ground missiles of various types and even several MANPADS.

The Orly Burke-class destroyers have 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 (at the moment there are sixty ships in service), these destroyers are involved in almost every campaign of the American 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. Let us remind you that then, a few days after the end of the notorious "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, champions in the American 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 for the American shipbuilding industry. Also in favor of the success of the project is the fact that the Japanese became interested in it at one time. In 1993-95, Japan's naval self-defense forces included four Congo-class destroyers. In fact, these are the same Orly Burke, but modified in such a way as to comply with the legal characteristics of the Japanese fleet.

Like any other project, "Orly Burke" over time had to be replaced with newer technology. But, unfortunately for the US Navy, a promising URO destroyer project called Zumwalt turned out to be much more expensive than planned. Thanks to this failure of the Zamvolt, Orly Burke will remain in service in the future. When these ships were adopted, 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 American fleet to start creating a new version of the project (series III) last year and to outline plans to purchase 24 ships in excess of the 75 already ordered. Together with the assumption about the possible duration of service "Orly Burke" until the seventies of the current century, this may help these destroyers set another record. This time regarding the service life.

Tactical and technical characteristics
Arleigh Burke class
Displacement: 8300 t. Standard, 9200 t. Full.
Dimensions: length 142.1 m, width 18.3 m, draft 7.6 m
EH: two-shaft gas turbine (four LM2500 gas turbine engines of the General Electric company) with a capacity of 105,000 liters. with.
Travel speed: 32 knots
Armament: two four-container launchers of anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" (on the first 25 ships), two UVP Mk 41 (90 SAM "Standard" SM-2MR, KR "Tomahawk" and PLUR ASROC on the first 25 ships, 106 - on the rest), SAM "Improved Si Sparrow "on ships of the IIA series; one single-gun universal 127-mm AU Mk 45, two 20-mm ZAK "Falanx"; two three-pipe 324 mm TA Mk 32 (anti-submarine torpedoes Mk 46/50); helipad, starting with DDG 79, two SH-60B (SH-60R) LAMPS III helicopters.
REV: Radar - multifunctional SPY-1D system AEGIS with four phased antenna arrays, ONTs SPS-67, navigation SPS-64, three SPG-62 fire control (SAM "Standard"); RER system SLQ-32; two launchers of the decoy targeting system Mk 36 SRBOC; GAS-subkeys SQS-53 and SQR-19 with a towed antenna array.
Crew: 303-327 people.

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

The URO destroyer Orpi Burke (DDG 51) became the first large American warship to be built using stealth technology, which reduced the ship's radar signature. 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 ground targets during operations in crisis regions.
The hull configuration of these ships significantly improved their seaworthiness and made it possible to maintain high speed course in difficult sea conditions. The structure of the ship, except for the masts made of aluminum alloys to reduce weight, are made of steel. The combat posts and 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 conducting 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 array antennas has significantly increased the capabilities of the AEGIS system, especially when the enemy is using electronic warfare.

The AEGIS system is capable of repelling a massive attack by existing and future cruise missiles on 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 track this target, another radar is required.
In the radar station of the AEGIS system, these processes are combined. Four antennas with phased antenna arrays 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 long-range destruction of enemy aircraft and cruise missiles with Standard missiles launched from the UVP. For self-defense, ZAK "Phalanx" Block 1 is used.

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