Layout of the ship

Two things I find disturbing about that design:
-The obsolete LW-08/RAWL radar on the rear mast. Makes an odd contrast to the cutting-edge MF-STAR AESA. Why couldn’t the IN go for a SMART-L instead?:confused:

-A lot of unused deck space that could be used for additional VLS cells. I count 16UKSK VLS and 48 Barak-8 cells whereas there’s enough room for another 8-16UKSKs and 24 Barak-8s easily. The Indian Navy should have gone the approach the Russians took with the 22350 and Krivak-4 derivatives to pack in as man additional missiles as possible, especially given the Kolkata class are expected to divide their UKSKs between BrahMos and Nirbhay LACMs.

http://flotprom.ru/news/?ELEMENT_ID=100841

zvezdochka shipyard laid down project 20180TV naval weapons transport ship designed by ALMAZ design bureau.

Photos of the ceremony:

http://www.klubsmi.ru/culture/5665-444.html

http://flotprom.ru/media/photo/index.php?PAGE_NAME=section&SECTION_ID=3781#gallery

Thanks. Interesting ship. Are there any other classes of auxiliary vessels that can reload ASMs and other weapon systems at sea?

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/1247/d39c7da07c35.jpg

Topol-E launch. I believe this is a target for interception tests.

You mean for the S-500? Or do you mean testing its anti-interception measures?

The prototype of the MiG-29K (number 311) was loaded by crane onto the deck of the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya at Severodvinsk last month. The Sevmash shipyard said the conversion work ex- Gorshkov of the Russian navy are 90% complete.

Is that the non-flying prototype that was used to test the aircraft restraining system? Wasn’t that already done last year?

I was not speculating… I posted that 054B picture to have any more of the same CG and what is the fact about it. I couldn’t find any similar CG after searching so thought of asking if any of you guys have anymore of this version.

That picture is from FORCE magazine and found it interesting as it was a good evolution of the current 054A. So my question still remains.. anymore pictures of this model and what (if any) details of the Type-054Bor what ever version that is to succeed the 054A.
TIA

FORCE magazine? You mean Prasun Sengupta? You realise over half of what that guy publishes is fantasy?:D

I’m not sure the Type 054B in your image even exists, because one of the reason the Type 052C destroyer hasn’t been built in numbers is because its Aegis-style radar and combat management system are very expensive. The Type 054 is a frigate that doesn’t have fleet air defence as a primary objective, and as such it’s better to produce it in series with the Fregat-analogue radar; that’s more than adequate for it.

That is an interesting development….should have been in Indian Navy news and discussion as it will relate to the tender for 2nd line of submarines.

from the article.

Is there any info on what the Vietnamese subs will be getting?…If I’m not wrong the entire submarine deal for the 6 x Kilo class sub for Vietnam is around $3.6billion where as the 6 x Kilo class is for just $1.8billion. So can they be the first of the Kilo class operators who could be using the AIP?

So if the Vietnamese Kilos are to be equipped with AIP, then it has to be a Kristal variant of “regular” AIP with onboard hydrogen, or its the new system that is mentioned here???

From what I gather all Russian AIP systems(till date there have been three separate research programs: the Krystall-27, the one mentioned above and a MESMA analogue) are still in the R & D stage and no scaled up model has been built for testing on a submarine yet.

The reason being it would be expensive to do so without firm orders; since the Russian Navy apparently settled for higher-endurance Lithium-ion batteries on the Ladas rather than AIP and no export customer till date seems to have asked for it.

When the Indian Navy started mooting its new AIP submarine tender in 2009 or so Rubin partnered up with Fincantieri and offered the S1000, an Amur variant with a fuel cell AIP from an Italian firm. So I don’t think any Russian systems are ready for production yet.

I wonder when(not if) the Russians and Chinese will get access to this. This might just be the breakthrough they need for their own UAV programs.

I hope this motivates future designers to include a ‘kill-switch’ in expendable assets like UAVs. Something like a hidden explosive charge that will destroy all sensitive electronics via radio command.