The Sovremenny class destroyer is the principal anti-surface warship of the Russian Navy. Soviet designation for the class was Project 956 Sarych (Buzzard).
Its primary role is to attack enemy warships while also providing sea and air defense for warships and transports under escort. It complements the Udaloy-class destroyers in anti-submarine operations.
The Sovremenny class destroyer have a maximum displacement of 7,940 t. Dimensions are: Length 156 m, Beam 17.3 m and draught is 6.5 m. They are armed with an anti-submarine helicopter, 44 air defence missiles, eight anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, mines, long-range guns and a sophisticated electronic warfare system.
There are a total of three versions of this class: the original Project 956 armed with 3M80 version of Moskit anti-ship missile, and its successor, the Project 956A, which is armed with improved 3M80M version of Moskit anti-ship missile with longer range. The main difference between the two is that the missile launching tubes on Project 956A are longer than that of Project 956 to accommodate the increased size of the newer missile, and these launching tubes can be used to fire / store the original 3M80 as well. A third version, Project 956EM, later developed for People's Liberation Army Navy was the latest development of this class.
Command and control
The ship's combat systems can use target designation data from the ship's active and passive sensors, from other ships in the fleet, from surveillance aircraft or via a communications link from the ship's helicopter. The multi-channel defence suite is capable of striking several targets simultaneously.
Missiles
The ship is outfitted with the Raduga Moskit anti-ship missile system with two four-cell launchers installed port and starboard of the forward island and set at an angle about 15°. The ship carries a total of eight Moskit 3M80E missiles, NATO designation SS-N-22 Sunburn. The missile is a sea-skimming missile with velocity of Mach 2.5, armed with a 300 kg high-explosive or a nuclear 200 kt warhead. The range is from 10 to 120 km. The launch weight is 4,000 kg.
Two Shtil surface-to-air missile systems are installed, each on the raised deck behind the twin-barrelled 130 mm guns. Shtil is the export name of the SA-N-7, NATO reporting name Gadfly.(From the 9th ship onwards, same launcher is used for SA-17Grizzly/ SA-N-12Yezh.) The system uses the ship's three dimensional circular scan radar for target tracking. Up to three missiles can be aimed simultaneously. The range is up to 25 km against targets with speeds up to 830 m/s. The ship carries 48 Shtil missiles.
Guns
The ship's 130 mm guns are the AK-130-MR-184. The system includes a computer control system with electronic and television sighting. The gun can be operated in fully automatic mode from the radar control system, under autonomous control using the turret mounted Kondensor optical sighting system and can also be laid manually. Rate of fire is disputed, but various Russian sources credit the weapon with a cyclic rate of 30-40 rounds per minute per barrel, in line with the French Creusot-Loire 100 mm or the Italian OTO-Melara 127 mm/54, but faster than the US Mark 45.
The ship has four six-barreled 30 mm AK-630 artillery systems. The maximum rate of fire is 5,000 rounds/min. Range is up to 4,000 m for low flying anti-ship missiles and 5,000 m for light surface targets. The gun is outfitted with radar and television detection and tracking. The latest Sovremennys carry the CADS-N-1 Kashtan CIWS system instead of AK-630.
Anti submarine systems
The destroyer has two double 533 mm torpedo tubes and two six-barrel RBU-1000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, with 48 rockets. Range is 1,000 m The rocket is armed with a 55 kg warhead.
Helicopter
The ship's helicopter pad accommodates one Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare helicopter, NATO codename Helix. The helicopter can operate in conditions up to Sea State 5 and up to 200 km from the host ship.
Countermeasures
The Project 956 destroyer is fitted with an electronic countermeasures system and carries a store of 200 rockets for the two decoy dispensers, model PK-2.
Sensors
The complete sensor suite and ECM is all around, very impressive: 3D radar 'Top Steer', replaced later with 'Top Plate' (MR-760), 230 km range vs fighters and 50 km vs missiles; Mineral system ('Band Stand') to allow the SS-N 22 guidance; 3 navigation and surface control radar MR-201 e 212; 2 'Bass Tilt' (MR-123) for CIWS; 6 'Top Dome' radar for SA-N-7 guidance (a very large arrangement to assure an effective defense against saturation attacks), linked with 3D radar and two SAM launcher (5 missile min each); 1 'Kite Screech' radar for 130 mm (MR-184 Lev). ECM and ESM are many: 2 ESM MR-410 or MP-405; 2 ECM MRP-11M or 12M ('Bell Shroud'), 2 'Bell Squat', 4 'Foot-ball B' and one MR-407; 2 PK-2M rocket launchers (140 mm), and 8 PK-10 (120 mm), 2-8 laser-warning systems Spektr-F, one Squeeze Box (TV, laser and IR system). Sonar: MGK-355 Medium and high frequences (M/HF) Platina integrated sonar system with NATO reporting name Bull Horn, including the MG-335 hull mounted array. Type 956 originally only carries the hull mounted array because the ASW gear of this class is primarily for self-defense. For Type 956A, an improved MGK-355MS Platina is carried, which include hull mounted array, VDS, and towed array, with NATO reporting names Bull Nose / Mare Tail / Steer Hide respectively. It's reported that Type 956EM will be equipped with the successor of MGK-355/355MS, the MGK-355TA integrated sonar system which includes both the hull mounted and towed arrays (with NATO reporting name Horse Jaw & Horse Tail respectively).
Propulsion
The ship's propulsion system is based on two steam turbine engines each producing 50,000 hp together with four high-pressure boilers. There are two fixed-pitch propellers. The ship's maximum speed is just under 33 knots. At a fuel-economic speed of 18 knots the range is 3,920 miles. Several ships of this class suffered from problems regarding their propulsion system that were so severe that they had to be retired.
| Sovremenny class destroyer overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Severnaya Verf (Zhdanov Shipyard) |
| Operators: |  Soviet Navy Russian Navy People's Liberation Army Navy |
| In commission: | 1980 |
| Completed: | 21 |
| Active: | 5 in Russia, 4 in China |
| Retired: | 12 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 6,200 tons standard, 7,940 tons full load |
| Length: | 156 m |
| Beam: | 17.3 m |
| Draught: | 6.5 m |
| Propulsion: | 2 shaft steam turbines, 4 boilers, 100,000 hp (75,000 kW), 2 fixed propellers, 2 turbo generators,and 2 diesel generators |
| Speed: | 32.7 knots |
| Range: | 14,000 nm at 14 kt |
| Complement: | 350 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Radar: Air target acquisition radar, 3 × navigation radars, 130 mm gun fire control radars, 3 0mm air-defence gun fire control radar Sonar: Active and passive under-keel sonarES: Tactical situation plotting board, anti-ship missile fire control system, air defence, missile fire control system, and torpedo fire control system |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | 2 PK-2 decoy dispensers (200 rockets) |
| Armament: | Guns and Missiles 2× RBU-1000 300 mm anti-submarine rocket launcher |
| Aircraft carried: | 1× Ka-27 'Helix' |
