The largest in the fleet: what tasks is the new generation Russian landing ship Ivan Gren capable of solving. What is interesting about the large landing ship of the Russian Navy “Ivan Gren” Landing ship of project 11711 Ivan Gren
Three hundred heavily armed Marines, 13 main battle tanks or, to choose from, about 40 armored personnel carriers/infantry fighting vehicles, as well as two troop transport helicopters. Such a mini-army easily fits on board the large ocean-going landing ship (BDK) of Project 11711 Ivan Gren.
By the end of the year, the St. Andrew's flag will be raised on it, and the Gren will officially become part of the Northern Fleet. This “paratrooper” is the first Russian ship of its class, capable of disembarking people and heavy equipment without contact with the shore. About how he surpassed his predecessors and what place he will take in the fleet - in the RIA Novosti material.
Marines with delivery
Not counting the flotilla of small and medium-sized landing ships, the BDK alone today numbers about two dozen in the Navy. These are ships of Soviet projects 775 (Caesar Kunikov type) and 1171 (Nikolay Filchenkov type). While the former are still relatively young, the latter are already approaching venerable age. For example, "Saratov" was launched in 1964. And although the ships are regularly repaired, it is obvious that very soon they will need replacement. "Ivan Gren" is a direct descendant of the Project 1171 "Tapir" BDK, or rather, its development. Even in terms of their basic characteristics, they are similar: the “grandfather”, which looks like a cargo ship, also has a substantial displacement and can transport 300 marines and two dozen tanks.
The Polish-built Project 755 flat-bottomed ships, which now form the basis of the BDK fleet, are inferior to the Ivan Gren in size and capacity. For comparison: the total displacement of the new ship is 5,000 tons versus 4,080 for its Polish “brother.” In addition, it is eight meters longer, one and a half meters wider and sits 1.3 meters deeper in the water. If the Caesar Kunikov can accommodate 190 marines and ten tanks (or 24 armored personnel carriers), then the Gren can accommodate 300 and 13, respectively. Project 775 ships were built in two series, and a third was planned - specifically for the transportation of T-80 gas turbine tanks. It is noteworthy that the lead BDK of this series was called “Rear Admiral Gren”. They managed to lay it in Gdansk, but after the collapse of the USSR it was cut into metal.
Guns and "Katrans"
The new BDK is somewhat superior to Project 755 ships not only in terms of carrying capacity, but also in terms of the power of onboard weapons. In addition to the AK-176M and AK-630M-2 "Duet" (10 thousand rounds per minute), it carries two installations of the A-215 "Grad-M" multiple launch rocket system of 122 mm caliber. Each includes a laser rangefinder, a control system, 40 guides and throws rockets at a range of up to 20 kilometers with a rate of fire of two per second. A massive Grad strike literally sweeps away enemy personnel and light armored vehicles. Thus, the ship is able, even without the support of other naval forces, to cover the landing with dense missile and artillery fire. Several launchers of the electronic suppression complex will help him protect himself from enemy missiles. Although, as a rule, ships of this class are used not alone, but as part of a powerful landing group.
For the construction of the Gren, the latest developments in shipbuilding were used, high-strength materials and even visibility reduction technologies were used. There are practically no restrictions on the types of military equipment transported, as long as its total weight does not exceed the permissible limit. The BDK can transport tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, army trucks or towed artillery over distances of up to 3.5 thousand nautical miles. All this equipment is located on the so-called tank deck. The equipment can be loaded in different ways: with a portal or deck crane, and it can also drive along the stern ramp under its own power. In addition, the BDK can transport standard 20-foot sea containers. The aft superstructure is equipped with a hangar for the Ka-29 landing transport helicopter or the Ka-52K Katran attack helicopter.
Bridge to the shore
Gren's signature feature is the so-called non-contact method of landing troops on an unequipped coast. To do this, engineering pontoons are pushed out of the open bow gates one after another onto the water, which, when linked, form a bridge. It “joins” the coastline and serves as a crossing point for heavy equipment and marines. This arrangement allows you to maintain a distance between the ship and the shore and reduces the risk of running aground.
Light floating infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles can be launched directly into the sea from both the stern and the bow: they will reach the shore on their own. Interestingly, immediately before landing, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles usually idle, and the landing hold quickly fills with exhaust gases. To prevent paratroopers from being poisoned, the upper cargo hatch is opened. Landing is possible in sea conditions of up to four points.
The “heart” of the BDK is two 16-cylinder V-shaped diesel engines 10D49 with gas turbine supercharging with a capacity of 5,200 horsepower. They accelerate the ship to a maximum speed of 18 knots. The Gren can remain autonomous for up to a month. For a crew of about 100 people and marines, fairly comfortable accommodation conditions are provided in cabins and cockpits, there is even a gym.
Ivan Gren" is the lead ship of Project 11711. The Nevsky Design Bureau worked on it for several years, the project was repeatedly reworked to meet the changing requirements of the Ministry of Defense. The construction was carried out by the Baltic shipyard "Yantar". The second ship of the series, "Petr Morgunov", is now being completed there. It is planned to be transferred to the fleet in 2018. No more such ships will be built - the command abandoned them in favor of even larger and more spacious ones.
Large landing ships are universal workhorses, without which not a single serious military operation can be completed on the territory of countries with access to the sea. It was on them that in 1986, citizens of the USSR were evacuated from Yemen, engulfed in the fire of the civil war, and in the early 1990s, the personnel of the Soviet naval base of Nokra were evacuated from Ethiopia. During the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, refugees and Russian tourists were transported from the combat zone by paratroopers. In 1999, the Black Sea Fleet BDK participated in the transfer of Russian peacekeeping forces to Yugoslavia, and in August 2008 they landed troops in the Georgian port of Poti. These ships played a critical role in the operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria. In addition to transporting cargo, people and equipment, BDKs can also be effectively used for laying sea mines.
Project 11711 Large Landing Ship
In 2013, the Russian Navy provided strategic deterrence and was involved in carrying out special tasks assigned by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief; A significant role was assigned to large landing ships (LDCs), said the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Army General Sergei Shoigu.
“In 2015, the Navy will include the large landing ship Ivan Gren, as well as two landing helicopter dock ships Vladivostok and Sevastopol,” Shoigu said.
“However, these measures are clearly not enough, so it is important to pay attention to restoring the technical readiness of ships of this class,” he said. According to him, “it is planned to restore at least two large landing ships every year.”
"Ivan Gren" is a Russian large landing ship of Project 11711, the lead ship of the series.
The ship is named in honor of Vice Admiral Ivan Ivanovich Gren, chief of artillery for the naval defense of Leningrad, head of the Combat Training Directorate of the USSR Navy, military artillery scientist. 
The design of the ship began according to the technical specifications of the Russian Navy in 1998.
The ship's design was developed at the Nevsky Design Bureau (Nevskoye PKB, St. Petersburg). 
It was laid down in 2004 at the Yantar shipyard.
Launched on May 18, 2012, and commissioning is planned for 2015. 
The Russian Ministry of Defense intends to purchase six such ships. 
Large landing ships of Project 11711 (according to NATO classification - Ivan Gren) - a type of the latest large landing ships designed for landing troops, transporting military equipment and equipment
Military equipment is placed on the landing craft on the tank deck. These can be either main battle tanks weighing up to 60 tons (up to 13 units), or armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles (up to 40 vehicles), or up to 300 paratroopers. 
Unlike the fleets of Western powers, which perform independent missions in distant regions, the Russian Navy is designed to support the ground army in coastal areas.
This project is the only one in the world where the idea of non-contact unloading of troops and equipment from a ship onto an unequipped or flat coastline has been implemented.
Large landing craft of the Ivan Gren type make it possible to quickly land a marine unit directly on the shore with armored vehicles, artillery, and air defense systems, thereby achieving surprise.
"Ivan Gren" is designed for landing troops directly on the shore. To do this, the BDK “runs” its bow aground and opens a huge “gate” in the bow. 
The BDK of the new project is smaller than the French Mistral, and therefore is much better suited for the “closed” seas - the Black and Baltic, for which the transport capabilities of the Mistral are excessive.
The fleet needs at least 18 ships of this class. All existing naval landing forces are geared towards such a grouping. Half of these needs can be met by four Mistral-class ships; the remaining tasks should be solved by small ships, such as the Ivan Gren BDK. 
Until the “brothers” of the Gren enter the fleet, the Russian Navy will be forced to use aging landing ships of the 1960-1980s, mainly Polish-built, of which there are now 15, and three Soviet Project 1171 Tapir ships. 
Characteristics of the BDK project 11711:
displacement - 5000 t
length - 120 m
width - 16.5 m
draft - 3.6 m
power plant - diesel 10D49 1x4000 hp.
speed - 18 knots
power 4000 l. With. (2.9 MW)
cruising range - 3500 miles
navigation autonomy - 30 days
crew - 100 people
Weapons:
Artillery 1 × AK-176M
A 76.2-mm naval artillery system designed to destroy unmanned and manned air attack weapons, as well as light sea and visible coastal targets. 
Key Features:
Number of automatic weapons, pcs. - 1
Rate of fire, rds/min. - 60-120
Loading the gun is automatic, unitary
Cooling of the barrel is continuous, external, by pumping coolant between the barrel and the casing
Number of personnel, people: during combat service of the AU - 2, during manual control - 4
Barrel survivability, rds. - 2000
Complex weight, t - 16.5
Hitting targets in the range of artillery ammunition in height (by self-liquidator), km - 11.5
Maximum firing range, km - 15.5
Anti-aircraft artillery: 2 × AK-630M
The 30-mm six-barreled automatic artillery mount with a radar (optical) control system is considered the fastest-firing among 30-mm artillery mounts. It is a means of self-defense for ships and can be used to destroy enemy air targets and light surface forces. 
Key Features:
Weight, kg: 1,918
Rate of fire, rds/min: 4000-5000
initial projectile speed, m/s - up to 900
ammunition, cartridges - 300
projectile mass, kg - 0.834
survivability of barrels, shots - 6000
installation weight, t - 9
vertical guidance angles, degrees. - from -12 to +88
horizontal guidance angles, degrees. - 180 from the ship axis
firing range at surface targets, m - 5000
oblique firing range against air targets, m - 4000
Missile armament: 2 × A-215 "Grad-M"
The 122-mm shipborne multiple launch rocket system is designed to destroy manpower and equipment on the shore during an amphibious landing, to support its actions, as well as to defend landing ships from attacks by enemy ships while crossing the sea. High rate of fire and firing range provide effective fire support for amphibious assault. 
Key Features:
Number of trunks - 40
Maximum firing range, m - 20700
Minimum table firing range, m - 2000
Weight of the unit with storage and feeding devices, kg - 16500
Calculation, pers. - 2
Interval between shell launches in a salvo, s - 0.5
Loading time from firing the first shot, s - 46
Reload time, s - 120
Time to fire all ammunition, min - 7.3
Aviation group 1 Ka-29 helicopter, there is a deck hangar.
A shipborne transport and combat helicopter, designed for landing marine units from ships and providing fire support for them, transporting various cargoes, etc.
The Russian Navy has been replenished with the large landing ship (BDK) Ivan Gren. The ceremony of the ship joining the Russian Navy took place at the Yantar plant in Kaliningrad. The ship will soon be at the disposal of the Northern Fleet. "Ivan Gren" became the country's largest landing ship. The ship can transport an entire battalion of Marines with tanks and armored vehicles to the theater of operations. About the combat capabilities of the newest Russian large landing craft - in the RT material.
- Large landing ship "Ivan Gren"
- Igor Zarembo / RIA Novosti
At the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, a solemn ceremony of raising the St. Andrew's flag on a large landing ship (LHD) of Project 11711 took place. It is expected that the vessel will be handed over in the near future.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Baltic Fleet command, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy for armaments, Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk, and top managers of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).
The brainchild of "Yantar"
“Ivan Gren” is the lead ship of Project 11711 developed by JSC Nevskoe Design Bureau. Currently, this is the largest landing ship in the Russian Navy. The giant's displacement is 5 thousand tons, length - 120 m, width - 16.5 m, draft - 3.6 m.
“Project 11711 is significantly different from its Soviet predecessors. "Gren" and "Morgunov" have a large displacement and capacity. Also, Russian BDKs are equipped with new diesel engines, on-board electronics, and more powerful hydraulics. Our fleet has a huge need for such ships,” retired colonel Mikhail Timoshenko noted in a conversation with RT.
The main feature of Project 11711 is the ability to transport a battalion of Marines (about 400 people) along with equipment. “Ivan Gren” can carry 13 tanks or more than 30 armored vehicles (armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles). A combat transport helicopter and two multi-purpose Ka-27s are placed on the deck of the BDK.
- Project BDK "Pyotr Morgunov"
- Image: press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense
The range of the newest ship is 4 thousand miles (about 6 thousand km). As the Ministry of Defense clarifies, during tests the Ivan Gren showed “good seaworthiness and flawless operation of all life support systems.”
The BDK's armament includes the Grad-M multiple launch rocket system, a 57-mm ZIF-31B twin anti-aircraft artillery mount, two 30-mm six-barreled automatic guns AK-630 and one modernized AK-630M-2 "Duet" gun mount with a radar control system fire 5P-10-03.
The design of Ivan Gren began in 1998. The ship was laid down in 2004, but its construction was delayed due to lack of finances and constant changes to the technical specifications made by the customer.
“Initially, the technical specifications were issued for a ship that would sail along inland waterways - rivers and canals. Its width, height and draft were determined according to the task at hand. Then we had to convert it into a sea ship - change the height of the superstructure and make some other changes to the project,” explained Sergei Vlasov, general director of the Nevsky Design Bureau, in an interview with TASS.
As a result, the BDK was launched in May 2012. In October 2015, mooring tests of the ship began, and later sea trials. From November 2017 to May 2018 it took place.
According to media reports, the military identified problems with the ship's reverse gear. At the end of December 2017, state tests were suspended, and on April 3, after eliminating the shortcomings, they were resumed. On June 2, Yantar signed an acceptance certificate for state testing with the Ministry of Defense.
Need to update
Renewing the landing fleet is one of the priorities of the Russian Navy. In June 2015, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Viktor Chirkov (since 2016, this position has been held by Vladimir Korolev) said that the composition of landing ships will be almost completely replaced by 2050.
“The need to update the composition of landing ships in all fleets is long overdue. This is taken into account in the shipbuilding program. The High Command has developed and is developing technical requirements... for most amphibious ship projects - from a landing boat to a large landing ship,” Chirkov said.
On May 25, 2017, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov (now Deputy Prime Minister) announced that the State Armament Program until 2025-2027 included the construction of two universal landing ships (UDC). Later, the United Shipbuilding Corporation clarified that we are talking about Priboy-class helicopter carriers.
- Marines of the Russian Pacific Fleet and servicemen of a special unit of the Indian Armed Forces are landing on the shore
- Vitaly Ankov / RIA Novosti
On June 18, 2018, the TASS agency reported that JSC Northern Design Bureau, located in St. Petersburg, is working on the creation of a fundamentally new large landing ship with a displacement of about 8 thousand tons. As USC clarified, engineers are developing a sketch of the future ship.
The Nevskoye PKB is ready to offer the Ministry of Defense a modernized version of Project 11711. The updated version of the BDK will have improved habitability and performance. As Vlasov previously stated, the company is able to satisfy any customer requirements.
“Ivan Gren” is an excellent ship, capable of performing the tasks for which it was developed, but it cannot be called fundamentally new, it has been designed for too long. Therefore, we hear statements about the need to modernize Project 11711. Considering that there were problems only with the lead ship, the remaining large landing ships will be built much faster,” Tymoshenko concluded.
LARGE LANDING SHIP "IVAN Gren" PROJECT 11711
LARGE LANDING SHIP “IVAN GREN” PROJECT 11711
16.04.2019
Two large landing ships (LDC) of Project 11711, the laying of which was announced by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on April 9, will be named “Vladimir Andreev” and “Vasily Trushin”. A source in the defense-industrial complex told TASS about this on Monday.
“By the decision of the customer, two new large landing ships of Project 11711, the laying of which was recently announced by the minister, will bear the names “Vladimir Andreev” and “Vasily Trushin,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
On April 9, at a conference call in the military department, the Minister of Defense announced that on April 23, two large landing ships of Project 11711 of the Ivan Gren type would be laid down at the Yantar shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC) in Kaliningrad. According to Shoigu, the new ships “are planned to be introduced into the Navy by 2025.”
Vladimir Andreev - Soviet admiral, participant in the Great Patriotic War. Since April 1943, he commanded the North Pacific military flotilla. He distinguished himself by the successful landing operation to capture South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in August-September 1945, carried out under his leadership.
Vasily Trushin - Soviet military leader, major general, Hero of the Soviet Union. In August 1945, he distinguished himself during a successful landing operation to capture the city and the Japanese naval base of Seishin on the territory of what is now the DPRK. On September 14, 1945, for courage and heroism shown in battles with Japanese troops, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
TASS
18.04.2019
The first expeditionary ship based on the Ivan Gren large landing ship is due to be built by 2024, but it needs to be redesigned. President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexey Rakhmanov told reporters about this on Wednesday at an expert meeting on the export potential of Russian shipbuilding products.
“We are in a hurry, we want to finish everything in 2024. But this is such a difficult story, because it will have to be redesigned,” Rakhmanov said, noting that we are talking specifically about the construction of an expeditionary ship based on the Ivan Gren.
TASS
24.04.2019
In Kaliningrad, at the Yantar Baltic Shipyard (PSZ), a solemn ceremony of laying down two large landing ships (BDK) of Project 11711, named “Vladimir Andreev” and “Vasily Trushin”, took place.
The ceremonial events, which took place in one of the boathouses of the shipbuilding enterprise, were attended by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for Armaments, Vice Admiral Igor Mukhametshin, the Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral Alexander Nosatov, plant workers, representatives of the Russian Navy, the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the clergy and authorities Kaliningrad region.
Vice Admiral Igor Mukhametshin and Admiral Alexander Nosatov, to the sounds of a military orchestra, attached the foundation plates to sections of future ships.
Landing ships of Project 11711 are designed for landing troops, transporting equipment and equipment. They can accommodate 13 main tanks, 36 armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, or 300 airborne troops. They are armed with six-barreled automatic cannons of 30 mm caliber. The length of the ship is 120 meters, width is 16.5. The lead ship Ivan Gren entered service with the Russian Navy in June 2018.
Vladimir Andreev - Soviet admiral, participant in the Great Patriotic War. He commanded the North Pacific military flotilla and conducted a successful landing operation to capture South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in August-September 1945.
Under the leadership of Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Vasily Trushin, in August 1945, an amphibious operation took place to capture the city and the Japanese naval base of Seishin on the territory of what is now the DPRK.
Press service of the Western Military District
On June 20, the large landing ship Ivan Gren was solemnly accepted into the Russian Navy. Hooray? Based on the remark often found on naval Internet resources regarding the new large landing craft, “Tormented!”, then not quite.
Let's try to figure out why the raising of the St. Andrew's flag over the lead BDK of Project 11711 was perceived by many as a “celebration with tears in our eyes,” and the Ivan Gren itself as a ship at a crossroads.
Awareness of the problem
By the beginning of the 21st century, the consequences of the collapse of the USSR backfired with an almost landslide reduction in the ship strength of the Russian Navy. Large landing ships were also among the casualties. Of the three largest large landing ships of Project 1174 (total displacement 14,060 tons), all three left the “game.” Of the 14 old BDKs of Project 1171 (total displacement 4360 tons), 4 remained. Of the 27 BDKs Project 775 (total displacement 4400 tons), 15 survived in service.
At the same time, it was the BDK that turned out to be perhaps the most popular warships of the Navy. True, this was explained not by the fact that our Fleet had to continually land amphibious assault forces, but by the fact that this very Fleet did not have troop transports. The surviving large landing craft had to be used as such. At the same time, of course, they were wasting their precious resource and certainly weren’t getting any younger...
The need to build new large landing ships to replace Soviet-era ships was fully realized by the command of the Russian Navy back in the late “roaring nineties.” But what kind of landing ships does the Navy need? Answering this question was not as simple as it might seem.
For example, in the United States, the idea of landing people and equipment on an unequipped coast directly from large landing ships was already considered an anachronism by this time. A large ship is a large target. To drive a large landing ship directly towards the enemy shore was to deliberately expose it to attack. Therefore, the US Navy was actively developing the doctrine of “over-the-horizon landing” and “vertical coverage.”
According to it, the landing ship remained out of sight from the enemy shore, and the landing of people and equipment was carried out by high-speed craft and helicopters based on the “landing ship”. Especially for this doctrine, the United States built universal landing ships with a total displacement of over 40,000 tons, capable of carrying not only several dozen helicopters and vertical take-off and landing aircraft, but also 12 landing boats with the possibility of replacing a dozen landing boats with three air-cushioned landing craft.
The USSR Navy, at the peak of its development, also began to “approach” something similar. For this reason, the Project 1174 landing craft with four Ka-29 helicopters each were laid down. In addition to helicopters, these large landing craft could also receive a variety of landing craft into the docking chamber. But the use of gas turbine units and the shortcomings of the general layout predetermined the short life of the Project 1174 BDK in the Russian Navy. Due to objective reasons, these ships quickly became unusable...
Leapfrog on the slipway
So what to build? After some thought, the Russian Navy command decided to abandon the logical idea of building an improved version of the Project 1174 landing craft: it was extremely expensive and difficult (remember, it was the 1990s). An alternative and relatively cheap option for building a troop transport in the hull of some kind of roll-on vessel for the benefit of the Navy also did not arouse interest among the Fleet command. In general, to replace the old “paratroopers” they wanted to get new “paratroopers”, but for what specific tasks - it seems that no one really imagined this. Therefore, the terms of reference for the new ship turned out to be quite vague. From the series “Go there, I don’t know where, and build something there, I don’t know what.”
The design of the future BDK project 11711 began according to the technical specifications of the Russian Navy in 1998 at the Nevsky Design Bureau in St. Petersburg. Since finances at that time were openly singing romances, at first there was talk of building something very small, like a new medium landing ship. But quite quickly, common sense won out, and apparently the means were found, so the project for a new landing ship was reformulated into the BDK project.
To speed up the design, it was decided to use for the new BDK the dimensions and hull contours of the well-proven Project 1171 BDK (built in 1964–1975). This limited the displacement of the future new BDK to 5,000 tons. In general, the Nevsky PKB produced a classic Soviet BDK. However, there were also differences: two (bow and stern) superstructures instead of one, a helicopter hangar, a pair of Ka-29 helicopters, as well as improved living conditions for the crew and troops.
On December 23, 2004, at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, the first large landing ship of Project 11711, named Ivan Gren, was laid down. Then the leapfrog began. The Navy command with enviable consistency changed its views on the future use of the Gren, which led to constant adjustments to the project of the ship that had already begun construction.
For example, initially the BDK’s armament was supposed to consist of a 100-mm A-190M artillery mount, two Broadsword anti-aircraft artillery systems and two launchers of the A-215 Grad-M multiple launch rocket system. But then all this “splendor” shrank to one dual-automatic 30-mm automatic artillery mount “Duet”, a pair of 30-mm six-barreled automatic artillery mounts AK-630M, a pair of 14.5-mm pedestal machine gun mounts “Sting” and a complex of fired passive jammers.
In addition, it was initially assumed that the BDK would land equipment ashore “contactlessly.” That is, before reaching the shore, it will anchor, lower the bow ramp and build a pontoon bridge from it to the shore. Then the idea of “contactless” was abandoned. Then they returned to her. Then... Well, in general, you understand.
All this over and over again “cut” the project and the ship itself under construction “to the quick,” pushing back the completion date in every possible way. At the same time, stealth technologies began to be introduced into the design of the ship. At the same time, interruptions in financing began. At the same time, Russia began to think about purchasing universal Mistral economy-class landing ships from France, which called into question the need to complete the construction of the lead landing ship of Project 11711...
To the tenacity of the brave...
It was originally assumed that the Navy would receive the Gren back in 2008. In fact, the new BDK was launched and its further completion began only on May 18, 2012.
True, the situation was somewhat brightened up by the fact that in 2010 the Yantar plant received a contract for the construction of another large landing craft of project 11711. The plant received the contract, but... But then the well-known events of 2014 happened in Crimea, which backfired, firstly, the refusal of Paris to give Moscow the Mistrals built for it, and secondly, the refusal of a number of Western suppliers to ship the equipment Russia needs for Gren.
On the one hand, the loss of the Mistrals once again raised the topic of the speedy commissioning of the Gren for the Russian Navy. On the other hand, the solution to the problems that arose with import substitution again shifted to the right the deadlines for the readiness of the lead BDK of Project 11711 and did not allow the laying of the second BDK of the same project to begin.
By the summer of 2015, the task of adapting the 11711 project to domestic equipment was generally solved. At the same time, the Syrian Express was gaining momentum, so that each large landing craft for the Russian Navy was literally worth its weight in gold. Together, these circumstances contributed to the fact that on June 11, 2015, the second large landing ship of Project 11711 was finally laid down. It was named “Petr Morgunov”.
It was assumed that the Russian Navy would receive 6 BDKs of Project 11711. However, the not very joyful picture of the Gren stuck at the factory berth, which at the time the Morgunov was laid down was not only still being completed, but also continued to be remodeled, diminished naval optimism regarding this project. As a result, a decision was announced to reduce the series of new BDKs to the Gren and Morgunov “due to the decision to create larger ships of a new generation.” According to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the displacement of the new generation large landing craft will exceed 14,000 tons...
To put it simply, three years ago the command of the Russian Navy returned to the point from which Project 11771 started in 1998. The fleet needed an improved version of the Soviet BDK Project 1174, capable of “over-the-horizon landing” and “vertical coverage”!
Here's something else for those who don't understand. Reducing the series from six ships to two did not significantly reduce the cost of building the Project 11711 large landing ship, leaving it very high.
While the Krylov State Research Center, encouraged by the return of fashion for large landing craft helicopter carriers in the Russian Navy, was organizing presentations of desktop models of domestic universal landing ships of the future, held under the codes “Priboy” and “Avalanche,” the “Gren” was being completed on the “Yantar” and the “Morgunova” was being built. After the fantastic funds and efforts spent since 1998 on the design and creation of the large landing craft of Project 11771, the Fleet simply had to get at least something!.. Even if this “something” had already been relegated to the category of unpromising projects by reducing the series to two ships.
On June 21, 2016, “Ivan Gren” was finally able to go to the factory, and then to the state tests. They were, to put it mildly, difficult. This is clear from the fact that the acceptance certificate for the completion of state tests of Ivan Gren was signed only on June 2, 2018.
According to information not officially confirmed, the Gren experienced problems with stability, insufficient field of fire for gun mounts, demagnetization, controllability when moving in reverse... The ship returned to the factory, treated its “childhood illnesses,” went back to testing, discovered new “shoals” , again headed for the plant... In a word, we sing a song to the tenacity of the brave.
Then the customer finally accepted the ship.
The main thing is to draw conclusions
If anyone thinks that this epic ended on June 20, when the St. Andrew’s flag hoisted over the Ivan Gren, then they are mistaken. Yes, a new large landing craft has finally joined the Russian Navy. Yes, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, “Ivan Gren” has already been included in the 121st brigade of ships of the Kola Flotilla of heterogeneous fleet forces. But here's the thing...
At the end of February this year, information appeared that the right and left diesel engines of the Morgunov BDK would be moved to the left and right sides, respectively. Theoretically, this will make it possible to change the nature of rotation of the propellers and eliminate the problem with the controllability of the Project 11711 BDK when moving in reverse. In the event of successful tests on the Morgunov, the relevant state commission will decide on similar changes on the lead ship of the series, the Ivan Gren.
"Morgunov" was launched on May 25, 2018 with the prospect of commissioning in 2019. Thus, no one has yet tested the rearranged diesel engines on the Morgunov, which means that the Gren, which has already entered service, still has problems with controllability when moving in reverse...
Of course, the commissioning of the Ivan Gren, and then, we hope, the Pyotr Morgunov, is in modern realities a gratifying phenomenon for the Russian Navy, to put it mildly, which is not spoiled by the new large landing craft. Another thing is that the “paratroopers” of Project 11711 had a chance to become much more successful ships... Well, what can we say about it now. The main thing is to draw the necessary conclusions and not repeat mistakes that have already been made, right?
And here we again return to the topic of building new large landing ships for our Fleet. No, this time we are not talking about Project 11711, but about what has already been announced to replace it. Let us remember that when in 2015 the number of Grens under construction was reduced to a pair, the new generation BDK was seen in the Ministry of Defense as a ship with a displacement of more than 14,000 tons.
Now let's turn to Russian media reports from June 18, 2018. They contain a mention that the Northern Design Bureau has been entrusted with the creation of a new preliminary design of the large landing craft. We are not talking about the development of some existing project, but about creating from scratch a large landing craft with a displacement of... about 8,000 tons. An important point is that other design bureaus are not involved in this work.
And finally, let's listen to the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for Armaments, Vice Admiral Victor Bursuk, who immediately after raising the St. Andrew’s flag over the Gren stated the following verbatim:
“This year, design bureaus will begin to develop a design for these ships (new BDKs - FAN note). After completing the design, literally in two years, we hope that we will be able to lay down this ship on Yantar.
Viktor Bursuk clarified that the new project BDK planned for laying down in 2021 will be the same size as the Project 11711 Ivan Gren BDK, but it will have improved seaworthiness and will also be equipped with new types of weapons and equipment.
Wait a minute! So what displacement will the new BDK be? 14000, 8000 or 5000 tons? Will this ship be designed only by the Northern Design Bureau or by other design bureaus, as Vice Admiral Viktor Bursuk reported on June 20, 2018? What tasks will the new generation large landing craft be created to solve? If the priority is to transport military cargo using large landing craft, then wouldn’t it be better to think about specialized military transport?..
The commissioning of “Ivan Gren” is clearly not a point in the history we have described, but an ellipsis. As you can see, there are still quite a few questions left. And most of them are still unanswered. Nevertheless, I really want to hope that the Russian Navy will be able to make the terms of reference for the new generation large landing craft more specific and less vague. Otherwise, the “paratrooper” planned for laying down in 2021 risks repeating the thorny path of Project 11711, and the group of our aging large landing craft will never wait to be replaced.
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