December 24th, 2014
Exactly 100 years ago, on December 23, 1914, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II approved the decision to create a squadron of airships "Ilya Muromets". It was the first formation in the world to be armed with heavy four-engine bombers. It is from this date that long-range aviation originates in our country. "Ilya Muromets" is common name several series of four-engine solid wood biplanes, which were produced in Russian Empire at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works from 1913 to 1917. In total, about 80 aircraft were assembled. They set a number of records for carrying capacity, the number of passengers lifted into the air, maximum altitude and flight time.
The appearance of Russian Ilya Muromets aircraft in the frontline skies of the First World War opened a new page in the history of military aviation - the era of heavy bombers. The idea to attack ground targets from the air appeared in the days balloons, and the pilots received their first such experience during the Balkan wars of 1912-1913. But initially it was only a stretch to call such actions bombardment - the pilots simply manually dropped ordinary grenades down, this was more demonstrative than practical. At the same time, Ilya Muromets initially implemented a fundamentally different approach. It was a new generation aircraft that could deliver much more destructive ammunition to enemy positions. He became the first real bomber and contributed to the formation of this type combat aircraft during the First World War. In it, bombs could be suspended both inside the fuselage, along the sides, and outside. In 1916, special electric droppers were installed on it to drop bombs. The defensive armament of the aircraft was impressive and consisted of up to 8 machine guns on some versions, which allowed it to successfully repel air attacks. Later, bombers began to appear in other countries, they actively took part in many armed conflicts of the 20th century.
The aircraft was mass-produced in 1914-1917 in various modifications (series B, C, D, D, E); a total of 73 copies were built (according to other sources, about 80 aircraft). "Ilya Muromets" was widely used during the First World War as a bomber, attack aircraft and long-range reconnaissance aircraft (on a wheeled, float and ski chassis), these aircraft were also used during civil war. After its completion, the remaining serviceable aircraft were used to organize postal and passenger transportation along overhead line Moscow - Orel - Kharkov. The Ilya Muromets aircraft is inextricably linked with the name of its creator - the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (1889-1972). Already at the age of 23, after a series of proposed successful inventions, he becomes the chief designer of the Russian-Baltic Plant and the youngest aviation inventor in the world. It was Sikorsky who was the first in the world to build a multi-engine aircraft. He was also the first to make a long-distance flight on the route St. Petersburg - Kyiv. In 1919, Sikorsky was forced to emigrate from the country to the United States, where he founded the aviation company Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation, which was able to take a leading position in the global aircraft industry. The history of the Ilya Muromets aircraft began in September 1912, when a very young engineer Igor Sikorsky received permission to build a Grand biplane at the RBVZ, the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works, according to his own project. The biplane was distinguished by the presence of two motors. Do not be deceived by the word "wagon" in the name of the enterprise, in those years RBVZ was the largest association of transport engineering in the country and was engaged in the production of not only railway cars, but also cars, as well as various engines. In 1912, the company decided to deal with airplanes, approaching the matter with a real Russian scope. If you do, then something that no one has done yet.
In many ways, this was facilitated by Sikorsky, who became the head of the aeronautical department of the RBVZ, located in St. Petersburg. The materials that were used in the design of the Grand were traditional for their time - plywood, wood, canvas and piano wire for braces. The car, assembled according to the Sikorsky project, was able to take to the skies on March 15, 1913. After another 2 months, the number of engines on the Grande increased to 4. The engines were mounted on the lower wing of the aircraft in two tandem units. In each of these installations, one screw was pulling, and the second pushing. After the alteration, the airplane received a new name - "Big Russian-Baltic". In early July 1913, Sikorsky decided to try out a new layout of the engine installation: all 4 engines were installed on the leading edge of the lower wing. After the rework, the car changed its name again, becoming the "Russian Knight". The experience of creating the Russian Knight was used to create the Ilya Muromets aircraft, which retained many of the features of the first, although the design of the aircraft was completely redesigned. Left without any changes general scheme airplane and a box of wings with four engines installed on the lower wing, the fuselage of the car was fundamentally different. As a result of work with the same four 100 hp Argus engines. each new aircraft had a higher maximum flight altitude and payload. At the same time, the aircraft was originally created for civilian purposes and was the world's first passenger aircraft. The construction of the first sample was completed in October 1913. After a series of tests on the aircraft, a series of demonstration flights was carried out and a number of world records were set. In particular, on December 12, 1913, the aircraft lifted 1100 kg ( previous record was 653 kg). And on February 12, 1914, 16 people and a dog were lifted into the air, with a total weight of 1290 kg, Igor Sikorsky himself piloted the car.
Initially, the Ilya Muromets was created as a civilian vessel - from here it received sufficient comfort and space for passengers on board. It had a passenger compartment, sleeping rooms and even a bath with a toilet. Interior lighting and heating from exhaust gases. It was not adapted for military operations; it could not carry bombs and defensive weapons. For this reason, the military used the first civilian ships as training ships. It is worth noting that the initial focus on the civilian sector at that time did not imply that when upgraded to a military version, the aircraft would become less effective. Rather, on the contrary, the increased requirements for operational safety and structural strength, which were mandatory in the design of civil aircraft, when converted into military versions, only increased the operational reliability of the machines. It is enough to remember such good example alterations as a reliable Henkel-111 front-line bomber, which was created in Germany in the 1930s on the basis of civil aircraft"Henkel-70". The military quickly became interested in the new aircraft, and already on May 12, 1914, the RBVZ received its first order for the construction of 10 aircraft for the Russian army. After the outbreak of World War I, the order was increased; on October 2, another contract was signed for 32 aircraft.
Serial bombers "type B" or IM-B had more powerful engines(also "Argus" but two - 140 hp each and two - 125 hp each), they also carried 2 machine guns, bomb racks and a simple bomb sight on board. According to the assignment of the military, the aircraft was supposed to carry at least 10 pounds of bombs (164 kg). Its radius of action was 300 versts (320 km), which provided it with the achievement of targets in Danzig, Koenigsberg, Poznan, Przemysl, Krakow from the territory of the Russian Empire. The crew of such bombers consisted of 6 people, and together with the ground crew, each car had 31 people. Since aircraft were given special importance, the entire flight crew consisted of officers and non-commissioned officers. Even a flight mechanic was supposed to be an officer; already during the war years, mobilized engineers or students of higher technical educational institutions. The aircraft crew commander was an officer with the rank from captain to lieutenant colonel. Design changes and improvements were made to each of the built machines as production volumes increased: the cabin glazing area grew, the outer contours of the wings began to be made of steel pipes, the fuel tanks were moved under the center section. Since the beginning of the First World War, the most problematic constructive element steel engines "Argus". It was a powerful, light and relatively reliable engine, but it was produced in Germany and their supply and the supply of spare parts naturally ceased with the outbreak of war. The engine was replaced with a more powerful French Salmson (225 hp), which did not please either the military or Sikorsky himself, since the engine was very unreliable in operation and capricious. Over time, technical solutions that were very bold for their time were introduced into the design of bombers. For example, a 37-mm Hotchkiss cannon was even installed on planes to fight German combat Zeppelins, but it was very difficult to shoot accurately from it. The scale of the technical breakthrough that Sikorsky was trying to make would become clear already during the Second World War. The practical benefit of installing cannons of this caliber on an aircraft was obtained only in 1940, when the Junkers company installed two 37-mm VK-37 cannons on its Junkers-87 dive bomber in the Gustav variant, from which it was possible to conduct aimed fire.
Combat use Russian aviation acquired its first combat experience in 1912 during the Balkan wars. At that time, an air squadron was sent to Bulgaria, formed from civilian volunteer pilots (Agafonov, Evsyukov, Kolchin, etc.). On the eve of the First World War, the Russian Empire had the largest air fleet among all the warring powers: 244 aircraft, which were consolidated into 39 squadrons. By the time the hostilities began, there were 221 pilots in the country's air fleet: 170 officers, 35 lower ranks and 16 volunteers (volunteers). Already in the second half of 1914, the first Ilya Muromets bombers began to appear at the front. Taking into account the real experience of their application, Igor Sikorsky promptly made changes to the design of the machines. From series to series, the bomber improved. Most effective application of these machines at the front is associated with the name of M.V. Shidlovsky - the chairman of the board of the RBVZ, as well as the first head of the organization organized by him own initiative Squadrons of Airships. On December 23, all Ilya Muromets bombers operating at the front were consolidated into a squadron, and today this day is celebrated in the Russian Federation as Long-Range Aviation Day. These aircraft were a special force in the Russian armed forces and were directly subordinate to the High Command. With the formation of the Aircraft Squadron, for the first time in the world, Russia developed a strategy and tactics for using large formations of heavy bombers, as well as a system for their support. The Ilya Muromets aircraft could take on board bombs of unprecedented calibers for that period of time - up to 25 pounds (410 kg). At the same time, the Ilya Muromets bombers had strong defensive weapons, which had almost no "dead zones", which is why the losses of the bombers at the front amounted to only one aircraft. For such an amazing defense capability, the enemy nicknamed the four-engine aircraft "hedgehogs".
At the end of February 1915, Ilya Muromets carried out the first massive bombing strike. It was applied to the Austrian railway station Willenberg. As a result of the airstrike, the station was destroyed railways, as well as the very structure of the station, the rolling stock and manpower of the enemy were destroyed. During this raid, the crew of the pilot Gorshkov for the first time carried out aerial photography of the destruction that the enemy positions received. Soon, on March 18 of the same year, Gorshkov's crew made a long reconnaissance flight along a closed route, covering more than 600 miles: Jablonna-Willenberg-Neidenburg-Soldau-La Utenburg-Strasbourg-Thorn-Plock-Mlava-Yablonna. On board the bomber in this flight, in addition to the crew, was the head of the intelligence department of the 1st Army, Captain von Goertz. During the flight, more than 50 photographs of enemy positions were taken from the aircraft. The combat experience gained by Russian pilots was generalized over time, studied and reflected in manuals and instructions. So already in 1916, the Russian Empire issued "Initial Instructions for Organizing and Performing Group Flights". After that, the "Draft Manual on the Use of Aviation" was put into effect, which specifically emphasized that in order to inflict significant damage on the enemy, it was necessary to simultaneously drop a large number of aircraft bombs from aircraft. It was also pointed out that it would be expedient to fly heavy bombers at night as well. The compilers of the Draft Manual came to the conclusion that best result can only be achieved by carrying out group raids, ensuring the effect of surprise and coordination of air strikes with the actions taken ground forces. During the First World War, the first generation of Russian aviators, having achieved significant success in mastering the latest aviation technology, was able to make a significant contribution to the development of piloting technology and the use of heavy aircraft, their combat use. The combat activity of the squadron of airships marked a very milestone in the history of domestic long-range aviation. Combat practice has shown that bombing strikes against targets located behind enemy lines are the main task for heavy aircraft. Carefully studying the experience gained during the First World War, the father of Russian aviation, Professor N. E. Zhukovsky and his followers created the work “The Theory of Bombing from an Airplane”, which became the basis for the development of another branch of aviation science - aeroballistics.
It is worth noting that the combat use of the Muromtsev demonstrated the amazing survivability of these aircraft. Over the entire period of its existence, the Shidlovsky squadron completed 400 sorties, dropping 65 tons of aerial bombs and destroying up to 12 enemy fighters in air battles. At the same time, the irretrievable loss of the connection was only one aircraft. Two more cars were shot down by enemy anti-aircraft artillery, and one of the planes, which was flown by Lieutenant Konstenchik, was able to reach the airfield, but due to severe damage it could not be restored.
Sources of information: http://histrf.ru/ru/lenta-vremeni/event/view/il-ia-muromiets http://rusplt.ru/ww1/history/rekordyi-ili-muromtsa-12210.html http:/ /www.aircaft.ru/history/jet
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The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -press service of the Northern Fleet, January 2, 2018 at Northern Fleet the newest diesel-electric icebreaker has arrived "Ilya Muromets" project 21180. The crew of the vessel made its first passage from the Baltic Sea to the Kola Bay.
Under the leadership of the commander of the Northern Fleet, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, a solemn welcome of the icebreaker was held at the pier in Severomorsk "Ilya Muromets".
Arrival of the diesel-electric icebreaker "Ilya Muromets" of project 21180 of the Russian Navy to the place of basing on the Northern Fleet. Severomorsk, 01/02/2018 (c) Russian Ministry of Defense
Admiral Nikolai Evmenov congratulated the sailors on successful completion transition to the Northern Fleet and arrival to permanent place basing.
In the near future, the ship's crew will hand over the tasks in accordance with the training course and begin to perform work for their intended purpose. Earlier, the icebreaker successfully passed a full range of state tests in the Baltic.
bmpd's comment. Construction of the icebreaker project 21180 "Ilya Muromets"(serial number 02470) was carried out by JSC "Admiralty Shipyards" in St. Petersburg for the Russian Navy under the State contract Z / 1/1/0123 / GK-14-DGOZ, concluded with the Ministry of Defense Russian Federation March 21, 2014. Project 21180 (chief designer - Bakhrov M.V.) was developed by JSC Design Bureau Vympel together with JSC Admiralty Shipyards, technical and detailed design was carried out by the engineering center of Admiralty Shipyards. The actual construction of the icebreaker was started at the Admiralty Shipyards in October 2014, the laying ceremony was held on April 23, 2015.
Launching an icebreaker "Ilya Muromets" was 10 June 2016, factory sea trials were 22 July 2017. The acceptance act was signed on November 27, 2017. Flag-raising ceremony on the icebreaker in St. Petersburg on November 30, 2017. On December 19, the ship left Kronstadt for the transition to the Northern Fleet.
Icebreaker "Ilya Muromets" became the first ship of this class in several decades built for the Russian Navy, and was built in accordance with the Rules of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping 2014 for the class KM Icebreaker 6 AUTI ICSFF3WS EPP HELIDEC Speciale purpose ship.
Earlier it was reported that the entire Russian Navy plans to build four icebreakers of this project. However, in April 2017, it appeared that the Russian Ministry of Defense, for financial reasons, decided to abandon the continuation of the construction of the Project 21180 series and intends to issue a state contract to Almaz Shipbuilding Company JSC for the construction of a shallow-draft icebreaker of a modified Project 21180M with a displacement of 4 thousand tons and a cost about 6 billion rubles, which should become a smaller and cheaper version of the icebreaker "Ilya Muromets".
Icebreaker Ilya Muromets is the newest Russian military icebreaker, the first of its kind in 50 years
Literally recently, a new generation diesel-electric navy icebreaker Ilya Muromets was launched from the stocks in St. Petersburg. The project was developed by the Vympel engineering and design bureau, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In the documents, this ship, unique in its capabilities, is designated as No. 21180; ships of this class have not been produced by Russian enterprises for more than 40 years. It is surprising that this ice drift was created by order of the military department, belongs to the class of auxiliary ships and, after passing the tests, will be included in the Arctic group of naval forces. Let's get to know this latest development domestic shipbuilding in more detail.
The history of this project 21180 goes back to post-war years, when the Soviet government was faced with an acute shortage of icebreaking fleet in order to fully develop the northern latitudes. Of course, several icebreakers were part of the Northern Fleet, but the moral and technical ships were not taken into account. As a result, it was decided to complete the flotilla with ships of the Captain Belousov class, which was supposed to ensure spring-autumn navigation.
The new icebreaker received the number 97 "Ilya Muromets", created on the basis of the German ship Eisbar. The first ship of this series was launched in 1965, and became the first signs in the history of the development of the most popular ship in the USSR. This ship was decommissioned from the Pacific Fleet in 1993 and disposed of. In total, 32 ships were produced as part of Project No. 97, some of which continue to serve. In October 2017, Ilya Muromets received a second birth.
The name of the icebreaker does not reflect the full depth and power of the updated project 21180 "Ilya Muromets", although the ship is really able to overcome ice barriers up to 1 meter thick, paving the way for ships in the Arctic latitudes. In fact, this is a multifunctional supply vessel designed to solve a wide range of tasks in servicing military and civilian bases in the northern latitudes.
At first glance, a single-deck ship does not look remarkable, and even loses in many respects to heavy nuclear-powered ships. However, it is not. A unique feature of the project can be considered rudder propellers, placed outside the hull with the possibility of multidirectional rotation of the blades. This allows the ship to move even sideways, and such a scheme has been implemented for the first time on ships of this class.
Four diesel generators look like an interesting solution. power plants type "Azipod" with a total power of 10,600 watts. It should be noted that the Ilya Muromets can be in autonomous navigation for up to 2 months, and its range is 22,244 kilometers, which is 2 times the length of the Northern Sea Route. On the deck of the ship there will be a crane with a lifting capacity of 21 tons, a fire pump, water-foam gun carriages and a boat for installing booms (collecting spilled oil products). In addition, a helipad is provided on the deck, capable of receiving K-27 class vehicles, which are widely used in the Russian Navy. We add that, if desired, the icebreaker can be equipped with on-board armament: this possibility is regularly incorporated at the project development stage.
The main task of the new generation icebreaker Ilya Muromets is laying caravan routes in Arctic waters and towing ships. Thanks to innovative rudder propellers, the ship is able to change course almost instantly, which provides an incredibly high maneuverability of the ship in the ice field.
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In addition, the Russian ship will be able to:
Main specifications Project 21180 vessels are as follows:
Dimensions
Main characteristics
Power plants
It is no secret that an undeclared war for dominance in the Arctic latitudes is now being waged between the world's superpowers. Politicians of all countries understand what a strategic advantage gives the development and development of the Arctic. Currently, the Russian icebreaking fleet in total exceeds the number of ships of this class available in other countries. In addition, only the Russian Navy has super-powerful nuclear-powered ships.
Project 21180 is the first milestone of the latest Russian history fleet. A contract has now been signed for the construction of 4 similar icebreakers, which will be redistributed between parts of the Northern and Pacific fleets. In addition, active work is underway on the Ivan Papanin patrol vessel, which will perform service and combat missions in the Arctic latitudes. This ship is scheduled to be launched in 2020.
It can be assumed that the wiring of new nuclear submarines of the Yasen and Borey class from Severodvinsk, icebreaker No. 21180 will be engaged. Therefore, the commissioning of the multifunctional icebreaker Ilya Muromets opens up incredible prospects for the development and development of the Arctic zone.
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The diesel-electric icebreaker Ilya Muromets is the lead ship of project 21180, which is being built at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg for the Navy of the Russian Federation. After commissioning, the High Command of the Navy plans to use it to support the activities of the heterogeneous groupings of the Northern Fleet in the Arctic zone. Named in honor of Ilya Muromets - one of the main characters of the ancient Russian epic epic, a hero who embodies the common folk ideal of a hero-warrior.
Project 21180 was developed by JSC Admiralty Shipyards.
The new single-deck multifunctional vessel of project 21180 is designed for icebreaking support for basing and deployment of fleet forces in ice conditions, independent pilotage of ships and vessels, as well as their towing support.
The icebreaker of project 21180 is a new generation ship with new principles of electric propulsion and a modern power plant.
January 16, 2015 for the supply of rowing electrical installation for a new icebreaker. Based on the results of consideration of the documentation, the branch of the Central Research Institute of Set was recognized as the winner.
"Ilya Muromets" is the first icebreaker in Russia, on which the Azipod type propeller-steering columns are fixed outside the ship's hull using a hinged mechanism and can rotate around the vertical axis by 360 degrees, which allows the icebreaker to move equally freely bow, stern and side.
Main characteristics: Displacement 6000 tons. Length 85 meters, width 20 meters, depth 9.2 meters, draft 6.8 meters. Travel speed per clean water 15 knots. Autonomy of navigation up to 60 days. Range up to 9000 miles. Crew 35 people. Will be able to pass the ice field up to 1.5 meters thick.
Propulsion type: diesel-electric ship with propeller-steering columns with a capacity of 3.5 MW each.
RS class symbol: KM✪ Icebreaker6 AUT1-ICS FF3WS EPP HELIDECK special purpose ship.
Diesel-electric icebreaker "Ilya Muromets" (serial number 02470): metal cutting for the first section of the ship was started in October 2014. April 23, 2015 took place. According to a message dated January 11, 2016, Tech Rus (part of Severstal-Metiz OJSC, a hardware group of Severstal PJSC) for the supply of products from ropes for a ship. June 10, 2016 on the water. As of February 21, 2017, it is at the completion stage, which is being carried out in accordance with the schedule. As of June 08, at the berth of the plant. It will enter the factory sea trials in mid-July. August 30 successfully factory sea trials, which were started on August 29. The tests were carried out in the waters of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea by the crew of the icebreaker under the command of Captain Gleb Rutkovsky and the commissioning team of the Admiralty Shipyards. The second stage of factory sea trials of the icebreaker from August 25 in the sea ranges of the Gulf of Finland and in the water area of the city of Baltiysk, which was completed on September 13. On October 04, the outfitting embankment of the enterprise and will enter the state tests, which will be held from October 04 to 07. 05 October for state tests. According to a report dated October 17, during the stage of state testing of the icebreaker's aviation complex, Ka-27PS carrier-based helicopters made more than 40 landings on the ship's air platform. Handover to the customer in autumn 2017. According to a message dated November 01, by the end of the month to Murmansk and will become part of the auxiliary fleet. It will become part of the Northern Fleet, where it will perform the tasks of supporting the operations of the Arctic group, including the basing and deployment of the Navy in difficult ice conditions. November 30 on board the Naval flag and the ship was accepted into the Russian Navy. At that time, the icebreaker was in St. Petersburg on the territory of the Admiralty Shipyards enterprise.
On May 24, 2017, Vympel Shipyard JSC launched the lead small hydrographic boat of project 21961 in a series of two boats that the company is building for Admiralty Shipyards JSC. MGK are designed to equip the icebreaker. They must be handed over to the customer before July 01, 2017.
For reference: The purpose of the small hydrographic boat of project 21961 is to survey the bottom topography and survey navigational hazards at depths from 2 to 200 meters; delivery of topographic and geodetic parties to the coast; delivery of personnel, medical personnel, repair crews, small-sized cargo, spare parts, food items to coastal aids to navigation in accordance with the established navigation area.
Navigation areas: Raids, harbours, port waters of basing points and approaches to them, lakes, rivers, as well as to coastal sea areas with a distance of no more than 12 miles from the coast or the basing vessel with sea waves up to 3 points inclusive.
Main characteristics: Length overall 8.6 meters, width overall 2.52 meters, depth amidships 1.46 meters, draft 0.6 meters. Speed 10 knots. Autonomy 1 day. cruising range full swing at least 150 miles, at 6 knots about 400 miles. Crew / number of seats 2/8 people.
According to a message dated December 26, 2017 from the Baltic Naval Base and headed for the Barents Sea. January 02, 2018 to the Northern Fleet.
According to a message dated March 13, 2018, take part in the Barents-2018 exercise. April 12 for ice trials, which are taking place in the eastern part of the Barnets Sea. It is planned that the tests will last until the end of the month, after which the ship will return to Murmansk. April 24 to the Kara Strait between the islands New Earth and Vaigach. The tests lasted 19 days, after which they went to Murmansk. Having successfully completed work in the area of the Kara Gates, the crew of the icebreaker provided the first ice assistance in the White Sea for a strategic submarine, after which it headed for Murmansk. On August 08, as part of a detachment of ships and support vessels of the Northern Fleet, from the main base of the Northern Fleet of the city of Severomorsk to the Barents Sea and headed for the eastern regions of the Arctic.
Not so long ago, the Americans declared their right to use the Northern Sea Route, despite the fact that they do not have modern icebreakers. And Russia has them. One of them is the newest multifunctional vessel Ilya Muromets.
Russia has an indisputable advantage over the countries claiming to develop the Arctic. It's all about the icebreaker fleet and the colossal experience of working in the polar latitudes. Our competitors cannot boast of this. For example, the US Navy has at its disposal only the outdated icebreaker Polar Star, built in 1976, which needs constant repairs. According to experts, new icebreaker may appear in the US no earlier than 2023.
Our fleet includes two nuclear-powered icebreakers equipped with a two-reactor nuclear power plant (Yamal and 50 Let Pobedy), two icebreakers with a single-reactor plant (Taimyr and Vaigach), a nuclear container ship Sevmorput, as well as five technological service vessels.
In the coming years, they will be joined by three universal nuclear icebreakers of project 22220 (Arktika in 2019, Sibir in 2020 and Ural in 2021). Their construction is being carried out at the shipyards of St. Petersburg and they will be used both in Arctic waters and in the mouths of polar rivers.
Another vessel that will strengthen Russia's position in the Arctic is the lead military icebreaker of Project 21180 Ilya Muromets. This is the first multifunctional ship built with the interests of the Russian Navy and the Ministry of Defense in mind. We didn't have anything like that.
The construction of the Ilya Muromets was started in 2015, and already on November 29, 2017, the ship was enrolled in the 566th detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet. Location - Murmansk. The purpose of this diesel-electric vessel is to support the activities of the Arctic Group of the Russian Navy. As Vice-Admiral Viktor Bursuk, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, noted, the Ilya Muromets surpasses all the parameters of ships of this class in its characteristics.
According to the passport, this new single-deck icebreaker has the following data:
displacement - 6 thousand tons,
length - 85 meters,
width - 20 meters,
travel speed - 15 knots,
draft - 7 meters,
height along the sides - 9.2 meters,
cargo hold capacity - 500 m3,
crew - 32 people (but it is possible to increase up to 50 people).
The vessel can stay in autonomous navigation for up to 60 days, its range is about 12,000 nautical miles, which is approximately twice the length of the Northern Sea Route. The icebreaker is capable of breaking ice 1.5 meters thick.
Ilya Muromets is equipped with two Azipod propulsion motors with a capacity of 3.5 MW each. Due to the fact that they are placed outside the hull, the screws can rotate 360 degrees, ensuring the movement of the ship in any direction, including the side. And according to experts, icebreakers very often have to back up. Innovative rudder propellers allow you to instantly plot the required course and create conditions for high maneuverability in the ice field.
On "Ilya Muromets" assigned wide range tasks: patrolling the Arctic latitudes; transportation of goods; fire extinguishing and liquidation of the consequences of accidents at surface and coastal facilities; laying tracks for non-ice class vessels, as well as their towing; supplying the necessary bases and airfields located on the islands Arctic zone. The icebreaker can be used during different kind hydrographic research.
Carrying out loading and unloading operations is facilitated by a 21-meter crane installed on the icebreaker with a lifting capacity of 26 tons, as well as a loader crane capable of lifting up to 2 tons of cargo. In addition, there is a helipad in the bow of the ship, ready to receive K-27 class vehicles, and a BL-820 multi-purpose speedboat with inflatable sides is located on the deck.
If necessary, artillery pieces can also be installed on the Ilya Muromets. Most likely, it will be the AK-306, a 30-mm six-barreled automatic naval gun mount. As a means of self-defense of the ship, it can be used to destroy air targets at a distance of up to 4 km and enemy light surface forces - up to 5 km.
In April 2018, the Ilya Muromets entered the water trials Barents Sea, where for two months it will walk among ice up to 1 meter thick. Presumably in the same year, the icebreaker will go on an Arctic voyage as part of a group of warships and auxiliary vessels of the Russian Navy along the Northern Sea Route.
