Chapter 537 Indian Ocean Fleet

Andrei was extremely excited. After his own promotion, the Soviet Navy finally moved forward by ten years! During his last visit, he saw a catapult being tested in the test site on land. The Americans kept this thing very secret in later generations, as if the catapult was a high-tech equipment. Now, with the wisdom of Soviet engineers and the Soviet industrial level, it is not difficult to build a catapult!

But, isn't the bridge of the aircraft carrier a bit big? At this time, the bridge is still being welded on the shore. Just looking at the size of the bridge, it is about the same as that of a light destroyer. This wide bridge occupies precious deck space, leaving less room for parking on the deck. It seems that there is still room for improvement!

"Um, is that a four-sided phased array radar?" Andrei asked Gorshkov, looking at the reserved space on the bridge.

"Yes, we have developed the Sky Sentinel radar," Gorshkov said. "It is now mature and ready to be installed on this Soviet-class aircraft carrier."

Sky Sentinel! In later generations, it was generally believed that this type of radar was not mature, or because of the poor level of electronic technology in the Soviet Union, but now, this shortcoming has been made up!

Hearing this, Andrei's mind turned, and he said: "Comrade Marshal, then, based on the Sky Sentinel phased array radar, we combine it with our air defense missiles to form the Western Aegis system. What do you think? We can use our Dreadnought-class hull for transformation. Our aircraft carrier formation needs professional air defense destroyers. It is a waste to use Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruisers to escort them."

Professional anti-aircraft destroyer! This is also a must for aircraft carrier formations! Last time in the Arabian Sea, almost all the advanced Soviet warships gathered, but the Kirov-class cruiser was too expensive, and it was a bit of a waste to use it as a nanny for the aircraft carrier.

Hearing Andrei's words, Gorshkov nodded and said, "Comrade Andrei, your proposal is correct. We are now proving the feasibility of this plan. We will use the hull of the Dreadnought class to install SAM-17 medium-range air defense missiles and SAM-9 short-range air defense missiles."

Now, the newly built destroyers of the Soviet Union are mainly of two types, the Sovremenny class and the Dreadnought class. The Sovremenny class uses outdated boiler power, while the Dreadnought class uses the latest gas turbine power. In comparison, it is most appropriate to use the Dreadnought class hull for modification.

Utilizing the scanning capability of Sky Sentinel's four-sided phased array radar to guide the SAM-11 and SAM-9 missiles, this warship can be turned into a comprehensive air defense destroyer. This plan was also recorded in later generations, such as the modified warship such as the Dreadnought 3.

The original Dreadnought class was an anti-submarine ship, and the Dreadnought 3 was almost a comprehensive overhaul. The 16-unit "Gem" anti-ship missile vertical launch system was modified on both sides of the front end of the bridge, and the two five-tube torpedo tubes on both sides of the rear of the midship used SS-N-15 supersonic anti-submarine missiles; one AK130 gun replaced two single-barrel 100mm guns; the position of the original No. 2 gun position was moved to install a 48-unit "Skili" medium-range air defense vertical launch system; the 64-unit "SA-N-9" short-range air defense vertical launch system located at the bow was also retained. In this way, 48 SA-N-17s and 64 SA-N-9s, this professional air defense destroyer is enough to be the nanny of an aircraft carrier!

Andrei nodded. The construction of the navy is of vital importance because the Soviet strategy determines that there will be more clashes with the United States at sea in the future!

"Which fleet will this aircraft carrier be equipped with?" Andre asked.

The Pacific Fleet already has two aircraft carriers, and the Northern Fleet will soon have one. Which fleet will this new aircraft carrier be assigned to? This is what Andre is quite curious about.

Looking at Andrei, Ustinov said: "The military is still discussing it, but it is very likely that this warship will be assigned to the newly established Indian Ocean Fleet."

Indian Ocean Fleet! Historically, the Soviet Union did not have such a fleet because the Soviet Union had no outlet to the Indian Ocean! But now it is different! With the opening of the Indian Ocean channel, the ports of Abbas and Chabahar have become the controlled ports of the Soviet Union. Correspondingly, the Soviet leaders are already planning to form a new Indian Ocean Fleet!

With this as its base, the most important task of the newly formed Indian Ocean Fleet is to control the Indian Ocean! In this way, all the oil channels at sea are under the control of the Soviets! Some of the ships from the Pacific Fleet and other fleets that are now being transferred will stay and form a new Indian Ocean Fleet together!

The two Kiev-class aircraft carriers need to return to the Pacific Fleet base, after all, the threat from the eastern Pacific is also great. The addition of this new aircraft carrier is enough to make the Indian Ocean Fleet the most powerful military force in the Indian Ocean!

Andre was extremely surprised, which meant that this warship was prepared for him, because the Indian Ocean Fleet belonged to Andre's Turkestan Military District!

"In fact, there is another reason. We have not yet solved the problem of steam leaking from the steam catapult freezing on the deck. Therefore, if it is deployed to other fleets, it may not be able to operate in winter," Gorshkov said.

Historically, the "Ulyanovsk" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier did not fully adopt steam catapults. Two were arranged on the angled deck, but the front bow was still a leap deck. This was taken into consideration. In the Northern Fleet or the Pacific Fleet, the winter is cold. Once the steam freezes on the deck, the consequences can be fatal.

Andre was stunned. It turned out that there was such a consideration! Then, would future warships change back to using the leaping bow?

"After this warship is built, we will also test it in cold regions to observe the degree of icing. If the problem can be solved, the subsequent warships will adopt the same method. If the problem cannot be solved, there may be some changes." As if he guessed what Andrei was thinking, Gorshkov said: "Also, another change is that we plan to build two Soviet-class ships, and the next one may be a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier."

Nuclear power! Conventional powered aircraft carriers need to be resupplied every few days, and during the resupply phase, the aircraft carrier is at its most vulnerable. Nuclear power can avoid refueling and reduce time.

This visit to the Black Sea Shipyard brought Andre endless emotions. Just when Andre was about to continue admiring the aircraft carrier under construction, an adjutant hurriedly came to the crowd.

"Comrade Marshal, Comrade General, an urgent message from Moscow. Please return to Moscow immediately."