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Project 11780
Project 11780 Kherson was an unrealized 1980s Soviet LHD program derived from the Kiev-class aircraft carrier design comparable to the US Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship. The ship would have been about 25,000 tons displacement, with steam turbine power plants and carried about 12 helicopters and four Ondatra-class landing craft or two Tsaplya-class LCACs.[1] DevelopmentThe development of the Project 11780 began when Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Sergey Gorshkov ordered the development of a fully-fledged universal landing ship. The design and purpose of the ship evolved throughout the development. Initially, the ship was intended solely for landing operations. Then the General Staff proposed turning the Project 11780 ships into universal aircraft-carrying ships by equipping them with a bow ski-jump ramp, allowing the deployment of helicopters to bolster the air support for the landing troops. It was planned to build two ships: "Kherson" and "Kremenchuk". The pair would have a standard displacement of 25,000 tons, making it only could be built at the Chernomorsky Shipyard. At that time, the slipways of the Black Sea Shipyard were scheduled for the construction of Project 1143.5 aircraft carriers, which then triggered a "struggle for the slipway". The General Staff, placing great importance on the construction of the LHDs, proposed building them instead of the aircraft carriers. EndingThis proposal was opposed by the Navy Commander-in-Chief. Understanding that the construction of the LHDs, due to the lack of required shipbuilding capacity, would likely lead to the abandonment of Project 1143.5 aircraft carriers. And so a cunning trick was employed. By the Commander-in-Chief’s order, an AK-130 artillery mount was placed on the bow, directly in front of the flight deck. The Naval Research Institute was tasked with providing a "scientific" justification for the presence of such armament and its placement. As a result, the General Staff lost interest in the project, and the construction was postponed. At the request of the Minister of Defense, Marshal Dmitry Ustinov, the tasks of Project 11780 were expanded to include peacetime tracking of enemy submarines in the seas. Ultimately, all these changes led to the Project 11780 ships never being laid down. See also
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