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From: aoki@hermes.Berkeley.EDU (Paul M. Aoki)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: What is the value of the Soviet ASW ship in Mideast situation?
Message-ID: <1990Aug22.025548.16740@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 22 Aug 90 02:55:48 GMT
References: <1990Aug12.214732.3320@cbnews.att.com>
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From: aoki@hermes.Berkeley.EDU (Paul M. Aoki)
terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) writes:
>roeber@eeyore.caltech.edu (Frederick G.M. Roeber) writes:
>>Among the forces
>>contributed, the Soviet Union has sent a command ship and an anti-submarine
>>ship.

It should be noted that the Soviets, like the US and UK, keep a CruDes
force in the PG/Arabian Sea region at all times.  The ships were 
undoubtedly there to begin with.  Big contribution ..

>>Could someone please describe to me the value of ASW in this situation?

One could equally well ask what value a SPRUANCE DD or O.H. PERRY FFG 
has in the Gulf.  Our nominal ASW platforms have significant ASUW
(e.g, Harpoon, Tomahawk anti-ship, medium-caliber naval guns) and 
strike warfare (Tomahawk land-attack) capabilities.  I haven't looked
closely at the photos of the Soviet ASW ship, but I imagine that it's
a UDALOY DD or SOVREMENNY DDG, either of which would be a formidable 
opponent for the PG/PGM/PTG forces of the Gulf.

>Anti-Submarine Ship is a Soviet type designation [...]
>They have Large and Small ASW ships.  They generally
>correspond to the Western designations of destroyer and cruiser.

Destroyer and frigate .. cruisers are AAW/ASUW platforms.  (Please
don't bring up the LAMPS and SQR-19 on the AEGIS cruisers.)

>I also think the large deck carriers are
>not called carriers for similar political reasons.

"Fleet air self-defense ship" or some such.  "Carriers" are 
offensive weapons used for the oppression of the Third World ..
they've been saying so for decades ..
--
Paul M. Aoki | aoki@postgres.Berkeley.EDU | "Nice girls don't explode."