Modernized Kirov Class - The Kirov class, Project 1144 Orlan (Sea Eagle), is a class of nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers of the Soviet and Russian navies, the largest and heaviest warships (ie, not aircraft carriers or amphibious assault ships). . ) works in the world. Among modern warships, they are second only to large aircraft carriers, and resemble the warships of the First World War era. The ships are often referred to as cruisers by Western naval forces due to their size and general appearance.

The appearance of the Kirov class played a key role in the US Navy's introduction of the Iowa-class ships in the 1980s.

Modernized Kirov Class

Modernized Kirov Class

The Kirov-class hull design was also used for the Soviet SSV-33 Ural nuclear command and control ship.

Ticonderoga Class Cruiser

Originally built for the Soviet Navy, the class was the first of a series of four ships to be built, Admiral Ushakov, known as Kirov until 1992. The original plans called for the construction of five ships. The intention was to name the fifth ship of the Admiralty of the Soviet Union fleet Kuznetsov, also known as Zerzhinsky.

The lead ship of the class, Kirov, was laid down in June 1973 at the Baltic Lingrad Shipyard, launched on 27 December 1977 and commissioned on 30 December 1980. When it first appeared in 1981, NATO observers referred to it as BALCOM I (Baltic Combatant I). The Kirov suffered a reactor accident in 1990, during its second deployment, in the Mediterranean Sea. Renovations were never completed due to lack of funds and the changing political situation in the Soviet Union, and she was placed in reserve, where she was led by Admiral Ushakov in 1992.

Frunze, the second ship of the class, was commissioned in 1984. He was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. In 1992, she married Admiral Lazarev. The ship became redundant in 1994 and was commissioned four years later. On February 21, 2021, the Russian Armed Forces and the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation signed an agreement to decommission and decommission the nuclear-powered heavy cruiser. Admiral Lazarev left for the 30th ship on April 30, 2021. The shutdown must be completed by November 30, 2025.

Kalinin, now Admiral Nakhimov, became the third ship to land service in 1988. He was also assigned to the Northern Fleet. Rammed in 1992 by Admiral Nakhimov, she was decommissioned in 1999 and relaunched in 2005. She is being overhauled and modernized at the Severodvinsk Shipyard.

Admiral Nakhimov Class Cruiser

The construction of the fourth ship Yuri Andropov suffered many delays. Construction began in 1986 but was not commissioned until 1998. In 1992, he was named Petr Veliki (after Peter the Great).

In 1983, the SSV-33 Ural command and control ship was commissioned, although the ship was not commissioned until 1989. It used the basic design of the Kirov-class ships, but with a modified superstructure, the armature diff and it was intended to play a different role in the Soviet Navy. Ural was commissioned and built in 2001, due to high costs, and launched in 2010.

On March 23, 2004, the English press reported that the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroedov, stated that the Petro Veliki reactor was in a critical condition and could explode "at any time". It stems from internal politics within the Russian Navy.

Modernized Kirov Class

But it was later determined that the condition of the reactor cores of the two ships, the removal of nuclear fuel and the repair of the cores could be difficult, unannounced and dangerous. As a result, both ships were scrapped in 2021.

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By early 2022, only Peter the Great was active. Admiral Nakhimov's modernization is ongoing and was reported in 2021 to continue until "at least" 2023.

However, in early 2022, Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnychko said that the ship will be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2022. The modernization of Admiral Nakhimov and her sister ship is expected to be extensive, and Admiral Nakhimov will receive 174 vertical launch (VLS) tubes: 80 for surface combat, 94 for anti-aircraft, among other upgrades.

In early 2022, Sevmash CEO Admiral Nakhimov indicated that the weapon systems will include: Fort-M (NATO reporting name: SA-N-6 Grumble) and Pantsyr-M (SA-22 Greyhound) air defense systems and Package-NK and The answer is antisubmarine warfare. It is also said that the cruiser can be armed with up to 60 3M22 hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missiles.

The class was originally designed to counter US Navy submarines with SS-N-14 anti-submarine missiles, and later P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles to counter US carriers. The class was eventually to work alongside new nuclear powered aircraft for the global energy project, but these carriers never came to fruition.

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The main armament of the Kirov class is a 20-stage Granit P-700 (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) missile designed to engage large surface targets. Air defense is provided by twelve S-300F eight missiles with 96 missiles and twin Osa-MA batteries with 20 missiles. Peter the Great carries S-300FM missiles and is the only ballistic missile defense ship in the Russian Navy.

The ships have some differences in terms of protection and armament: the Kirov came with SS-N-14 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missiles, while later ships replaced them with 3K95 Kinzhal (Russian: Кинжал - dagger). missile systems (SAM). The daggerboard installation is actually a carryover from the old SS-N-14 mounting behind the blast shield for the bow-mounted RBU ASW missile. The Kirov and Frunze had eight 30 mm (1.18 in) AK-630 weapon systems, which were replaced by the Kortik air defense system on later ships.

Other armament is a 130 mm (5 in) automatic AK-130 gun system (except the Kirov which has two 100 mm (4) single guns instead), 10 21-inch torpedo/rocket tubes (533 mm) (capable of firing). Later on the ships ASW SS-N-15 missiles) and Udav-1 with 40 anti-submarine missiles and two RBU-1000 sextuple missiles.

Modernized Kirov Class

The Kirov (left) and Frunze (right) units show the differences in armament - the Kirov has a pair of 100mm guns, and two pairs of AK-630 CIWS on either side of the flight deck, the Frunze is a twin. 130 mm turrets and eight SA-N-9 VLS instead of CIWS mounts.

Russian Battlecruiser Kirov

Russia is developing a new anti-ship missile to arm the Kirovs, called the 3M22 Irkon, which can travel at hypersonic speeds of at least 620 mph (540 nmi; 1,000 km).

Kalinin's air port view marks the difference from the class-leading ship. During the Cold War, the Soviets built the Kirov, the largest and most powerful ship in the world after World War II, and it still holds that distinction today.

The Kirov, commonly referred to as a 'fighter', would be classed as a battleship by today's standards, with a very heavy attack capability, but would not be a battleship by conventional standards, as it lacked the armament and brutality of a traditional battleship to stand up, fight and sustain damage. It's closer to a PT boat than a cruiser - a heavy hitter that can't land a hit on its own.

Let's take a look at some of the features of the Kirov class and, ultimately, how these features apply to today's naval force structure and ship design.

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Mission. Any discussion should begin with an understanding of its mission. What was his mission? What is its purpose? No one knows what the Soviets had in mind when they built the ship, but for the most part its mission was to sink US carriers. For this, it has 20 SS-N-19 missiles. These are 15,000-pound, 33-foot-long, Mach 1.6-2.5, ship-killing 1,650-pound warheads.

Apparently, the Kirovs planned to work together. Four Kirov-class cruisers, working together and capable of producing an 80-round salvo, would be a formidable and unstoppable force, especially on a day when the Aegis was spread out. The first Aegis ship, the USS Ticonderoga, entered service a few years after the Kirov.

As an anti-aircraft fighter, the Kirovs would have no choice but to meet American aircraft, so the Soviets gave the Kirovs a significant anti-aircraft capability, with about 160 SAMs at various ranges, as well as defensive weapons. The Kirovs are well protected!

Modernized Kirov Class

Given their mission - to sink US carriers - and their incredible level of AAW protection, the Kirovs were similar to WWII ships in that they were built to stand and fight. While WWII ships relied on heavy armor protection, the Kirovs relied on massive AAW protection to avoid collisions. On the other hand, the Kirovs didn't have any big weapon defenses that I knew of, and if they got a hit, they would be quickly dismissed. Here we see a difference in design philosophy between a WWII designer who believes in war weapons and a modern ship designer who believes in AAW protection.

Design A Westernized Kirov Class Battlecruiser?

The Soviets might have thought

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