The Russians recently launched the largest ice breaker ever.
Wanna bet they think ice isn’t going to be thinner in the future?
Russia has launched the third and final Project 22220 LK-60YA-class nuclear-powered icebreaker at the Baltic Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, Russia on May 25. the Ural With a length of 173 (567 feet) meters and a width of 34 (111.5 feet) meters, the 33,000-ton class of icebreakers is the largest of its kind ever constructed. Each vessel (3) is equipped with a RITM-200 nuclear propulsion plant, which comprises two reactors of 175 megawatt enabling a top speed of 22 knots (41 kilometers per hour, 25.3 mph).
Russia’s current icebreaker fleet consists of 40 vessels with 11 new ships planned or under construction. Out of the 40, around 27 are ocean-going icebreakers, some of which are nuclear-powered. The Russian government has also plans to build two more Project 22220 icebreakers in addition to the three currently under construction.
In 20117, the Russian Ministry of Defense commissioned the 6,000-ton Project 21180 diesel-electric icebreaker Ilya Muromets, the first icebreaker built for the Russian Navy in forty years. Russia has also been working on armed Project 23550 Ice-class patrol ships.
The 7,000-ton Ice-class Ivan Papanin, laid down in 2017, will reportedly be armed with a 76-millimeter AK-176MA naval gun in a turret and carry up to eight containerized 3M-54 Kalibr supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles. https://thediplomat.com/2019/05/russia-launches-new-nuclear-powered-icebreaker/
Th US currently has one (1) working heavy ice breaker - but not in the same class as the Russian ships - the 3 "heavy" breakers under construction are not a match but they will be armed with an Aegis armament system - what exactly is not yet finalized.