Posted on 02/07/2007 6:43:00 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Russia, Ukraine to Sell Soviet Missile Cruiser
Russia and Ukraine will sell a missile cruiser constructed in time of the former Soviet Union, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Construction of Admiral Lobov cruiser of Project 1164 was launched in 1984 at Nikolaev shipyard but stalled at the final stage (the 90-percent readiness) in late 1980s due to the sharp reduction in military costs.
The cruiser was renamed to Ukraina after 1992. The government of Ukraine first intended to complete construction to have the cruiser in its own Navy but thought better afterwards.
Todays plans are that Russia and Ukraine will jointly complete construction, as most of the cruisers equipment is produced in Russia, and look for a foreign buyer India or China most probably.
Ukrainas full displacement is 11,500 tons, its length is 186.4 meters, the beam is 20.8 meters, the draft 8.4 meters. It has the sailing rate of 32 knots and cruising endurance of 7,400 miles. The cruisers of Project 1164 are armed with Bazalt or Vulkan heavy missiles. Russia has three similar cruisers in the fleet.
I want one, but I gather the slip fee would be enormous.
Ebay?
That's a carrier killer. Only reason for that ship to exist.
Why doesn't the US buy it? Wouldn't it be cool to own a Soviet Cruiser?
We should see how much it would cost for us to buy it as-is.
Folks,enjoy these brochures!!!
TYPE 1164 "SLAVA" CLASS
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/fleet/russian/1164.htm
http://home19.inet.tele.dk/airwing/ships/moskva.htm
It is,provided it gets first shot or it is dead meat.
What are the odds that Iran is the intended buyer?
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1164.htm
It fires these badboys
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/ss-n-12.htm
SS-N-12 Sandbox is a Russian supersonic speed cruise missile with a range of 550 km carrying a payload of 1,000 kg. While no photographs of the Sandbox missile (4K80) have been released, drawings believed to originate with intelligence sources do permit a description of the missile. It has a cylindrical body whose front is slim with a sharply pointed nose. Two-thirds of the way along it bulges before tapering towards the rear. The missile is powered by a turbo-jet and there is a small air intake about halfway along the body. The missile is believed to use a solid propellant booster to clear the launcher and enter the cruising phase. There are two short, swept-back wings which are believed to be folded when the missile is in its launcher. A triangular vertical stabilizer is at the top of the missile behind the wings and there is another on the underside at the tail. Two short, swept-back fins are located at the rear of the missile forward of the rear stabilizer.
The missile features command or inertial guidance with the option of mid-course updates. There is believed to be an active radar seeker for the terminal phase. The payload consisted of either a 1000 kg high explosive warhead or a 350 kT nuclear device, but the latter have now been removed. For Over-The-Horizon (OTH) targeting aircraft may also be used. These include the Tu-95 Bear D, the Ka-25 Hormone B and the Ka-27 Helix B with Big Bulge I/J-band radar.
The P-350 Bazalt [industrial code 4K-77] was the successor to the P-35 Bazalt, which was started in 1963 and subsequently cancelled. It evolved into the P-500 Bazalt [industrial code 4K-80] which was the production version of the original P-350 Bazalt. Development work for the SS-N-12 Sandbox began in the mid-1960s probably as part of the Eighth Five Year Plan (1966-1970), was apparently completed in 1973. Production was probably authorized as part of the ninth Five Year Plan (1971-1976). Some 500 missiles were produced but production has now ceased.
Developed to replace the SS-N-3 Shaddock anti- ship missile, it was initially deployed on the aircraft carrier Kiev in May 1975. The missile was later retrofitted into the Echo II and Juliet class submarines during the 1980s, replacing the SS-N-3. The Juliet class is designated Cruise Missile Submarines in Soviet terminology.
The Slava-class cruisers carry an advanced version with an improved sophisticated guidance system, an autopilot that can be programmed for mid-course maneuvers, and an enhanced engine. The P-700 Granat [SSN-19 Shipwreck] was developed as a more successful turbojet alternative to the SSN-12 Sandbox, from which it was derived.
Given the looks, it's not exactly what I would call "Stealthy". It's not like they are going to sneak up on anybody with the radar signature this thing obviously produces. I doubt they'd be able to get a shot off. I vote for dead meat......
I really don't think even India & China would show real interest in this ships when they are building their own major combatants.The construction of Slava class ships is reported to be shoddy,coming as it is when the USSR was going down & most of it's armaments are obsolete.Most customers would insist on newer vertically launched anti-ship/anti-air weapons & better sensors.So the costs would jack up with that.
I bet the sellers would jack up the price knowing Uncle Sugar wants to buy it - then it would have to spend 2 or3 years in the yard being converted to US Navy standards ... it would probably cost too much!
All the more reason to buy it, if only to turn it into an artificial reef somewhere. It's cheaper to buy it than to replace a carrier, down the road.
Yup, it fire its 350kt tipped supersonic missiles, then it get turned into an artificial reef.
Slim and none. Iran doesn't have the know-how to operate it and they know it. It'll probably wind up in China.
First shot as in the Soviet Union launching a first strike on NATO forces or China unloading on Taiwan's navy in a pre-emptive strike.It's not stealthy but those Sandbox missiles do go a long way & the Taiwan straits are not exactly long.If the Chinese or any other buyer can modify the cluttered deck by adding newer weapons like the Vertically launched Yakhont missile & removing the ungainly 130 mm guns,it's RCS will be reduced as well.
Seeing as how this thing can fire off a missile from 500 km away and get a kill, that is an awful lot of ocean to search, even for something as big and ugly as this.
Well if those missiles do damage,the ship has more than done it's share of work.
Well it would be a floating radar reflector in the part of the world Iran is-if anything it would be a liability for them as they would have to divert their meagre submarine fleet to protect it.They are rather focussing on smaller ships like corvettes & attack boats armed with missiles in addition to modernising their subs to potentially block the straits of Hormuz if need be.
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