Posted on 07/25/2010 7:43:30 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Russia plans to upgrade 3 nuclear-powered cruisers by 2020 (Update 1)
Russia will upgrade and put on active duty three mothballed Soviet-era nuclear-powered missile cruisers by 2020, a high-ranking Navy official told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
Russia built four Kirov class nuclear-powered cruisers in 1974-1998. One of them, the Pyotr Veliky, is in active service as the flagship of the Northern Fleet.
"Cruisers Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Lazarev and Admiral Ushakov will be modernized and returned to the Russian Navy's combat force in 10 years," the official said, adding that their equipment and weapons will be fully modernized.
The Kirov class heavy cruisers are second in size only to aircraft carriers, and are similar in size to a World War I battleship.
The Admiral Ushakov (former Kirov) was commissioned in 1980 and suffered a reactor accident in 1990 while serving in the Mediterranean Sea. Repairs reportedly have never been carried out, due to lack of funds and the ensuing collapse the Soviet Union.
The Admiral Lazarev (former Frunze) was commissioned in 1984 and mothballed in 1998.
The Admiral Nakhimov (former Kalinin) was commissioned in 1988 and mothballed in 1999. The ship has been reportedly undergoing a major overhaul at the Severodvinsk Shipyard since 2005.
The Kirov class main weapons include 20 SS-N-19 Shipwreck missiles, designed to engage large surface targets, and air defense is provided by 12 SA-N-6 Grumble launchers with 96 missiles and 2 SA-N-4 Gecko with 40 missiles.
MOSCOW, July 25 (RIA Novosti)
We need $20 oil and quick.
Thanx for the post-bookmarked the site-very informative.
How would that Help stop these Russian Battlecruisers?
However, their size alone meant they could fit them with more missile launchers, gun and torpedos than any other combatant afloat.
The class of ship we had that even came close was the single-ship class USS Long Beach at 15,000 tons.
I believe these Russian cruisers are in the 20,000 ton class?
By the way, we have ZERO, ZIP, NADA nuke Cruisers today...and other than Amphib Carriers and CVNs we have nothing above the 10,000 ton Arleigh Burke class conventional "Cruisers".
It's a damn shame.
Correction: Those Kirov class nuke Cruisers are in the 25,000 ton arena.
The West is paying for its own destruction by allowing artificially OPEC inflated oil prices. The Commies and the Muslims are getting more powerful at our expense.
Why don’t we tell the Saudis to charge a fair markey price, or else we’ll just take the oil?
This is good news, in a way. Russia is unable to design and produce modern warships but must, at great expense, try to refit a handful of obsolete prestige cruisers. Moreover, I suspect that the Russian naval leadership knows that these vessels are unlikely to ever reach service again. The refit though will keep Russia’s vestigial naval manufacturing base ticking and will generate a nice new source of bribes from contractors.
Do these battle cruisers carry guns? Are they just missile launchers.
Point defense CIWS systems, and 100 or 130MM automatic guns fitted to a couple of the class, but they're first and foremost missile cruisers.
At least in their original design, the cruisers have a forward turret with either 100mm or 130mm (5.1 inch) guns and also carry close in air defense guns. Their main offensive power is missiles and torpedoes.
The same way that Russia folded in the 80’s when Reagan jawboned the Saudis into opening the spigot and sending oil to $10/barrel
ping
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