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Description

Country of originSoviet UnionEntered service1980Crew727 menSea enduranceLimited only by suppliesDimensions and displacementLength252 mBeam28.5 mDraught10 mDisplacement, standard24 300 tonsDisplacement, full load26 500 tonsPropulsion and speedSpeed30 knotsRangeUnlimitedPropulsion2 x KN-3 pressurized water reactors and two steam boilers providing 140 000 shp to two shaftsAircraftHelicopters3 - 5 Ka-27ArmamentArtillery2 x 130 mm DP guns, 6 x Kashtan combined 30 mm AK-630/SA-N-11 Grison gun/missile CIWSMissiles20 x P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) anti-ship, one Rastrub (SS-N-14 Silex) twin ASW launcher with 16 missiles, 12 x eight-round rotary launchers for Fort (SA-N-6 Grumble) surface-to-air missiles, 2 x Kinshal (SA-N-9 Gauntlet) octuple launchers with 128 missiles, 2 x twin Osa-M (SA-N-4 Gecko) with 40 air-to-air missilesTorpedoes10 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, firing torpedoes or Viyuga (SS-N-15 Starfish) anti-submarine missiles or 10 x Vodopad (SS-N-16 Stallion) torpedo-carrying missilesOther1 x 12-barrel RBU 6000 ASW rocket launcher, 2 x six-barrel RBU 1000 ASW rocket launchers

   In December 1977 the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad launched the largest warship other than aircraft carriers built by any nation since World War II. Commissioned into Soviet fleet service in 1980s Kirov was assigned the Raketnyy Kreyser, or missile cruiser designation by the Soviets and a CGN designation by the Americans. Five vessels were laid down between 1974 and 1989, but only four were completed. The first ships were named after heroes of the Bolshevik revolution, but with the end of the Communist state all have been renamed. These nuclear-powered ships were almost as large as the famous US Iowa class battleships. Though the Soviet warships were considerably more modern in terms of design, armament and sensors.
   Planned initially to find and engage enemy missile submarines, it became a much more capable warship when it was equipped with the long-range P-700 Granit (Western reporting name SS-N-19 or Shipwreck) anti-ship missiles. In appearance and firepower Kirov is more like a battlecruiser than a normal missile cruiser.
   Its powerplant is unique in being a combined nuclear and steam system. Two reactors are coupled to oil-fired boilers that superheat the steam produced in the reactor plant to increase the power output available during high-speed running.
   Most of the weapons systems are located forward of the massive superstructure. The stern is used to house machinery and a below-deck helicopter hangar, which accesses the flight deck via a lift.
   Up to five Ka-27 helicopters can be accommodated in the hangar, though a normal complement is three. The helicopters are a mix of anti-submarine warfare and missile-guidance/electronic intelligence variants. The latter provide target data for the main battery of 20 P-70 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles, located below decks forward in 45° angled launch tubes. These missiles have a range of 625 km and carry a 750 kg high explosive warhead or nuclear warhead with a blast yield of 0.5 Megaton.
   Other weapons and systems vary from ship to ship. Area air defense is provided by vertical launch S-300F Fort (SA-N-6) long-range surface-to-air missiles, housed in a total of 96 launchers forward of the P-700 Granit bins. Close-in air defense is handled by a mix of Osa-M (SA-N-4 or Gecko) missiles 30 mm Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS) and 130 mm Dual-Purpose (DP) guns. The main anti-submarine warfare armament is a reloadable twin Rastrub (SS-N-14 or Silex) anti-submarine missile-launcher with 16 missiles and associated variable-depth low-frequency sonar aft and a low-frequency bow sonar. Later ships carry 10 Vodopad (SS-N-16 or Stallion) torpedo-carrying missiles. The Kirov class battlecruisers have the world's largest missile battery, at 352 missiles.
   The sheer size of the ships mean that they have plenty of space for a command, control and communications (C³) outfit, and could serve as effective fleet flagships. One of their intended missions was to act as a task group command escort to the aircraft carriers being planned by the Soviet navy.
   Because of size and complexity these warships were incredibly expensive to build and to maintain.
   Admiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov) was inactive since the early 1990s following a reactor accident, and has been cannibalized to provide parts.
   Admiral Lazarev (ex-Frunze) is also inactive and laid up. It has been out of service for more than a decade, and is destined to be scrapped. It is unlikely that their modernization will occur due to funding problems and poor state of this ship.
   Admiral Nakhimov (ex-Kalinin) was refitted in 1994, but did not go to sea from 1997. It is undergoing repairs and complete refit since 1999. It was planned that this cruiser will join the fleet in 2018-2019. However these plans were delayed and the Admiral Nakhivmov will join the fleet not earlier than 2022. This warship is being armed with the latest weapons and sensors, as its original weapon systems are antiquated today. It is being fitted with modernized Fort-M long-range air defense system. Its P-700 Granit launchers are being replaced by universal vertical launch cells for a mix of Kalibr-NK land attack cruise missiles (range 2 500 km), P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles (range 300-500 km), Tsyrkon hypersonic anti-ship and land attack missiles (range at least 500 km), and 91RTE2 anti-submarine missiles (missile drops torpedo 50 km away). A total of 72 missiles of different types could be carried in the universal cells. More modern CIWS systems and anti-submarine armament is being fitted. Once relaunched it will arguably be the most powerful surface combatant in the world.
   Petr Veliky was launched in 1989, but was not completed until 1998. It was the most modern warship of the class, fitted with comparatively modern systems. Currently only the Petr Veliky is in active service. It is the Russian Navy's flagship of the arctic-based Northern Fleet. Russian Navy struggles to maintain the two remaining cruisers.
   Lack of funds also meant that the fifth ship, the Kuznetsov, was cancelled in 1990 and scrapped before launch, the name being assigned to an aircraft carrier.

NameLaid downLaunchedCommissionedStatusAdmiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov)197419771980
laid up
Admiral Lazarev (ex-Frunze)197819811984
laid up
Admiral Nakhimov (ex-Kalinin)198319861988
undergoing repairs since 1999
Petr Veliky (ex-Yuri Andropov)198619961998
active, in service
Kuznetsov (ex-Dzerzhinsky)-?-
planned, but never completed

Description

Country of originSoviet UnionEntered service1980Crew727 menSea enduranceLimited only by suppliesDimensions and displacementLength252 mBeam28.5 mDraught10 mDisplacement, standard24 300 tonsDisplacement, full load26 500 tonsPropulsion and speedSpeed30 knotsRangeUnlimitedPropulsion2 x KN-3 pressurized water reactors and two steam boilers providing 140 000 shp to two shaftsAircraftHelicopters3 - 5 Ka-27ArmamentArtillery2 x 130 mm DP guns, 6 x Kashtan combined 30 mm AK-630/SA-N-11 Grison gun/missile CIWSMissiles20 x P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) anti-ship, one Rastrub (SS-N-14 Silex) twin ASW launcher with 16 missiles, 12 x eight-round rotary launchers for Fort (SA-N-6 Grumble) surface-to-air missiles, 2 x Kinshal (SA-N-9 Gauntlet) octuple launchers with 128 missiles, 2 x twin Osa-M (SA-N-4 Gecko) with 40 air-to-air missilesTorpedoes10 x 533 mm torpedo tubes, firing torpedoes or Viyuga (SS-N-15 Starfish) anti-submarine missiles or 10 x Vodopad (SS-N-16 Stallion) torpedo-carrying missilesOther1 x 12-barrel RBU 6000 ASW rocket launcher, 2 x six-barrel RBU 1000 ASW rocket launchers

   In December 1977 the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad launched the largest warship other than aircraft carriers built by any nation since World War II. Commissioned into Soviet fleet service in 1980s Kirov was assigned the Raketnyy Kreyser, or missile cruiser designation by the Soviets and a CGN designation by the Americans. Five vessels were laid down between 1974 and 1989, but only four were completed. The first ships were named after heroes of the Bolshevik revolution, but with the end of the Communist state all have been renamed. These nuclear-powered ships were almost as large as the famous US Iowa class battleships. Though the Soviet warships were considerably more modern in terms of design, armament and sensors.
   Planned initially to find and engage enemy missile submarines, it became a much more capable warship when it was equipped with the long-range P-700 Granit (Western reporting name SS-N-19 or Shipwreck) anti-ship missiles. In appearance and firepower Kirov is more like a battlecruiser than a normal missile cruiser.
   Its powerplant is unique in being a combined nuclear and steam system. Two reactors are coupled to oil-fired boilers that superheat the steam produced in the reactor plant to increase the power output available during high-speed running.
   Most of the weapons systems are located forward of the massive superstructure. The stern is used to house machinery and a below-deck helicopter hangar, which accesses the flight deck via a lift.
   Up to five Ka-27 helicopters can be accommodated in the hangar, though a normal complement is three. The helicopters are a mix of anti-submarine warfare and missile-guidance/electronic intelligence variants. The latter provide target data for the main battery of 20 P-70 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles, located below decks forward in 45° angled launch tubes. These missiles have a range of 625 km and carry a 750 kg high explosive warhead or nuclear warhead with a blast yield of 0.5 Megaton.
   Other weapons and systems vary from ship to ship. Area air defense is provided by vertical launch S-300F Fort (SA-N-6) long-range surface-to-air missiles, housed in a total of 96 launchers forward of the P-700 Granit bins. Close-in air defense is handled by a mix of Osa-M (SA-N-4 or Gecko) missiles 30 mm Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS) and 130 mm Dual-Purpose (DP) guns. The main anti-submarine warfare armament is a reloadable twin Rastrub (SS-N-14 or Silex) anti-submarine missile-launcher with 16 missiles and associated variable-depth low-frequency sonar aft and a low-frequency bow sonar. Later ships carry 10 Vodopad (SS-N-16 or Stallion) torpedo-carrying missiles. The Kirov class battlecruisers have the world's largest missile battery, at 352 missiles.
   The sheer size of the ships mean that they have plenty of space for a command, control and communications (C³) outfit, and could serve as effective fleet flagships. One of their intended missions was to act as a task group command escort to the aircraft carriers being planned by the Soviet navy.
   Because of size and complexity these warships were incredibly expensive to build and to maintain.
   Admiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov) was inactive since the early 1990s following a reactor accident, and has been cannibalized to provide parts.
   Admiral Lazarev (ex-Frunze) is also inactive and laid up. It has been out of service for more than a decade, and is destined to be scrapped. It is unlikely that their modernization will occur due to funding problems and poor state of this ship.
   Admiral Nakhimov (ex-Kalinin) was refitted in 1994, but did not go to sea from 1997. It is undergoing repairs and complete refit since 1999. It was planned that this cruiser will join the fleet in 2018-2019. However these plans were delayed and the Admiral Nakhivmov will join the fleet not earlier than 2022. This warship is being armed with the latest weapons and sensors, as its original weapon systems are antiquated today. It is being fitted with modernized Fort-M long-range air defense system. Its P-700 Granit launchers are being replaced by universal vertical launch cells for a mix of Kalibr-NK land attack cruise missiles (range 2 500 km), P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles (range 300-500 km), Tsyrkon hypersonic anti-ship and land attack missiles (range at least 500 km), and 91RTE2 anti-submarine missiles (missile drops torpedo 50 km away). A total of 72 missiles of different types could be carried in the universal cells. More modern CIWS systems and anti-submarine armament is being fitted. Once relaunched it will arguably be the most powerful surface combatant in the world.
   Petr Veliky was launched in 1989, but was not completed until 1998. It was the most modern warship of the class, fitted with comparatively modern systems. Currently only the Petr Veliky is in active service. It is the Russian Navy's flagship of the arctic-based Northern Fleet. Russian Navy struggles to maintain the two remaining cruisers.
   Lack of funds also meant that the fifth ship, the Kuznetsov, was cancelled in 1990 and scrapped before launch, the name being assigned to an aircraft carrier.

NameLaid downLaunchedCommissionedStatusAdmiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov)197419771980
laid up
Admiral Lazarev (ex-Frunze)197819811984
laid up
Admiral Nakhimov (ex-Kalinin)198319861988
undergoing repairs since 1999
Petr Veliky (ex-Yuri Andropov)198619961998
active, in service
Kuznetsov (ex-Dzerzhinsky)-?-
planned, but never completed