The ship's long-term repairs are almost complete, and it may soon return to the Navy.
The heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov is due to sail for sea trials in the near future. Recently, the completion of many years of repair and modernization of the ship was announced. The military department promises that after commissioning it will become the most powerful surface ship of the Russian fleet. Experts note that this unparalleled combat unit is necessary for the Navy.
Admiral Nakhimov is preparing to return to service
The heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov will sail in the near future. A source familiar with the situation told Izvestia that the ship was supposed to go on trials on August 9-10, but for unknown reasons the dates were postponed somewhat. The cruiser will be released in August and early September.
At the end of July, Andrey Kostin, the head of VTB and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), informed the president that the Admiral Nakhimov's repairs had been completed and that it was being tested. According to him, the ship may be commissioned into the Russian Navy in the near future.
Admiral Nakhimov Heavy nuclear missile cruiser
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Oleg Lastochkin
In August last year, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, said that the Admiral Nakhimov was scheduled to go to sea for factory sea trials in the fall of 2024, and the transfer of the ship to the Navy was planned for 2025. However, the ship did not set sail at that time, Izvestia reported .
Currently, no country in the world has an analogue of the Admiral Nakhimov nuclear-powered cruiser, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"The return of such a ship to the fleet is not a quick process," he noted. — Sea trials are just the first step. At this stage, the cruiser will gain momentum and start the reactor. This will be followed by factory tests, where the operation of all equipment will be checked. After that, state tests will begin, during which long-range missile systems, an air defense system, aviation, as well as rescue equipment and all weapons will be tested. Only after completing all the checks will the ship change the national flag to St. Andrew's.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov
Image source: iz.ru
Vasily Dandykin recalled that the cruiser was repaired back in the last century — in 1999. Until 1992, he was named Kalinin. The expert noted that the ship's launch was postponed several times, but now everything is likely to go according to plan.
— Today, Admiral Nakhimov is the most powerful surface combat platform in the world, — said Vasily Dandykin. — This is the largest surface ship, which is often called an atomic battleship. Its displacement is about 26 thousand tons, its length is 250 m, and its crew is 744 people," Vasily Dandykin specified.
As the military expert explained, the cruiser is now fully upgraded, including new electronic stuffing. There is a possibility that it will be equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, as well as surface and aerial drones.
Launch of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Admiral Nakhimov is preparing to replace the heavy nuclear—powered missile cruiser Peter the Great, the fate of which has not yet been determined - the decision on repair and operation has not yet been made, Rear Admiral of the reserve, Candidate of Military Sciences Mikhail Chekmasov told Izvestia.
—Admiral Nakhimov is a very serious ship with powerful weapons, designed for operations in the ocean zone," the expert noted. — The ships of this project were originally intended to combat aircraft carrier strike formations of the United States Navy. They were part of the formations of the Northern Fleet, forming groups to counter the enemy's naval strike forces. The potential of the cruiser is huge, so I don't think its main purpose will change — it will remain the same.
Missile cruisers of the 1144 Orlan project
The Orlan Project 1144 series of heavy nuclear-powered missile cruisers was laid down at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1973. Nakhimov (then Kalinin) joined the Navy in 1988, made the last long transition in 1997, and since 1999 it has been under repair.
In total, four Orlans were built for the Soviet and Russian Navies: Admiral Ushakov (originally Kirov), Admiral Lazarev, Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great. Currently, there is only one ship of this project in service, the Peter the Great. It is part of the Northern Fleet.
Heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
The previous Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, stated that upon completion of all work, the Russian Navy would receive a ship equipped with powerful strike weapons, the most modern anti-aircraft missile and anti-submarine systems.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said that the Admiral Nakhimov should become the most powerful ship in the Russian navy. It is planned to install Fort-M and Pantsir-M air defense systems, as well as Paket-NK and Otvet anti-submarine weapons.
Pantsir-M air defense system
Image source: Photo: TASS/Vitaly Nevar
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that the changes primarily affected the Nakhimov's missile deck and superstructures. The updated Orlan received universal naval rifle complexes (UCCS), which, depending on the tasks being solved, can be equipped with missiles of various types — Kalibr, Onyx and Zircon. New electronics have been installed on the cruiser, in particular modern radars and digital communication systems, which involves replacing the antenna system. The ship also received a powerful on-board computer.
The Nakhimov is armed with an Ak-130 universal artillery system with a rate of fire from 20 to 86 rounds per minute. Its paired 130-mm artillery mount allows firing at sea and coastal targets at a distance of up to 25 km. The ship can carry three Ka-27, Ka-29 or Ka-31 helicopters on board. It has mine-torpedo and anti-submarine weapons, as well as multiple launch rocket systems.
How the deadlines for the delivery of Admiral Nakhimov were postponed
Initially, in accordance with the agreement between Sevmash and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the ship was supposed to return to the fleet in 2018. But in April 2017, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Vladimir Korolev, announced that the cruiser would be transferred to the fleet in 2020. And after the completion of the repair and modernization, it was postponed to 2021.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lvov
Image Source: iz.ru
Then Alexey Rakhmanov, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, announced that the ship would be transferred to the Navy in 2022. During the Army-2023 MVTF, Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko said that Nakhimov would enter sea trials in May 2024. According to a TASS source quoted in 2023, the cost of repairing and modernizing Admiral Nakhimov has almost doubled since the start of work on it and exceeded 200 billion rubles.
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| The nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov. |
| Source: iz.ru |
Roman Kretsul
Julia Leonova
