MOSCOW, January 15-RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. New missiles, modern onboard equipment, unique combat capabilities — the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov of Project 1144 Orlan will replace Peter the Great as the flagship of the Russian Navy. This is expected to happen in 2022. About how the modernized ship will strengthen the fleet, — in the material of RIA Novosti.
First rank
Project 1144 Orlan cruisers are the largest warships in the world after aircraft carriers. Displacement-25.8 thousand tons, length-250 meters, width-28.5 meters, crew-760 people.
Russia has two pennants of this type — the second, "Peter the Great", operates as part of the Northern Fleet, but will go for modernization as soon as the Nakhimov enters service. Both, in fact, are heavily armed naval platforms capable of hitting any target. The standard set includes 20 launchers of anti-ship missiles P-700 "Granit", anti-aircraft missile systems "Osa-M", "Dagger" and long-range S-300F "Fort", anti-submarine missile torpedoes "Metel" and "Waterfall", jet bombs and automatic double-barreled gun AK-130.
Missile cruiser " Admiral Nakhimov"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Yuri Cover
Nuclear power plant, autonomy-two months, speed-31 knots. The range of travel is practically unlimited. The cruisers can operate in the Far North and are capable of ensuring Russia's military presence in the Arctic region, which many analysts consider a potential battleground for natural resources in the near future.
However, all ships are gradually becoming obsolete. If in the late 80's-early 90's "Eagles" could resist any opponent, but today the situation has changed. And since the construction of large warships of the first rank in Russia is still difficult, the Ministry of Defense decided to modernize those that are, and first of all give them new weapons.
Air Defense Platform
"Admiral Nakhimov" was sent for repair back in 1999, but in fact work on the cruiser began only in 2013, when serious money finally went to the defense industry. By 2015, the company "Sevmash" in Severodvinsk removed the old equipment from the ship and carried out a defect of the hull. It was planned to complete the modernization by 2018, but the deadlines were repeatedly shifted to the right. Repairs were adjusted along the way, introducing more and more new products into the on-board equipment and weapons.
So, back in May last year, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said that the heavy cruiser was one of the first to receive hypersonic missiles "Zircon". They fly to the target nine times faster than the speed of sound, which makes them invulnerable to any air defense system. The range is about 1000 kilometers. Thus, the "Zircon" is almost an order of magnitude superior to the American subsonic anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" (they have 130 kilometers).
"Eagles" have always been distinguished by a powerful ship's air defense system. Before the modernization, Nakhimov had a long-range S-300F Fort air defense system, now it will receive a naval version of the more advanced S-400. This complex, which fires anti-aircraft ammunition of various types, is capable of intercepting stealth aircraft and other aerial targets, including cruise and ballistic ones. The 40N6 missile system strikes objects at a distance of up to 400 kilometers. It is assumed that the "Admiral Nakhimov" will place 96 launch silos of the S-400 air defense system, which will make this ship one of the most protected from air attacks in the world.
Eighty cells
In addition, the short-range air defense system "Dirk "will be changed to more modern" Pantsir-ME", and anti-aircraft missiles" Osa — M "- to the new system"Redoubt". However, to the greatest extent, the modernization will affect the shock complexes. In addition to the "Zircons", "Admiral Nakhimov" will be armed with anti-ship missiles P-800 "Onyx" and cruise missiles "Caliber" with a range of up to 2500 kilometers. All of them will be launched from vertical launchers ZS14 80 cells, for the installation of which had to be removed from the ship complex P-700 "Granite".
Heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Oleg Lastochkin
"Granites" at one time were an outstanding weapon — a speed of Mach three, a range of 625 kilometers. A five-hundred-kiloton nuclear warhead can destroy even an aircraft carrier with a single hit. But the dimensions are large — ten meters in length and a weight of about seven tons. The new anti-ship missiles have a less powerful warhead, but they are faster and more accurate.
The cruiser's anti-submarine armament will also be updated. "Admiral Nakhimov" will receive a complex "Package-NK", which protects against torpedoes and submarines at short distances. This system has two types of ammunition: MTT thermal torpedoes and M-15 jet anti-torpedoes. The first strikes submarines at depths of up to 600 meters at a distance of up to 20 kilometers. The second intercepts torpedoes attacking the ship at a range of up to 1.4 kilometers and a depth of up to 800 meters. "Paket-NK" is as automated as possible, independently detects and classifies the target, determines the movement parameters and gives the torpedo or anti-torpedo accurate target designation. Both ammunition are quite fast, the speed is 50 knots (92 kilometers per hour).
Anti-submarine complex "Paket-NK" on the corvette " Perfect"
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Andrey Stanavov
Of course, the electronic "stuffing" of the cruiser will be replaced with the most modern, which will seriously increase the situational awareness of the ship's crew and significantly expand the possibilities of using onboard weapons.
In addition, the cruiser will be provided with advanced communication and navigation systems, an electronic warfare system, as well as an air group of three modernized Ka-27M deck helicopters. These machines will significantly facilitate the crew's detection of submarines of a possible enemy.
