According to a video taken by Russian netizens, recently, the long-silent Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruiser, Admiral Nasimov, has been launched for final outfitting work. This move of the Russian Navy is also to dispel the rumors that the Admiral Nasimov has been abandoned.
The real sea monster
Comparing with the surrounding buildings, we can see how huge the Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruisers are. At first glance, it looks a bit like an aircraft carrier under construction. At that time, the Western media and even the military once defined Kirov as a battlecruiser. In those days, even if it did not look at its military equipment and only looked at its appearance, it also earned the Soviet Union a lot of limelight and face. Its ammunition capacity of up to 500 rounds of missiles has also been given the title of "Arsenal Ship" by the outside world.
Hypersonic missile on board
The Russian Navy was originally scheduled to complete the modification in 2022. Since the start of the modification in 2014, there has been no news during the period. news. Judging from the current public status, the completion of the renovation in 2022 should not be a problem. Due to the serious failure of its nuclear reactor and main engine during its voyage in 1997, the improvement plan also included the installation of a new nuclear reactor and steam turbine design.
In the weapon configuration, the Kirov class will also undergo a major upgrade. The original "granite" anti-ship missile launcher will be cancelled. will be equipped with "caliber" cruise missile and "zircon" hypersonic missile launcher . The corresponding radar software and hardware, and new air defense systems will also be added. Installed. Because of the many improvements, the number of missiles equipped will not reach the "freakish" 500 rounds, but the total number of missiles cannot be less than 200 rounds.
Both "zircon" and "caliber" are currently the most advanced weapons open to Russia, and Russian officials claim that there is currently no weapon capable of intercepting them. Naturally, the price of such a modification is also high. It is reported that the cost of the modification of Admiral Nasimov is at least 1 billion US dollars.
was reborn under the "St. Andrew's Banner"
From this improvement, it can be seen that Russia wants to keep the only two Kirov-class "arsenal" "Ship" to be reused. According to the Kirov-class design concept of the year, is almost designed to single out the entire US aircraft carrier battle group with one ship. Although this concept is quite backward now, under the circumstances of the Russian economic downturn, such a large ship can still be refurbished for another 20 years. After installing hypersonic anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles, Kirov class can still become the absolute main force in the large ships of the Russian Navy.
The Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruiser has a full-load displacement of nearly 27,000 tons. It is currently the world's largest active surface combat ship except for aircraft carriers. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Russian shipbuilding industry has faced problems such as lack of technology. Building decent new frigates and destroyers has become a problem.
In fact, Russia currently has four Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruisers, but with the exception of Peter the Great in active service and Admiral Nasimov who is being converted, the remaining two will be dismantled before 2021. The Russian Navy is also very clear that maintaining four such sea monsters is not only expensive, but the cost performance is not so high for service use. In addition, the era of the big ship bombardment has long passed. If the Navy of fails to form a system and continue to develop in a single line, it will fall into a deep pit again.
Edit: 北海
