One of the most important developments recorded in recent days, through Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) such as para-state media, was the confirmation that the nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov has returned to sea as part of its modernization program. The update on the status of the ship, a 28,000-ton giant belonging to Project 1144, is no small matter, as it had been out of service since the late 1990s. However, the start of sea trials, as well as tests of other systems installed on the unit, has also generated a whole series of doubts, as well as certainties, about the scope of this upgrade.
In this sense, it should be noted that both Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Lazarev are no longer in service, awaiting dismantling and the disposal of radioactive materials, with the complications posed by their nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, Pyotr Velikiy, the other surviving unit of the Kirov class, is expected to be decommissioned soon by the Russian Navy.
Returning to the present status of Admiral Nakhimov, as noted, the ship had not sailed since at least 1997, when it entered the Sevmash facilities in the city of Severodvinsk, on the shores of the White Sea. However, maintenance, recovery, and modernization work would not begin until 2014, extending for more than a decade before the recent sea trials began.
Focusing on the Nakhimov’s upgrade program, which has its complexities—even for Western shipyards, with the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring of the Royal Navy being a sufficient example, having been out of service for at least three thousand days as part of regeneration efforts—one of its main objectives was the significant expansion of its vertical launch missile system, which would now total 174 tubes or cells to house a wide variety of anti-surface and anti-aircraft missiles.
By comparison, the Nakhimov’s 174 launch tubes surpass their Western and Chinese counterparts currently in service. To highlight this, Type 55 destroyers have a VLS system of 112 cells, while the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke Flight III and Zumwalt destroyers have 96 and 80, respectively. In further comparison, the Ticonderoga-class cruisers, which are being progressively decommissioned, have 122 cells.
This core of upgrades, complemented by other sensor systems and defensive weaponry, allows the nuclear cruiser to be designated as belonging to the Project 1144.2M class. Thus, of the 174 cells, 78 would house some of the most modern cruise and hypersonic missiles employed by the Russian Navy, such as the subsonic Kalibr, supersonic Oniks, and hypersonic Zircon; the latter, to date, having as their only naval launch platform the modernized Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates.
Meanwhile, the remaining 96 cells would be used for the full range of anti-air missile systems, where lies the first major uncertainty regarding the Nakhimov’s modernization program, as reports vary and there is no official statement or visual confirmation of the missile type employed. Some sources indicate it would be equipped with S-300FM Fort missiles—a naval derivative of the S-300 land-based air defense system—while others point to the integration of a new variant of the modern S-400 system, which would provide the ship with ballistic missile defense capability.
On the side of certainty, images captured in recent days show the presence of new point-defense systems, specifically the naval variant of the Pantsir-M system. In addition, the replacement of the Soviet-era dual AK-130 130mm gun system with the more modern AK-192M, of the same caliber, stands out.
There are also doubts regarding the installation of new radar, sensor, fire control, and combat management systems that were reportedly incorporated, without being able to verify with certainty what changes have actually been undertaken in these systems.
Finally, with the reactivation of its nuclear propulsion systems, the Nakhimov and its crew have taken an important step in restoring significant combat capabilities for the Russian Navy, which, as observed, is advancing with a plan to retire several of its most important surface combatants, in order to concentrate its efforts on modernizing its ballistic missile and attack submarine fleets, as well as more advanced and versatile surface platforms. This latter point refers to the possible retirement of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the Pyotr Velikiy, making the Nakhimov the only cruiser of its class and the only nuclear-powered cruiser in service in the world.
Photo credits to their respective owners.
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