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| Russia Prepares Testing of the Admiral Nakhimov Cruiser With a Load of 478 Missiles |
Moscow - Russia is preparing to test the cruiser or battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov to deal with enemy threats that have begun to enter Finnish waters. The nuclear-powered Kirov-class cruiser conducted open water tests carrying 478 missiles.
The Admiral Nakhimov ship since 1997 is undergoing repairs and upgrading of new and better weapons. Actually, the ship measuring 252 meters long and 28.5 meters wide is slated to re-enter Russian Navy service around 2022.
However, Russia postponed it and will only start testing the Admiral Nakhimov in 2023 because it is experiencing some serious problems. It was rumored that the problem was related to a crack in the nuclear reactor and several key elements that were kept secret. If all these tests go well and according to plan the Admiral Nakhimov ship is truly ready to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2024.
One of the main changes after the repair of the Admiral Nakhimov cruiser was its armament. "The performance trials of the ship are projected to take place at the end of 2023. The ship after commissioning will continue to complete missions as part of the Northern Fleet," Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu was quoted as saying by TASS.
Currently, Admiral Nakhimov's armament is the P-700 Granit anti-ship missile. However, the ten 3S14 vertical launch installations of the M version mean that the Admiral Nakhimov will be equipped with an additional 80 missiles of various modifications and models. The P-700 Granit missile has a maximum range of 625 kilometers when fired from a height. If launched from a cruiser its capability is only 200 km and it is capable of evading enemy anti-aircraft defenses.
It was assumed that the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov would receive the Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic missile. This information has not been confirmed, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has also provided information on the number of Zircon missiles carried on the Admiral Nakhimov cruiser.
The Admiral Nakhimov cruiser will also be equipped with Otvet anti-submarine missiles. This missile is capable of neutralizing enemy submarines at a distance of up to 100 kilometers. As for the defense of warships, most likely the Admiral Nakhimov, which has a displacement of 28,000 tons, is integrated with the S-300F air defense system and a modification of the S-400. The two naval versions of the anti-aircraft missiles have active seekers. However, it should be noted that this cruiser will receive a very large number of missiles.
Russian media said there were as many as 478 missiles of various types and purposes carried by the Admiral Nakhimov cruise ship. This includes dozens of Dagger (Kinzal) missiles, as well as the 9M96 family of interceptors, as well as missiles from the warhead of the naval version of the Pantsir-M which should be in the range of 200 units.