designeraccd
10-09-2008, 21:37
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Return of the Battlecruiser?
In the press conference the other day where Russia announced it was sending a task force to Venezuela, there was apparently another tidbit of information announced that didn't make the rounds in the western media.
The report from Russia is that it was also announced was that the Project 1144 Kirov class nuclear battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov will be entering dry dock in October. There were news reports back in May in Russia reporting that the "active reactor zone" would be removed sometime this year, and in May the ship was discussed as possibly returning to service following a revision to a modernization schedule. That revision appears to be completed.
The modernization includes a nuclear reactor replacement, new computer systems, and the Granit missile system will be replaced with a new missile system, although no name was given regarding what missile system would be the replacement. The ship is expected to return to service in 2010.Commissioned on December 30, 1988, the ship has not spent much time at sea, and has in fact spent the last 9 years at the pier other than the brief period in 2005 when the ship had some work done on it, although it is unclear what that work was. Barely used, the ship will be 22 years old when it is expected to return to service. With new equipment, weapons, and propulsion systems Russia may have found a new flagship for its Black Sea Fleet, although more likely, the ship will become the Flagship of the Pacific Fleet.
Looks like all those Euros from energy sales from Russia to Western Europe are paying dividends for czar vlad's big plans............DFO
Return of the Battlecruiser?
In the press conference the other day where Russia announced it was sending a task force to Venezuela, there was apparently another tidbit of information announced that didn't make the rounds in the western media.
The report from Russia is that it was also announced was that the Project 1144 Kirov class nuclear battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov will be entering dry dock in October. There were news reports back in May in Russia reporting that the "active reactor zone" would be removed sometime this year, and in May the ship was discussed as possibly returning to service following a revision to a modernization schedule. That revision appears to be completed.
The modernization includes a nuclear reactor replacement, new computer systems, and the Granit missile system will be replaced with a new missile system, although no name was given regarding what missile system would be the replacement. The ship is expected to return to service in 2010.Commissioned on December 30, 1988, the ship has not spent much time at sea, and has in fact spent the last 9 years at the pier other than the brief period in 2005 when the ship had some work done on it, although it is unclear what that work was. Barely used, the ship will be 22 years old when it is expected to return to service. With new equipment, weapons, and propulsion systems Russia may have found a new flagship for its Black Sea Fleet, although more likely, the ship will become the Flagship of the Pacific Fleet.
Looks like all those Euros from energy sales from Russia to Western Europe are paying dividends for czar vlad's big plans............DFO