The main striking force of the Russian Navy is considered submarines, nuclear and diesel-electric. It is they who carry out difficult service far from their native shores, unobtrusively demonstrating the vulnerability of potential adversaries, from time to time intentionally letting themselves “pinpoint”. Emerging from the depths of the sea at the most unexpected moments, near the zones of maneuvers of foreign fleets, they show the commanders of their ships that, despite the invisibility, they still exist. In peacetime, this practice is considered normal, and in the event of war, the presence of submarines manifests itself differently. But submariners have their own tactics, and the movement of surface ships is almost impossible to hide, especially such as large aircraft carriers or cruisers with a nuclear power plant. It seems that these giants are not afraid of anyone.
Is there any need for this giant?
That is how the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great behaves at sea. Military Review, a site dedicated to domestic and foreign weapons systems, acquaints its visitors with many technical details of the design of this ship, its running characteristics, but refrains from analyzing its combat effectiveness in the event of a serious sea or global conflict. At the same time, the cruiser, founded in 1986, may no longer meet the requirements of the new millennium, it was designed without taking into account low visibility technologies and represents a large brightly shining target. It has advantages, but it also has a number of shortcomings, and the maintenance of such a military unit costs the Russian treasury a round sum annually. So does our fleet need the Peter the Great nuclear-powered cruiser, or is it better and cheaper to get along with traditional submarines, missile systems and naval aviation? How successfully will he be able to defend Russia's maritime borders in the event of special foreign policy circumstances? What are his rivals in the ocean?
These questions require detailed and detailed answers.
Series "Orlan"
In those days when the Soviet fleet was commanded by Admiral Gorshkov, the general ideology of maritime strategy was based on large ships, both surface and submarine. The indestructible power of the Soviet Navy was symbolized by numerous nuclear submarines and cruisers, bristling with launchers, radars and antennas. Diesel power plants narrowed the range of operational use of naval forces. To ensure the possibility of a visible presence in any region of the oceans should have been laid at the Baltic Plant "Yuri Andropov" (since 1998, "Peter the Great"). The nuclear cruiser was not built alone, despite the serious economic difficulties of the perestroika era, shipyards began a series of four ships of the 1144th project, collectively called the Orlan. Kirov, Frunze and Kalinin, also named after prominent figures of the Communist Party, became Andropov’s “brothers”. Further events that began to take place in the country showed that, setting such a large-scale task to rearm the naval surface forces, the country's leadership got a little excited. Currently, of the entire series, only one nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great is a combat-ready unit. What will happen to Admiral Lazarev (formerly Frunze) and Admiral Nakhimov (Kalinin) is already clear that they are undergoing modernization and will be operational by the end of the decade. The fate of "Admiral Ushakov" ("Kirov") is sad, the ship is waiting for recycling.
He cannot sneak up unnoticed
This ship is not just big. Only aircraft carriers are larger than it. It can be in autonomous navigation for years, making planned replacement of personnel and replenishing food supplies. The team consists of 727 sailors, foremen, midshipmen and officers, including 18 pilots and technical personnel serving the helicopters. Speed 32 knots. Displacement 26 thousand tons. It should be borne in mind that it is practically impossible to ensure the secrecy of its appearance in any region of the world's oceans. And the matter is not in sizes, or rather, not only in them. Passage through straits or canals disavows small-tonnage ships, not like the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great. News that a particular aircraft carrier, destroyer or frigate has sailed through Suez, the Bosphorus or the Dardanelles instantly disperses around the world. So what is the task of this giant, if its location is always known, if not from TV shows, then according to satellite observation?
Major goal
It’s clear that with the appearance of such a powerful ship off the coast, any likely adversary will be wary and announce a general alarm. The same will be the reaction of the commander of the naval forces, which for some reason will approach the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great. If such an event occurs in peacetime, then everything will end with the usual "exchange of courtesies", squadrons will politely curse their shock and defense systems, "make noise" with communications and disperse, "like ships in the sea." But in the event of war, things will go much more intense and dangerous. On a large target, the enemy will immediately open fire and do everything to let the cruiser sink to the bottom. How will Petro Veliky respond to launches of anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, airstrikes and other hostile actions? And will he be able to deliver a preemptive strike if necessary?
Yes. He has everything necessary for this.
Armament
It is unique not only in size. There are no such armed non-aircraft carriers in the world as Peter the Great. The nuclear cruiser has on board a huge arsenal that includes all possible means of fire destruction and protection against air attacks, underwater attacks, mine threats and other dangers. The "main caliber" are the Granite missiles, located in twenty launchers below the deck.
The attack of the flock of these shells is impossible to withstand, they have an integrated-autonomous control system. The flight is coordinated by a “leader”, who has risen above all other missiles, and in case of his defeat by enemy missile defense, an automatic “appointment” of a new leader occurs. In combination with radio interference and false objects, the Granite strike can be considered irresistible.
The S-300F air defense system (in the marine version) is supplemented by the “Dagger” and “Chestnut” air defense systems. These technical means protect the TARK from the effects of anti-ship missiles launched including from aircraft. Moreover, they are capable of hitting even ultra-precise laser-guided bombs.
The attack of torpedo and missile boats is also unsuccessful. In addition to this missile weaponry, there is also 130-caliber artillery capable of hitting at a distance of up to 22 kilometers. To combat the enemy submarines, the Peter the Great nuclear-powered heavy cruiser is equipped with ten Waterfall launchers with four dozen RGB-40 anti-submarine guided missiles, and Ka-27 helicopters — two of them — will help to find them. And that's not all.
In general, there are many weapons. Both barrage and offensive fire have something to lead from.
The ghost of the eighties?
However, all this does not mean at all that the Peter the Great TARK can be called an unsinkable ideal cruiser, against which the enemy is powerless. Such weapons simply do not exist, especially since the ship was designed for a long time, almost three decades ago. During this time, the concept of military shipbuilding changed, the silhouettes of warships became different, the unusual shape of the sea "Stells" appeared, the complex interweaving of antennas disappeared, the shapes were simplified, the lines of the contours became broken. To some arms experts, Peter the Great ( Project 1144 heavy nuclear missile cruiser ) seems like an archaic ghost of the seventies and eighties. There are a lot of resonant arrays, radars and communication antennas. And such experts cite the example of the American "Orly Burke" - the destroyer, built taking into account all modern requirements for stealth and information support.
American rivals
Yes, the American destroyer is striking in its ultra-modern look. It’s just some kind of transforming robot, it doesn’t have protruding parts, and the computing complex provides (according to Pentagon representatives) early detection and very quick operational decisions. There is concern about how successfully the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great can operate against the Aegis system, which Orly Burke type destroyers are equipped with.
But not everything is so sad. The fact is that the latest American ships were created on the basis of two main principles: the maximum integration of control systems and minimize costs.
Aegis System
The AN / SPY-1 radar station installed on the Orly Burke uses four phased arrays fixedly mounted on the superstructure as an antenna. The whole system is closed to a single processing center, which, of course, gives certain advantages in terms of noise immunity, but at the same time narrows the range of detection and tracking distances. This drawback is especially evident when it is necessary to repel the attacks of low-flying supersonic anti-ship missiles that Peter the Great possesses. The nuclear cruiser, due to its size, can carry many weapons, and its antennas located high provide early detection of even such inconspicuous objects as Orly Burke class ships (which cannot be called invisible anyway).
About the antennas of Peter the Great
Yes, there are many antennas, and it is because of them that Peter the Great is so clearly visible on the radar screens. The nuclear cruiser is equipped with three radar stations, each of which performs its own part of the work. "Sunrise" (MP-600), mounted on the foremast, performs a review function. Below, on the grotto, there is the Frigate M 2 radar (MP-750), it determines all three coordinates of the target. The Podkata antenna (MP-350) is installed on the foremast, it is capable of detecting low-flying targets - this is exactly the element that is lacking in the well-balanced chain of air defense equipment of the American Aegis system. The “tackle” works in a two-coordinate system and has a high scanning frequency in combination with a small elevation angle, which ensures the required speed. Thus, in spite of its visibility, the Peter the Great TARK has every chance of hitting a much more modern ship of a potential enemy, having brought down its entire arsenal of it. He will be able to detect the enemy in advance, and therefore, a sudden attack does not threaten him. He is also quite able to repulse missiles, for this he has everything he needs.
Prospects
History knows examples when warships served in the fleets for many decades. Solid hulls, good running and maneuvering qualities and a large displacement create the basis for the modernization of the vessel and carrying it out in accordance with the requirements of the current moment. There are all indications that the Peter the Great nuclear-powered missile cruiser, the technical characteristics of which, of course, can be called outstanding, will be operated for a long time to come. There are no analogues to it, even other similar ships with a nuclear power plant, such as Virginia or Long Beach, are significantly inferior to our flagship of the Northern Fleet in terms of displacement, and therefore in terms of modernization potential. Its power plant is also unique, which includes two fast neutron reactors and auxiliary steam boilers that increase power to 300 megawatts.
It is significant that this miracle of domestic shipbuilding bears the name of the creator of the Russian Fleet, who began this good deed with the construction of a modest boat.
Perhaps, decades will pass before the Navy nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great is decommissioned, which will be replaced by new ships of the third millennium.