The heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov of the 11442m Orlan project will become the most powerful surface non-aircraft warship in the world after modernization, Forbes claims.
The publication of the American edition says that the modernization of the Russian ship is almost complete. According to Forbes, the Admiral Nakhimov is comparable in size to American battleships of the Iowa type, but much more modern “in concept and armament”.
“With the latest weapons and sensors, it may become the most powerful surface warship in the world,” the publication writes.
Forbes notes that the giant cruisers built by the end of the cold war project 11442M “Orlan “” eclipsed any other surface warship.” According to the publication, such cruisers are “armed with an incredible Arsenal of weapons”, in particular, the “killers” of aircraft carriers-supersonic missiles P-700 “Granit”.
“Due to the size and complexity of these vessels, they are incredibly expensive to maintain and operate,” the newspaper writes, noting that the Russian Navy currently has two cruisers of the 11442m Orlan project (“Peter the Great” and”Admiral Nakhimov”).
Referring to the Russian media, Forbes notes that the upgraded Admiral Nakhimov will receive “ultra-modern” hypersonic missiles “Zircon”, which “become a priority system for the resurgent Russian Navy”, and the main air defense system of the ship will be upgraded to the “Fort-M” system, which “is a more advanced version of the [anti-aircraft missile system] S-300”.
In July, RIA Novosti wrote that “Admiral Nakhimov” project 1144 “Orlan” after a deep modernization will be able to contain the NATO fleet alone.
In October 2019, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin said that the nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, currently under repair, would not affect the balance of power between the Russian Navy and the US Navy if commissioned. “The US has 11 carrier strike groups. We have none, ” the military observer said.
According to open data, the Admiral Nakhimov cruiser being modernized by Sevmash should be handed over to the Russian Navy in 2022.