The Heavy Nuclear-Powered Guided-Missile Cruiser Pyotr Velikiy DSND Mayo Large Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship Admiral Kharlamov The heavy nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser of the Kirov class, project 1144, was designed and built by the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. It is intended to destroy large surface ships and to protect friendly ships from an airborne or submerged adversary.
All in all, there were four project 1144 and 1144.2 ships built. The fifth cruiser, the Dzerzhinsky, was dismantled while still in dry dock.
The Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) became an active part of the sea-going forces in 1995.
It is equipped with 20 Granit (Granite) long-range anti-ship missiles. While airborne, the missiles exchange target data. To hamper interception and achieve better target acquisition, the lead missile will follow a higher-altitude path, with the others flying low above the sea surface. If the leader gets intercepted, another missile will pop up automatically in its place.
The cruiser mounts the S-300F Fort air-defense system with 12 launchers and 96 missiles. There is also the Kinzhal (Dagger) self-contained ship air-defense system designed to protect the cruiser from anti-ship missiles, aircraft and ships.
The artillery is made up of an AK-130 coaxial 130-mm system, which can fire up to the maximum range of 22 km at 90 rounds a minute. The ship also carries Kortik (Dirk) quick-firing automatic systems.
The Kortik (Kashtan) quick-firing system is of modular design and includes two command and six fighting modules. The command module determines a threat and transmits the data to a fighting module, which then tracks the target, makes the necessary computations, and engages the target with missiles and cannon fire. Its cannon can shoot as many as 10,000 rounds a minute.
To provide for anti-submarine defense, there are three Ka-27PL or Ka-25RT helicopters, the Vodopad-NK (Waterfall) anti-submarine missile system, and the Udav (Boa) missile and bomb system.
The 140,000 HP nuclear power plant has two 300MW reactors and two auxiliary steam boilers. The ship’s maximum speed is about 30 knots, or 17 knots if propelled by steam.
It can stay out of dock for 60 days.
