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Soviet/Russian aircraft carriers
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AK-130 twin 130-millimeter cannon
AK-100 100-millimeter cannon
AK-630 30-millimeter cannon
533-millimeter torpedo launcher
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During the 1970s Soviet designers came to the conclusion that it would be too expensive to build large multirole warships, so
the future units should be smaller specialized warships. Two projects for destroyers were developed: one specialized in
antisubmarine warfare (Udaloy class) and other specialized in antiaircraft warfare (Sovremennyy class), with both types having the
mandatory antiship capability. In 2016, the Udaloy and Sovremennyy classes still represent the most modern destroyers in service with
the Russian Navy, in expectancy of the stealth types that could be introduced towards 2025.
Udaloy class
Thirteen units of the Udaloy class were completed since 1980 and eight or nine of them remain in service in 2016. True is that these ships
are quite large for being destroyers and they are sometimes referred as cruisers. In the last decades of the 20th century, the
differences between destroyers and cruisers became less and less obvious, acquiring a merely political criterion, as we can clearly
see in the Ticonderoga and Arleigh Burke classes of the United States Navy.
The ships of the Udaloy class have an overall length of 163 meters, a beam of 19.3 meters and a draught of 6.2 meters, with a
standard displacement of 6930 tonnes that reaches 7570 tonnes at full load. The propulsion plant comprises four gas turbines actuating
on two shafts with a COGAG arrangement, developing a total output of 120000 shaft horsepower, which would allow these ships to navigate
at a maximum speed of 35 knots. Operational range reaches 5000 nautical miles (9260 kilometers) cruising at 20 knots and about half that
range if sustaining such a high speed as 32 knots. The complement is around 300, comparatively reduced in respect of other Soviet warships.
The antisubmarine armament includes eight missiles SS-N-14 "Silex" stored in two large quadruple containers, two RBU-6000 rocket launchers
and two quadruple 533-millimeter torpedo launchers. These weapon systems operate in conjunction with a hull-mounted sonar and a
variable-depth sonar, and are "crowned" by two Kamov Ka-27 antisubmarine helicopters.
The antiaircraft and general-purpose armament includes the point-defense missile SA-N-9 "Gauntlet", stored in eight octuple vertical
launchers, two AK-100 100-millimeter dual-purpose cannons in single mountings and four AK-630 CIWS 30-millimeter cannons. Close-in weapon
systems are abundant and show the zeal put into the survivability of these antisubmarine units.
The original Udaloy class had limited capabilities against ships and aircraft and, over time, it was clear that a more balanced design in the armament
would be recommendable. The new design was named Udaloy II and it not only balanced the armament but also upgraded it considerably. The following photographs
show the Admiral Chabanenko, the only ship of the Udaloy II class which was completed.
The new class had the following modifications in the armament: the SS-N-14 "Silex" was replaced
by the SS-N-22 "Sunburn", able to fly thrice faster; the RBU-6000 was replaced by the RBU-Udav, a system that deploys a decoy to confuse enemy torpedoes;
the two AK-100 mountings were replaced by one AK-130 130-millimeter twin mounting; the four AK-630 CIWS were replaced by two Kashtan CIWS, which
comprise a twin 30-millimeter cannon and eight surface-to-air missiles SA-N-11; and in addition to 533-millimeter torpedoes the Udaloy II can launch as
well the special antisubmarine missile SS-N-15.
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