Russia’s Admiral Nakhimov Is the ‘Death Star’ Battlecruiser

Key Points and Summary – After more than 25 years in deep refit, Russia’s 28,000-ton Kirov-class cruiser Admiral Nakhimov is back at sea for factory trials from the White Sea.

-Now running on restarted reactors, the ship reportedly fields ~176 VLS cells: 80 for Kalibr, Oniks, and hypersonic Tsirkon, plus 96 for area air defense (S-300 Fort-M or possibly S-400), backed by six Pantsir-M, Paket-NK/Otvet ASW weapons, and a new 130mm AK-192M gun.

-Moscow hails a 30-year service life, but critics note Russia’s thin naval aviation and recent Black Sea setbacks. Kept near home for A2/AD it has value; as blue-water power projection, survivability looks doubtful.

The Russian Admiral Nakhimov, Back To Sea, 28 Years Later

The Russian shipbuilder Sevmash has completed the first sea trials of the Russian Navy’s nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, following a period of more than 25 years in deep refurbishment.

The trials covered the operation of the ship’s propulsion system, as well as several other critical systems. Additional testing will be undertaken in the Barents Sea according to schedule, the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed.

The 28,000-ton warship, part of the Soviet-era Kirov-class known in Russia as Project 1144.2 Orlan, began factory sea trials this week in the White Sea after years of delays.

State news agency TASS, citing shipbuilding officials, said the vessel’s two nuclear reactors were restarted earlier this year and the ship is now moving under its own power.

Meet The Russian Cruiser Admiral Nakhimov

The Russian Navy laid the keel for the Nakhimov in the spring of 1983 at Baltiysky Naval Shipyard in Leningrad. She was commissioned on December 30, 1988, and joined the fleet on April 21, 1989, after her shakedown cruise.

Following an extended Mediterranean cruise in 1991, the ship was rarely seen at sea after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was retired by 1996. Russia announced several times that it was being reactivated for service, but those dates announced came and went, with no work being done.

However, in 2023, the ship finally began a slow modernization. State-owned media reported that fuel loading and work on the power supply had begun and that ship testing would begin later in the year.

The Admiral Nakhimov Is One Massive Ship

The massive battle cruiser is 827 feet long and weighs 28,000 tons. It was designed to defeat American and NATO carrier strike groups. But like the American battleships of long ago, the Nakhimov is best utilized as a floating museum rather than a combat ship.

The modernization efforts have dragged on for nearly two decades, and the Russians insist on continuing with this effort when Western sanctions already cripple their economy due to their invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Navy’s attempt to breathe new life into an old Cold War relic appears to be misguided. The modern maritime battlefield has evolved since then, and advancements in surveillance platforms and precision-guided munitions have rendered ships like the Nakhimov vulnerable.

The Russian Navy’s Soviet Naval Doctrine, which was designed for the Nakhimov during the Cold War, is outdated.

However,  as Caleb Larson wrote, “their usefulness was contingent on Soviet naval aviation to provide air cover — a dependency that has become glaringly insufficient as time goes on and in light of Russia’s minimal naval aviation capability.

Missiles Galore For The “Death Star” Armament

Mikhail Budnichenko, the director general of the Sevmash shipyard, states the Russian narrative with the usual Russian hyperbole. He claims, “After being transferred to the fleet, Admiral Nakhimov will serve for at least 30 years.” Others state that the Nakhimov will be the equivalent of a modern-day “Death Star.”

According to open-source reports, Admiral Nakhimov’s new armament will consist of a universal vertical-launch system capable of launching P-800 Oniks (SS-N-26 ‘Strobile’) anti-ship missiles, missiles of the Kalibr family, and scramjet-powered 3M22 Tsirkon (SS-N-33) hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.

Naval News reported that the RFS Admiral Nakhimov has undergone a severe upgrade with new weapon systems and sensors, making it one of the most powerful and capable vessels in the Russian Navy. The vessel reportedly has over 176 vertical launch cells, capable of firing a wide array of anti-ship and air defense missiles.

The cruiser reportedly has 10 universal shipborne firing systems (USFS), each capable of housing eight missiles. This results in 80 launch cells reserved for launching Russia’s most modern missiles, such as the subsonic Kalibr cruise missile, the supersonic Oniks anti-ship missile, and the hypersonic Tsirkon cruise missiles. To make room for these launch cells, the 20 angled Granit anti-ship missiles were removed.

An additional 96 launch cells are reserved for surface-to-air missiles to be used for air defense. It is unclear what missiles are installed on the cruiser, with some reports stating that the cruiser operates the S-300 Fort-M air defense systems, while other sources indicate that the S-400 air defense system is installed. Additional air defense systems for close to medium range engagement include six Pantsir-M air defense systems.  The vessel is reportedly also equipped with the Paket-NK and Otvet anti-submarine and torpedo weapon systems.

The 130mm AK-130 dual-purpose naval gun has been replaced by a modern 130mm AK-192M naval gun.

How Will Russia Provide Air Cover For the Admiral Nakhimov?

How the Russians decide to utilize the Nakhimov and its massive firepower is a big question of how and if it could survive a shooting war with the US and/or NATO.

If Moscow keeps the massive ship close to shore in Russian waters to protect its shores as a defensive weapon in an A2/AD strategy, the Nakhimov could prove its worth. But using the Admiral Nakhimov as a blue water power projection tool is a fool’s errand.

How the Russians plan to get the Nakhimov close enough to carrier strike groups to launch the missiles is another story. During the Cold War, the Soviet Navy operated a fleet of naval aviation aircraft, totaling nearly 1,000 aircraft, divided into four fleet air forces.

Their available aircraft today are numbered in the dozens due to the fighting in Ukraine. Nakhimov’s survival today would be dependent on her remaining close to shore in Russia.

Even in the Black Sea, the Russian Navy has seen its ships either sunk or chased out of the sea by Ukraine’s “mosquito fleet.” How would it survive a shooting war with the US and NATO?

Russia still harbors delusions of grandeur, as evidenced by its plans to build an aircraft carrier comparable in size to a US Nimitz-class carrier. Would the Nakhimov survive against dedicated surface, aviation, and submarine attacks by US/NATO vessels without a dedicated carrier aviation umbrella?

We all know what happened to the “Death Star” in Star Wars. The Nakhimov wouldn’t survive a day in a war with the US/NATO.

About Author: Steve Balestrieri 

Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.

More Military

The U.S. Military’s Big X-44 Manta Stealth Fighter ‘Mistake’ Still Stings

China’s New Fujian Aircraft Carrier Looks Close to Fully Operational

The Air Force Could Soon Have 32 Additional F-22 Combat Ready ‘Raptor’ Stealth Fighters

China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon vs. Russia’s Su-35 Flanker Fighter: Who Wins Summed Up in 4 Words