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The heavy nuclear-powered nuclear-powered battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov has taken to waters for trials after repairs and a major upgrade, a source in the domestic shipbuilding industry told TASS on August 18.
Admiral Nakhimov has been under repairs since 1999. Real work on the battlecruiser, including the integration of new weapon systems, has been carried out since 2013. Earlier in the year, the 28,000-ton warship’s two nuclear reactors went back online.
“The Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser has taken to the sea for shipbuilders’ sea trials,” the source said.
The source told the news agency that the first stage of testing will take place in the White Sea. After that, the trials will proceed in the Barents Sea for several months.
Admiral Nakhimov’s upgrade is centered around a plan to install 174 vertical launch cells, which would provide it with more than any other warship or submarine in the world.
78 of the launch cells were reportedly assigned for cruise missiles, including the subsonic Kalibr, the supersonic Oniks, and the hypersonic Zircon.
The other 96 cells were intended to be loaded with missiles for the S-300FM Fort system, the naval version of the S-300 long-range air defense system. Some reports suggest that missiles from the more advanced S-400 will be incorporated in the battlecruiser’s air defense system.
Admiral Nakhimov was also equipped with six or eight Pantsir-M close-in weapon systems, the naval version of the Pantsir-S short-range air defense system.
In addition, the original AK-130 130 mm dual-purpose gun has been replaced with a more modern AK-192M gun in the same caliber.
The return of Admiral Nakhimov will be a major boost for the Russian Navy, especially when it comes to the ability to conduct operations in deep waters far away from the country. In fact, the warship is expected to become the future flagship of the Navy.
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