The nuclear warship Pyotr Velikiy (Pyotr Velikiy) of the Russian Navy is approaching retirement. This ship, which needs refurbishment, seems likely to be decommissioned due to unexpected modernization costs of its sister ship, Admiral Nakhimov, and military budget constraints.
History of the Pyotr Velikiy Warship
The Pyotr Velikiy is one of several Russian warships designed at the end of the Soviet era, with its delivery delayed significantly due to issues in the 1990s. Construction of this ship began in 1986, it was launched in 1989, and it entered service in early 1998 after 12 years of efforts. Pyotr Velikiy belongs to the Kirov class and has a nuclear power capability, weighing approximately 26,000 tons.
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Modernization Costs and Current Status
Kirov-class warships are designed to carry 20 P-700 Granit anti-ship missile launchers, a missile weighing 15,000 pounds and 30 feet long, capable of supersonic flight and carrying a nuclear warhead. These ships also have surface-to-air missiles and enough space for over 200 missiles. However, four Kirov-class ships have been in service since the 1980s, and their age is clearly evident. Two of them have been decommissioned and are scheduled for removal.
The Admiral Nakhimov, which has undergone a deep and multi-year modernization, has spent 28 years in various states of repair or inactivity and has only returned to service this year. The cost and time of Nakhimov's modernization, along with the poor condition of Pyotr Velikiy, have led the Russian Navy Advisory Committee to recommend against attempting to replicate this process.
Vladimir Maltsev, head of the Nationwide Fleet Support Movement (DPF), has stated that the commission has made an initial decision, but the final decision has not yet been announced: "The Pyotr Velikiy cannot be refurbished. This ship has a degree of wear and tear." Currently, Pyotr Velikiy is mainly used as extra space for personnel deployment at the Russian Navy base in Severomorsk, and its condition is reported to be significantly worse than that of Nakhimov before its modernization began in the 2010s.
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