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Monday, June 03, 2019

The Red Sports Cars of the Russian Fleet

Will the Russians scrap their Kirov class capital ships to save money? I hope not.

This would be smart so I don't know if the Russians will carry it out:

In April 2019 Russia decided, as many expected, to scrap two of its four 28,000 ton nuclear powered Kirov class battlecruisers. ...

At this point no more than two, and probably only one Kirov will get [a weapons] upgrade. Given the growing budget problems the navy is having and the need to build new SSBN (nuclear ballistic missile carrying subs) and more frigates and corvettes to defend the vast coastline of Russia, the last Kirovs become everyone’s solution to tight budgets.

Scrapping those nuclear-powered ships would be smart because Russia needs a fleet to protect their long coast and to protect coastal bastions to protect their sea-based SSBN nuclear deterrent.

But Russia might not do it because the Kirovs would look spectacular sailing with super carriers, no?