Hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Military TV.
In this video, we are going to take a look at the list of 10 russian deadliest
warships ever built. In order to gain more insights, don’t go anywhere and stay with us!
Years of dangerous conflict during Cold War has given the Soviet Union and its successor the
Russian Federation the opportunity to build and fortify their towering naval forces, especially
following the Cuban Missile Crisis that saw the growth of naval investment made by the Soviets.
Another reason for the Kremlin to focus on modernizing its navy is no other because the
critical conflict zones that they have in Baltic region and surrounding area are naval in nature.
So now let’s see ten of the most dangerous Russian warships ever made!
1. Admiral Kuznetsov, the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
It is known that Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier Russia has, though this condition might
change in the near future as the country has lied the groundwork for its successor,
the “Lider-class”. Though Admiral Kuznetsov might lack in terms of capability compared to other
superior aircraft carrier, it still remains as a substantial threat for the competitors and also
as a projection of Russian naval power across the continent. Kuznetsov can host up to eighteen Su-33
fighters and approximately half a dozen MiG 29K’s, while expediting 420 Northern Fleet combat
missions in Syria. Admiral Kuznetsov is classified as “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” rather than
as an aircraft carrier due to its offensive capability in housing heavy armaments onboard.
2. Nastoychivyy, Sovremenny-class destroyer
Commissioned in December 1992 as one of the last destroyers in Sovremenny-class,
Nastoychivyy is noted as the flagship of Russia’s Baltic fleet. With the length of 156 meters and
standard displacement of 6,600 tons, it is not only equipped with the superior SS-N-22
“Sunburn” anti-ship missiles, Nastoychivyy is also accompanied by the anti-submarine
Neustrashimyy-class frigates in the 128th Surface ship Brigade. An important naval showpiece for the
Russian city of Kaliningrad, Nastoychivyy is an ambitious destroyer by far the largest to
be permanently stationed in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Fleet's regular and increasingly
ambitious military drills add to the Baltic Sea's continuous spiral of Russian-NATO naval tensions.
3. Moskva, Slava-class missile cruiser
Often confused due to the similarity of its name with other Moskva named helicopter carrier,
Moskva is a Slava-class missile cruiser. Constructed with the same “carrier killer” concept
as the Kirov class, Moskva which was commissioned in 1982 focused more on cost effectiveness. The
ground-attack capability of Moskva can be weaker when compared when compared with its counterparts,
however with sixteen of P-500 Bazalt anti-ship missiles and S-300F successfully established
Moskva as an impressive flagship of Russia’s Mediterranean fleet.
Moskva was known to be deployed from Latakia in 2015,
and was maintaining a key role in Russia’s endeavor to counter Turkish maritime
intervention into the Syrian Civil War during a strained period in Russia-Turkey relations.
4. Pyotr Velikiy, Kirov-class battlecruiser
Commissioned in April 1998, Pyotr Velikiy is the fourth Kirov-class battlecruiser of the Russian
Navy which was formerly named Yuri Andropov, after the former General Secretary of the
Communist Party. The ship’s name later changed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Velikiy is the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the fleet of Russian Navy in the arctic.
The designation of Velikiy to become battlecruiser has to do with the
objective of neutralizing American aircraft carriers. Because of this, Pyotr Velikiy is
complemented with various anti-ship armaments like the SS-N-19 “Shipwreck” missiles, which
twenty of it are hosted by Velikiy. Other significant installations for Velikiy include
sea-based variant of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, the S-300F.
5. Neustrashimyy-class frigates
Also being known as Soviet designation Project 11540 Yastreb, this class is a series of large
frigates construced initially for the Soviet Navy but currently in service with the Russian Navy.
Out of seven ships planned for the Soviet Navy, only two were successfully completed due to the
fall of the Soviet Union. Both of the frigates now in active service with the Russian Baltic Fleet.
The design of Neustrashimyy-class intended to make the frigates of this class becoming
anti-submarine warfare which follow the path of Krivak-class. A newly
designed Zvezda-1 integrated sonar system installed as the primary ASW
sensor on the ships. Neustrashimyy ships were constructed by Yantar Yard in Kaliningrad.
It has been deployed to Somalia coast in late September 2008 to fight piracy in the region. And
on 16 November 2008, the frigate prevented pirates from apprehending Saudi Arabian ship MV Rabih.
6. Krivak-class frigate
With NATO reporting name Krivak and Soviet designation Project 1135 Burevestnik,
the frigates of Kivak-class were initially designed to be the successor of the Riga-class.
Until the year 1977, the ships in the class were known to be large anti-submarine warfare vessels.
The designing began in the late 1950s and the first ship Bditelnyy was commissioned in 1970.
There was the total of 40 ships produced, with 32 ships used by the Soviet Navy
and 8 modified ships under subclass Krivak III were given to KGB Maritime Border Guard.
Krivak-class ships are famous for their unique features, which are the bow missile box, the stack
and the angled mast. The class is powered with gas turbines and armed with the SS-N-14 missiles.
7. Gepard-class frigate
Also known as Project 11661, Gepard is a class of frigates which were purposedly built to become the
successors to the earlier Koni-class frigates. The first unit of the class named Yastreb,
was launched in July 1993, after rounds of fitting out meant to be finished by late 1995,
but suspended due to lack of funds. Renamed as Tatarstan, this unit finally completed in 2002 and
subsequently became the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla, the Russian fleet for Caspian Sea.
The hull and superstructure of the Gepard-class were basically constructed with steel,
with substantial amount of aluminium-magnesium being used in the upper superstructure.
They are fitted with fin stabilizers and twin rudders, and are able to utilize either gas
turbines or diesel for propulsion in a combined diesel of gas (CODOG) configuration.
8. Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates
Admiral Gorshkov or which is known as Project 22350 is Russia's newest frigate class.
The ships were manufactured by the Severnaya Verf in Saint Petersburg and are a successor
to the Neustrashimyy and Krivak classes. The frigates of the Gorshkov class are designed to
operate in multithreaded environments and are equipped with long-range surface-to-surface
and surface-to-air missiles as well as the ability to attack multiple targets at once.
The class’s lead ship Admiral Gorshkov was commissioned in July 2018.
With length of 135 meters and displacement of 4,550 tons,
the production of ten vessels of this class has been contracted for delivery by 2027.
The Admiral Gorshkov-class ships have a new 130mm gun mount, a close-in weapon system (CIWS),
and eight SS-NX-26 Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles as armament. This missile is capable
of being launched against a group of navy surface ships as well as single vessels.
9. Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate
Based on the Talwar class, Admiral Grigorovich-class is built by Yantar
Shipyard in Kaliningrad not only for Russian Navy, but also Indian Navy.
Historically, Grigorovich was built based on Talwar class primarily due to recurring delays
of the production of Admiral Gorshkov and also because the Russian navy was
in the urgent need for new frigates which will enable them to modernize the Black Sea Fleet.
The lead ship of the class, Admiral Grigorovich, was set down on 18 December 2010 and commissioned
6 years later on 11 March 2016. Grigorovich-class frigates are known to be equipped with surface
search radar, fire control radar and also sonar for its sensors and processing systems.
10. Udaloy Class Anti-Submarine Destroyers
Russian designations Project 1155 Fregat, Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyers are
series of anti-submarine guided missile destroyers manufactured purposedly for the Soviet Navy,
with seven of which are presently active with the Russian Navy.
The name Udaloy comes from an archaic Russian adjective meaning bold or daring.
Built between 1980 and 1991, Udaloy complemented the Sovremenny-class destroyers in warfare
operations where anti-aircraft and anti-surface combats take place.
With the length of 163 meters, beam of 19.3 meters and standard displacement of 6,930
tons, Udaloy-class is equipped with 2-shaft combined gas turbine and gas turbine (COGAG),
MR-760MA Radar, and Horse Tail LF VDS sonar. In 2015, the Russian Navy announced that eight
Project 1155 ships will be enhanced and upgraded as part of the modernization program by 2022.