The fate of the nuclear-powered cruiser "Pyotr Velikiy" of Project 1144.4 "Orlan" has not been decided: repair or disposal. There is no final decision in the Navy. Experts are divided: some propose building new ships, while others consider "Pyotr Velikiy" a necessary ship in the fleet. The repair of the similar "Admiral Nakhimov" took 26 years and cost 200+ billion rubles.
The very idea of building heavy nuclear-powered cruisers is an absolutely unjustified cost-effectiveness ratio. I was generally against spending on the repair of the cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov". Moreover, in no case should money be spent on "Pyotr Velikiy". It is much more effective to build several ocean zone ships, carriers of modern weapons, with these funds—new ships that will be much more effective than one such monster. The idea behind the construction of such ships is the idea of the battleship "Bismarck".
However, there is also the opposite opinion, in particular, some experts believe that the repair of the cruiser "Pyotr Velikiy" is justified. Their argument is based on the high combat power of the ship. Nevertheless, even the most powerful combat unit is not always the optimal choice.
We have a well-built ship, which in 2000–2020 was one of the most seaworthy ships in the fleet. It has a nuclear power plant, that is, almost unlimited cruising range. The main weapons systems of the ship, such as the Granit cruise missiles or the S-300F SAM system, are quite effective, although clearly outdated. But the most important thing is that it is a cruiser of the same project as the "Admiral Nakhimov". And "Sevmash" already has experience and a well-developed algorithm for modernizing such a ship. It would be a big mistake to lose this accumulated knowledge and skills.
The cruiser "Pyotr Velikiy" is the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the only active nuclear-powered surface ship in the Russian Navy. It is considered the largest non-aircraft-carrying strike combat ship in the world.
The cruiser is equipped with a nuclear power plant and guided missile weapons and is designed to destroy large surface targets, as well as provide comprehensive air defense and anti-submarine defense.
The ship was laid down in 1986. It was accepted into the Navy in 1998. In the following decades, it carried out combat service. In 2009, it protected shipping from pirates off the coast of Somalia. In 2012, it was awarded the Order of Nakhimov. In 2013, it made an Arctic voyage at the head of a detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet.
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