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MILITARY WATCH
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Naval
Russia’s Ambitious Shkval Nuclear Powered Destroyer Program Isn’t Dead Yet
July-5th-2020
Following reports at the beginning of the year that Russia’s highly ambitious program to develop a new class of nuclear powered heavy destroyer, the Shkval, had been terminated, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov announced in the final week of June that the company was ready to begin serial production of the warships. This indicates that Russian shipyards can now accommodate larger destroyer-sized ships, despite having laid down none for the Russian Navy since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that all necessary technologies for the design have already been developed. Rakhmanov made the statement at a press conference held at Interfax and dedicated to Shipbuilder’s Day, although he expressed uncertainty regarding whether the military would indeed place an order for the costly new vessels. Also known as the Lider Class destroyer, the Shkval’s use of a nuclear propulsion system and its considerable size means that operational costs are likely to be high, which with the Russian defence budget contracting may not be feasible. The design shows a clear orientation towards long range power projection and blue water operations, similarly to the Soviet Navy’s Kirov Class battlecruisers two of which will be refurbished for the Russian Navy and rearmed with new vertical launch cells and sensors by the middle of the decade.
Russian Navy Kirov Class Battlecruiser
According to Rakhmanov, the Shkval program could provide the Russian Navy with up to six destroyers, although he also noted that orders were unlikely to materialise before 2022. Ongoing economic difficulties in Russia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic could delay this further. A possible alternative could be the development of a conventionally powered variant of the Skhval to reduce costs, although this would reduce its endurance, its ability to sustain high speeds and its ability to integrate energy intensive weapons in future such as electromagnetic railguns. The warship's displacement is estimated at 14-15,000 tons, making it one of the heaviest destroyers in the world alongside the Chinese Type 055 Class and American Zumwalt Class ships.
With Russia’s willingness to invest in an aircraft carrier program beyond light amphibious carriers highly questionable, the Shkval has been highlighted as a potential alternative - with a number of analysts noting that the evolution of cruise missile technologies could make a heavy missile destroyer a much more formidable asset for power projection and fulfil many of the same roles more cost effectively. The Shkval will reportedly deploy more firepower than any other surface combatant including the refurbished Kirov Class cruisers and the Chineses Type 055 Class destroyers, integrating over 150 vertical launch cells - according to some reports possibly close to 200. The ships’ armaments would notably include a navalised variant of the S-400 air defence system currently being integrated onto the Kirov Class cruisers, as well as Zicron hypersonic anti ship cruise missiles which would provide a considerable qualitative advantage in long range engagements. The cost of these state-of-the-art missiles is expected to add considerably to the cost of the warships themselves however, and leaves the program’s future highly uncertain.
ShkvalLiderRussian NavyRussian MilitaryRussian Military ModernisationAlexei RakhmanovUnited Shipbuilding CorporationKirov ClassZicronS-400S-400FRussian Carrier ProgramEM RailgunHypersonic WeaponHypersonic Missile
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/a...lear-powered-destroyer-program-isn-t-dead-yet
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Naval
Russia’s Ambitious Shkval Nuclear Powered Destroyer Program Isn’t Dead Yet
July-5th-2020
Following reports at the beginning of the year that Russia’s highly ambitious program to develop a new class of nuclear powered heavy destroyer, the Shkval, had been terminated, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Alexei Rakhmanov announced in the final week of June that the company was ready to begin serial production of the warships. This indicates that Russian shipyards can now accommodate larger destroyer-sized ships, despite having laid down none for the Russian Navy since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that all necessary technologies for the design have already been developed. Rakhmanov made the statement at a press conference held at Interfax and dedicated to Shipbuilder’s Day, although he expressed uncertainty regarding whether the military would indeed place an order for the costly new vessels. Also known as the Lider Class destroyer, the Shkval’s use of a nuclear propulsion system and its considerable size means that operational costs are likely to be high, which with the Russian defence budget contracting may not be feasible. The design shows a clear orientation towards long range power projection and blue water operations, similarly to the Soviet Navy’s Kirov Class battlecruisers two of which will be refurbished for the Russian Navy and rearmed with new vertical launch cells and sensors by the middle of the decade.
Russian Navy Kirov Class Battlecruiser
According to Rakhmanov, the Shkval program could provide the Russian Navy with up to six destroyers, although he also noted that orders were unlikely to materialise before 2022. Ongoing economic difficulties in Russia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic could delay this further. A possible alternative could be the development of a conventionally powered variant of the Skhval to reduce costs, although this would reduce its endurance, its ability to sustain high speeds and its ability to integrate energy intensive weapons in future such as electromagnetic railguns. The warship's displacement is estimated at 14-15,000 tons, making it one of the heaviest destroyers in the world alongside the Chinese Type 055 Class and American Zumwalt Class ships.
With Russia’s willingness to invest in an aircraft carrier program beyond light amphibious carriers highly questionable, the Shkval has been highlighted as a potential alternative - with a number of analysts noting that the evolution of cruise missile technologies could make a heavy missile destroyer a much more formidable asset for power projection and fulfil many of the same roles more cost effectively. The Shkval will reportedly deploy more firepower than any other surface combatant including the refurbished Kirov Class cruisers and the Chineses Type 055 Class destroyers, integrating over 150 vertical launch cells - according to some reports possibly close to 200. The ships’ armaments would notably include a navalised variant of the S-400 air defence system currently being integrated onto the Kirov Class cruisers, as well as Zicron hypersonic anti ship cruise missiles which would provide a considerable qualitative advantage in long range engagements. The cost of these state-of-the-art missiles is expected to add considerably to the cost of the warships themselves however, and leaves the program’s future highly uncertain.
ShkvalLiderRussian NavyRussian MilitaryRussian Military ModernisationAlexei RakhmanovUnited Shipbuilding CorporationKirov ClassZicronS-400S-400FRussian Carrier ProgramEM RailgunHypersonic WeaponHypersonic Missile
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/a...lear-powered-destroyer-program-isn-t-dead-yet
