The battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy can be withdrawn from the operational capacity of the Russian Navy due to the condition of the ship and the excessive cost of repair and modernization.

The Russian media reports this with reference to their own sources.

“The issue of the withdrawal of Pyotr Velikiy from the operational capacity of the Navy is currently in the works. It seems that the experience of repairing and modernizing the same type of battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov deemed to be very expensive,” the media note.

The Ministry of Defense earlier planned that the battlecruiser should have undergone repairs and deep modernization in 2019-2022, after the completion of work on the same type of ship, Admiral Nakhimov.

According to the publication’s source, as of now, part of Pyotr Velikiy’s crew has been transferred to serve on board the Project 1144 Orlan Admiral Nakhimov battlecruiser to form a new crew.

The battlecruiser was laid down in 1986 and launched in 1996, after which it underwent sea trials for two years. In April 1998, the nuclear battlecruiser was commissioned to the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

Currently, Pyotr Velikiy is one of the most powerful warships in the Russian Navy.

Project 1144 cruiser Pyotr Velikiy

Pyotr Velikiy is the fourth heavy nuclear missile cruiser of Project 1144 Orlan. Currently, this is the only ship of the project that remains in service.

The ships of the Orlan project were created in the late 60s to fight carrier strike groups in the off-shore maritime zone. Such cruisers would carry all the most modern types of combat and technical equipment for surface warships and obtain a nuclear power plant to ensure the maximum possible endurance.

Pyotr Velikiy has the ability to defeat large surface targets and protect sea formations from air and enemy submarine attacks. It has an unlimited range and is equipped with attack cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 625 kilometers.

The main type of the cruiser’s armament is the Soviet P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missile, for which 20 launchers are installed under the upper deck. The missile can be fitted with either a 750 kg HE warhead, an fuel–air explosive (FAE) warhead, or a 500 kt thermonuclear warhead. Its range is 700 km.

Missiles have a multivariate target attack program, increased jamming resistance, and are designed to strike group targets.

The ship’s air defense consists of the Fort S-300F SAM, which contains 12 vertical launchers and 96 missiles.

The second echelon of air defense includes the ship’s Kinzhal anti-aircraft missile system, derived from the ground-based Tor-М1 system. Each rotary VLS module has 8 9М330-2 single-stage solid-fuel TV-controlled missiles, the total reserve of which is 128 missiles.

The cruiser is also armed with the Kortyk anti-aircraft missile and artillery system, which provides short-range self-defense from anti-ship and anti-radar missiles, bombs, aircraft, and helicopters.

In addition, the cruiser is equipped with a twin АК-130 130mm dual-purpose gun with a firing range of up to 25 km.

Additionally, an aircraft wing consisting of two Ка-27 anti-submarine helicopters is located on board the cruiser.