Project 1144 Orlan, the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, poses a threat to the naval forces (Navy) of NATO countries, while at the same time proving to be an “extremely attractive target, especially for submarines,” writes The National Interest.
According to the American magazine, the receipt by the Russian Navy (Navy) of the second ship of the project 1144.2M “Orlan” “will fill the gaps in Russia's naval and strategic capabilities,” but “does not portend a fundamental shift in naval power between Russia, NATO and USA”.
The publication notes that the modernization of the Soviet “Admiral Nakhimov” “does not portend a return to the construction of large ocean-going ships by the Russian shipbuilding industry, but rather reflects its economic inability to build such products.”
The magazine admits that Russia could effectively use a heavy nuclear missile cruiser, for example, off the coast of Syria or Libya. The National Interest argues that refitting a pair of Project 1144 Orlan ships (Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great) will allow Russia to abandon its only Project 1143 aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.
In December 2020, the American magazine compiled a rating of the five most dangerous ships of the Russian Navy, which included, in particular, “Peter the Great” and “Admiral Kuznetsov”.
In August of the same year, Forbes announced that after the modernization, the Admiral Nakhimov would become the most powerful surface-to-air non-aircraft-carrying warship in the world.
In July, RIA Novosti wrote that the Project 1144 Orlan “Admiral Nakhimov”, after a deep modernization, could single-handedly contain the NATO fleet.
In October 2019, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin said that the nuclear cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, which is now under repair, would not affect the balance of power between the Russian Navy and the US Navy if commissioned. “The United States has 11 carrier strike groups. We have none, ”the military observer noted.
According to open data, the Admiral Nakhimov cruiser, upgraded by Sevmash, should be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2022.
