This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
The Moskva class, Soviet designation Project 1123 Kondor (condor) and S-703 Project 1123M Kiev, was the first class of operational aircraft carriers (helicopter cruisers in the Soviet classification) built by the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy.[3]
 Leningrad underway in 1990.
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Moskva class |
| Operators | |
| Succeeded by | |
| Subclasses | Project 11780 |
| Built | 1962–1969 |
| In service | 1967–1996 |
| Planned | 3-12[1] |
| Completed | 2 |
| Cancelled | 1 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Type | Helicopter cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 189 m (620 ft) |
| Beam | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Draught | 7.7 m (25 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 45000 hp TV-12 steam turbines, 2 × fixed pitch propellers, 2 × 1500 kW TD-1500 turbine-type generators, 2 × 1500 kW diesel-generators |
| Speed | 28.5 knots (53 km/h) |
| Range | 9,000 nautical miles (16,668 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Endurance | 15 days |
| Complement | 850 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 18 × Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone' or Mi-8 helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Hangar deck |
These ships were laid down at Nikolayev South (Shipyard No.444). The lead vessel was launched in 1965 and named Moskva (Russian: Москва, lit. 'Moscow'); she entered service two years later. Moskva was followed by Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград, lit. 'Leningrad', which was commissioned in late 1968; there were no further vessels built, reportedly due to the poor handling of the ships in rough seas. Both were conventionally powered.
The Moskvas were not true "aircraft carriers" in that they did not carry any fixed-wing aircraft; the air wing was composed entirely of helicopters. They were designed primarily as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels, and her weapons and sensor suite was optimized against the nuclear submarine threat. Their strategic role was to defend the Soviet ballistic missile submarine bastions against incursions by Western attack submarines, forming the flagships of an ASW task force.[4]
Design
editThe operational requirement was issued by Admiral Sergey Gorshkov in 1959. The aim of the ships was to counter NATO Polaris submarines and act as a flagship for anti-submarine warfare. Initially it was hoped to operate ten helicopters from an 8000-ton ship. The design evolved into a larger vessel capable of operating up to 14 helicopters with self defence armament.[4]
Armament
editShipboard ASW armament included a twin SUW-N-1 launcher capable of delivering a FRAS-1 projectile carrying a 450-millimetre (18 in) torpedo (or a 5 kiloton nuclear warhead); a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars; and a set of torpedo tubes. For self-defence, the Moskvas had two twin SA-N-3 surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers with reloads for a total of 48 surface-to-air missiles, along with two twin 57 mm (2.2 in) /80 guns.[4]
Propulsion
editGas turbines were considered but were as yet untried in such a large vessel. Instead a high pressure steam plant similar to that used by the Kynda-class cruisers was used. The machinery of Moskva had severe problems and had to be rebuilt in 1973 following a fire. Operational performance was disappointing with a practical maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and 24-knot (44 km/h; 28 mph) maximum sustainable speed. Sea keeping was also disappointing.
Ships
edit
Both vessels were part of the Black Sea Fleet. Leningrad was retired in 1991 and Moskva in 1996. Leningrad was scrapped in 1995 and Moskva in 1997. A third ship to be named Kiev was cancelled in 1969, which was to have been an anti-surface warfare vessel. The Moskva class was succeeded by the larger Kiev class.
| Name | Namesake | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moskva | City of Moscow | Soviet Shipyard No. 444, Mykolaiv | 15 December 1962 | 14 January 1965 | 25 December 1967 | Broken up at Alang, 1997 |
| Leningrad | City of Leningrad | 15 January 1965 | 31 July 1968 | 2 June 1969 | Broken up, Greece, 1995 | |
| Kiev | City of Kiev | December 1967 | — | — | Cancelled 1969 |
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ "StackPath".
- ^ "Project 1123 Kondor". russianships.info. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Jordan, John, 'Soviet Warships 1945 to Present', Revised & Expanded Edition, ISBN 1-85409-117-4, Published by Arms & Armour Press (London, UK), 1992
- ^ a b c Suciu, Peter (2023-12-23). "Moskva-Class: Russia's Aircraft Carrier That Really Isn't An Aircraft Carrier". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
As a result, the Moskva-class shouldn't be seen as an "aircraft carrier" in the traditional sense, as it wasn't designed to carry any fixed-wing aircraft. Instead its air wing was composed entirely of helicopters. The vessels were also designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role – to counter the NATO Polaris submarines – and to act as flagship for other ASW warships. As such the weapons and sensor suite was fully optimized against a nuclear submarine threat.
Moreover, instead of serving as part of the nation's force projection, the Soviet doctrine called for the warships to serve in a strategic role that included defending the Soviet ballistic missile submarine bastions against incursions by Western attack submarines.
Sources
edit- Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130. Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261.