09.03.2010
In May 2010 flagship of Black Sea Fleet (BSF) guided missile cruiser Moskva along with support vessel arrives to Vladivostok to participate in operational strategic exercise Vostok-2010 jointly with Pacific Fleet ships, reports Interfax referring to source in BSF HQ.
Cruiser
Moskva starts a half-year long cruise in a month. According to the program, in Indian Ocean the cruiser will practice interaction with Russian naval aviation, perform missile strike upon sea target by P-500
Bazalt missile system, and take part in Russo-Indian joint naval exercise.
In addition,
Moskva will train cooperative maneuvering in the Mediterranean with French and Italian warships in spring 2010.
Moskva is a Project 1164
Atlant guided missile cruiser, lead ship of the project.
REGISTRATION
Sevastopol, Black Sea Fleet
CONSTRUCTION, NAME
The cruiser was laid down on November 4, 1976 at
Nikolayev 61 Kommunara Shipyard and launched on July 27, 1979 under the name of
Slava. Naval flag was hoisted on January 30, 1983 and the cruiser was commissioned into Soviet Navy. Since June 22, 1995 the cruiser is known as
Moskva.
MILESTONES
The cruiser was repeatedly deployed in the Mediterranean, paid numerous calls at ports of the region. In December 1989 she enhanced security of Soviet delegation at meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of Soviet Union's Communist Party and the US President George Bush at Malta. In 1990 the cruiser was laid up for modernization at Nikolayev Shipyard where stayed for 8.5 years. On May 13, 1998 she obtained flag and guard rank from Guard ASW destroyer
Krasny Kavkaz. In 2003 the cruiser took part in
INDRA joint Russian-Indian naval exercise. In September 2004 she participated in
IONIEX-2004 joint Russian-Italian naval exercise. At the beginning of 2008 the cruiser patrolled the Mediterranean along with Northern Fleet's ships –
Admiral Kuznetsov with carrier group. Early 2009 the ship took part in memorial activities at Italian port Messina associated with 100th anniversary of ruinous earthquake at Sicily.
PERFORMANCE
Powerplant: gas turbine; 2 screws
Power: 4 x 22,500 shp
Maximum speed: 32 knots
Endurance: 30 days
Crew: 510 men
DIMENSIONS
Displacement: 9,800 tons (total displacement: 11,490 tons)
Length: 186.4 meters
Beam: 20.8 meters
Draft: 8.4 meters
ARMAMENT
16 antiship missile launchers (16 P-500
Bazalt missiles; after cruiser's modernization – 16 P-1000
Vulkan missiles)
1 x 2-barreled 130-mm gun mount
AK-130
6 x 6-barreled 30-mm gun mounts
AK-630
8 x 8-tube B-204 launchers of S-300F
Rif SAM system (ammunition load is 64 missiles)
2 coupled launchers of
Osa-MA SAM system (ammunition load is 48 missiles)
2 x 5 533-mm torpedo tubes
2 x 12-tube
RBU-6000 antisubmarine rocket launchers
Ka-27 helicopter
Source: RusNavy.com, photo: cruiser Moskva (defense-update.com)
