desertswo
In Memoriam
I guess the Russians don't want to waste all those Nuclear Fuel pellets they have stockpiled for those ships. But it makes sense. Once they started that program to build those ships and the funding was available and saved, it does provide jobs and keeps the Russian Navy up to somewhat modern standards.
Though Nuclear may not be the way to go with a missile Cruiser. Just looking over the first photos of a Kirov with some of my NAVSEA counterparts we noted that one 5"/38 common in all those launch tubes up forward could blow that ship to smitherings -- including the reactor.
Hmmm. Maybe a 5-incher would cause us to be a tad too close. A 16" Hi-Cap would be much better. Or a Harpoon at a much greater distance. A Tomahawk might be considered overkill but it would work just as well.
Just get upwind from the mushroom cloud.
And now you know the gist of the report we filed with the powers that be when I and my two sidekicks toured the Sovremmeny and Udaloy that visited San Diego back in 1990-ish. Lots of things that go "boom" when not treated with respect, and no damage control capability as we would know it, in sight. The philosophy was definitely, "Get the first shot off, and hope they don't shoot back."

