The Russian Navy for decades did not have blue water capability and even during the days of the Soviet Union, The Russian Navy never had many offensive warships. At that time it concentrated more on submarines, maintaining a fleet of over a 100, many of them with nuclear power. This lack of capital ships severely affected the performance of the Navy, which found it difficult to operate far away from its shores. The dream of the Russian navy for greater capability is likely to come true soon.
Putin and the Navy
The coming to power of Vladimir Putin has brought about a change in thinking.
He has directed the Navy and design engineers to develop a fleet, which can carry the Russian flag far away from its shores. In this context, the Russians have developed a 17,410-ton warship which will have a nuclear engine and greater endurance. This warship will be equipped with advanced crash visual optical interference equipment which will enable it to blind enemy warships as well as optoelectronic devices which will operate through satellite. It will also have binocular glasses and Laser ranging devices, to locate enemy ships. In short, the Russians have constructed a universal battleship which is expected to be ready in 2019.This warship will give a much-needed boost to Russian naval power.
Universal warship
The warship will have a nuclear power plant and as according to information available, will have a length of 200 meters (approx. 600ft) and a width of 20 meters (approx. 65ft). It will be armed with the latest anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic, and anti-submarine weaponry. The project has been approved by the Russian defence ministry and very soon, this universal warship will be operational.
The American Navy has already commissioned a super destroyer but it is having teething problems. The third superpower China is really nowhere in the picture. The Chinese Navy is desperately trying to attain blue-water water capability but it still appears to be at least a decade and a half away from that goal.
Future
The development of the warship will add muscle to the Russian fleet, but it’s still way behind the US navy which operates 10 aircraft carriers of 100,000 tons of the Nimitz class; nevertheless, the development of the new universal attack ship is a matter of concern, as it will enhance the capability of the Russian fleet. A single warship may not amount to much and the Russians will need at least two such battleships to give them global reach.
