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Aircraft carriers are the most important thugs for the United States to implement global hegemony, and attacking aircraft carriers has become a key research topic for major countries with conditions and strength. In this regard, only China and Russia have real ways to show off. Recently, according to the report of Puchkov, general manager of the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation, at the International Naval Forum "Navy-2024", the Russian Navy's "Admiral Nakhimov" heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser is being upgraded at the Northern Machinery Manufacturing Plant. According to the plan, it will be sea-tested in November. Why are we more concerned about the dynamics of this ship? Because it is an out-and-out "aircraft carrier killer."

The Admiral Nakhimov multi-purpose nuclear-powered missile cruiser, with a full load displacement of more than 25,000 tons, is the most powerful combat surface ship after the aircraft carrier. It uses a nuclear power plant, and its power is enough to ensure the power supply and heating of a city with more than 150,000 residents. Initially, the main ship-borne weapon was the P-700 "Granit" third-generation supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, which can reach a speed of 2.5 Mach, with a blast warhead weighing 750 kg, or a nuclear charge equivalent to 500,000 tons, and a range of 625 kilometers. It is also equipped with a series of air defense and anti-submarine equipment. However, with the upgrade of the U.S. military's baseline-7 "Aegis" combat system and the deployment of the Standard 3 and Standard 6 anti-missile systems, the 2.5 Mach supersonic anti-ship cruise missile has been difficult to break through the protection circle of the U.S. aircraft carrier. Therefore, the upgrade of the ship-borne attack weapon system of the Admiral Nakhimov was put on the agenda.

The first consideration is to modify the "Caliber" cruise missile and launch it using a universal shipborne launch system. According to open source information, in addition to the "Onyx" anti-ship missile and the "Caliber" system, the "Nakhimov" should also have obtained the latest 3M22 "Zircon" hypersonic anti-ship missile. The "Zircon" has a speed of Mach 8 and a range of 1,000 kilometers. The cruiser can carry a full 80 universal vertical launch devices, each of which can launch "Onyx", "Caliber" missiles or hypersonic "Zircon". The upgraded "Nakhimov" will also be equipped with the "Armor-M" combined missile and gun terminal air defense system, as well as the "Component-NK" and "Retaliate" anti-submarine systems.

The Nakhimov has a crew of about 1,000 people, selected from the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets. After the modification, the cruiser will be able to carry out combat missions in any weather and climate conditions at any location in the world's oceans, regardless of storms and rainstorms. After delivery, the Nakhimov will serve in the Russian Navy for at least 30 years.

In the summer of 2023, the media disclosed that the cost of repairing and upgrading the "Nakhimov" cruiser has doubled compared to the beginning of the work, and has exceeded 200 billion rubles. More than 150 major suppliers participated in the upgrade and modification of the "Nakhimov". Obviously, this is not the final amount. The cost of engineering, supporting materials, and ship equipment systems has increased, and the Navy has continuously adjusted and improved the functional indicators of the cruiser.

After the start of the "Navy-2024" International Naval Forum, new news about this cruiser emerged. On June 19, the Russian Navy announced that the "Nakhimov" will be delivered in 2026 after completing the corresponding tests. The task in the fall of 2024 is to start up the two reactors and leave the dock. Factory navigation tests will begin in the summer of 2025, and the first sea trial of the cruiser will be carried out in November 2024.

Obviously, the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet suffered heavy losses in the more than two years of the Ukrainian war, and the Russian Navy urgently needs to add a trump card weapon. The "Nakhimov" cruiser has long been eagerly awaited by Russian naval officers and soldiers.