Article Posted on : - Jul 26, 2010

A starboard bow view of the Soviet Kirov Class nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser Frunze or Admiral Lazarev underway.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russia is planning to upgrade three Soviet-era built nuclear-powered missile cruisers by 2020.

According to a news report by RIA Novosti, these missile cruisers will be modernised and put on active duty by the Russian Navy's combat force.

"Cruisers Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Lazarev and Admiral Ushakov will be modernised and returned to the Russian Navy's combat force in 10 years," a high-ranking Russian Navy official was quoted as saying in the news report.

He also added that the equipments and weapons of these cruisers will be fully modernised.

The Kirov class battlecruisers are the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships of the Russian Navy. They are second in size only to aircraft carriers, and are similar in size to a World War I battleship.

Admiral Nakhimov (former Kalinin) is the third missile cruiser of the Kirov class, Admiral Lazarev (former Frunze) is the second Kirov class battlecruiser, and Admiral Ushakov (former Kirov) is the lead ship of her class of missile cruisers, and is one of the major and biggest surface warships of the Russian Navy, though it was originally built for the Soviet Navy.

Russia built four Kirov class nuclear-powered cruisers in 1974-1998. One of them, the Pyotr Veliky, is in active service as the flagship of the Northern Fleet.