The Kirov class, Soviet designation Project 1144 Orlan, is a class of nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers of the Soviet Navy and Russian Navy, the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships in operation in the world. Among modern warships, they are second in size only to large aircraft carriers, and of similar size to a World War I-era battleship. The Soviet classification of the ship-type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser". The ships are often referred to as battlecruisers by Western defence commentators due to their size and general appearance.
The Russian Navy is the naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696, the present iteration of which was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship or submarine with heat provided by a nuclear reactor. The power plant heats water to produce steam for a turbine used to turn the ship's propeller through a gearbox or through an electric generator and motor. Nuclear propulsion is used specifically within naval warships such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers. A small number of experimental civil nuclear ships have been built.
The Grisha class, Soviet designation Project 1124 Albatros, are a series of anti-submarine corvettes built by the Soviet Union between 1970 and 1990 and later by Russia and Ukraine. These ships have a limited range and are largely used only in coastal waters. They have been equipped with a variety of ASW weapons and an SA-N-4 'Gecko' surface-to-air missile launcher. All were fitted with retractable fin stabilizers.
The Project 1241 "Molniya" are a class of Soviet missile corvettes. They have the NATO reporting name Tarantul. These ships were designed to replace the Project 205 Tsunami missile boats.
The Kiev class, Soviet designation Project 1143 Krechyet (gyrfalcon), was the first class of both fixed-wing aircraft carriers and battlecruisers built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy.
A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship.
The Kashin class, Soviet designation Project 61, were series of anti-aircraft guided missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy since the 1960s. As of 2020, no ships remain in service with the Russian Navy, but three modified ships continue in service with the Indian Navy as Rajput-class destroyers.
The Krivak class, Soviet designation Project 1135 Burevestnik, were a series of frigates and guard ships built in the Soviet Union primarily for the Soviet Navy since 1970. Later some sub-branches, like the Nerey (Nereus) were designed for coastal patrol by the KGB Border Troops. Until 1977, the ships in the class were considered to be large anti-submarine warfare vessels.
Project 1153 Orel was a late-1970s plan to give the Soviet Navy a true blue water aviation capability. The aircraft carrier would have about 72,000 tons displacement, with a nuclear power plant and about 70 aircraft launched via steam catapults, similar to the earlier Kitty Hawk-class supercarriers of the U.S. Navy. Unlike them and the preceding Soviet aircraft cruisers, it was also designed with a large offensive capability; the ship mounts including 24 vertical launch tubes for anti-ship cruise missiles. In the USSR it was classified as the "large cruiser with aircraft armament". The project 1153 was cancelled in October 1978 as being too expensive, and a smaller Project 1143.5, more V/STOL-aircraft-oriented, was developed instead: in its initial stage, a version of 65,000 tons and 52 aircraft was proposed, but the actual Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers are even smaller, about 55,000 tons. While the Project Orel never saw fruition, in the 1980s it influenced the also abortive Ulyanovsk program.
The Mirka class was the NATO reporting name for a class of light frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the mid to late 1960s. The Soviet designation was Storozhevoi Korabl Project 35 and Project 35-M.
The Petya class was the NATO reporting name for a class of light frigates designed in the 1950s and built for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s. The Soviet designation was "Storozhevoi Korabl`" Project 159.
SSV-33 Ural was a command and control naval ship operated by the Soviet Navy. SSV-33's hull was derived from that of the nuclear powered Kirov-class battlecruisers with nuclear marine propulsion. SSV-33 served in electronic intelligence, missile tracking, space tracking, and communications relay roles. Due to high operating costs, SSV-33 was laid up.
The Ropucha class, Soviet designation Project 775, is a class of landing ships built in Poland for the Russian Navy. The ships were built in Poland in the Stocznia Północna shipyards in Gdańsk. Designed for beach landings, they can carry a 450-ton cargo. The ships have both bow- and stern-doors for loading and unloading vehicles, and the 630 square metres (6,800 sq ft) of vehicle deck stretches the length of the hull. Up to 25 armored personnel carriers can be embarked.
Project 1171 (Tapir-class) landing ship is a class of Soviet / Russian general purpose, beachable amphibious transport docks.
The Gorya class are a group of minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1980s. Three ships were started of which two were completed and are in service with the Russian Navy. The Soviet designation was Project 12660.
The Balzam class, Soviet designation Project 1826 is a class of intelligence collection ships built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy during the 1980s. They are also known as Lira class, after the first vessel of the class.
The Vishnya class are a group of intelligence collection ships built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. The ships continue in service with the Russian Navy. The Soviet designation is Project 864. The Russian Navy operates seven of these ships.
The Ukrainian command ship Slavutych is a former Soviet auxiliary ship Prideprovie of the Gofri-class intelligence ships ship built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1980s.
