Russia, Ukraine to sell Slava Class Cruiser
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
You may very well be right...except if that were the case I do not think they would go through the expense of finishing her. I believe they already have a very likely buyer and have probably agreed in principle on a price, but that it just hasn't been announced yet. Time will tell...but it's an interesting development in any case.
Pointblank
Senior Member
The Chinese are apparently were poking around, making noises that they were interested in her. I would place the Chinese first as the likely customer, followed by India.
What good would a single class ship be? The cost to modernize the ship would be well over $500 million USD. Does the PRC want to spend that kind of cash on a single ship? I wouldn't. Any warship that has been idle for as long as this one is prone to have big problems. Not necessairly with electronics but with simple things such as plumbing, electrical systems corrosion in the hull.
If I were in charge of the PLAN I would say "thanks but no thanks!!
If I were in charge of the PLAN I would say "thanks but no thanks!!
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The news-article Jeff quoted in the first post says it was 90% completed before being stalled. What does that actually mean, how much is 90%?
I think mainly the hull. You wouldn't have to modernize too much if sensors, electronics, weapon systems and perhaps even propulsion weren't installed at all.
I think mainly the hull. You wouldn't have to modernize too much if sensors, electronics, weapon systems and perhaps even propulsion weren't installed at all.
The biggest problem I for see if the PLAN does purchase this ship is corrosion(rust) and magnetism.
Corrosion from the ship more than likely sitting around untended. I've seen how the Russian do not preserve ships. They don't. I see no de-humidfier coils or de-magnetism coils on Russian ships in storage. After sitting so long unattended that rust would be inside and out. That whole hull needs to be x-rayed to check the depths of corrosion. If it's not to bad it can be easily treated.
Magnetism? That's right. This is not as big a problem as the firts. a ship that size can be de-magnetfied on a day or two. If it is not de-magnetfied ..well some of the electronics will go haywire.(Malfunction)
Corrosion from the ship more than likely sitting around untended. I've seen how the Russian do not preserve ships. They don't. I see no de-humidfier coils or de-magnetism coils on Russian ships in storage. After sitting so long unattended that rust would be inside and out. That whole hull needs to be x-rayed to check the depths of corrosion. If it's not to bad it can be easily treated.
Magnetism? That's right. This is not as big a problem as the firts. a ship that size can be de-magnetfied on a day or two. If it is not de-magnetfied ..well some of the electronics will go haywire.(Malfunction)
My own guess? The Russians have three of these babies but can barely afford to operate two. I bet they give a sweetheart deal to get this first one from the Ukraine in exchange for a more lucrative deal to also get a second one from Russia. Sort of like the deal they made on the Indian carrier. The Indians got the carrier for free...but paid normal prices for the aircraft and all the upgrades.
Anyhow, I do not believe it will be a one-off deal, I believe that the third Slava that the Russians have minimally manned and that is inactive will end up being part of the deal. But that is just a gues...perhaps even a WAG!
If these ships are brought up to speed with a nation that can afford to operate them, they can be fairly formidable...even more so that the Sovs IMHO.
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BLUEJACKET
Banned Idiot
bd popeye sais:
In any case, I strongly suspect that the ship was well maintained/mothballed by the Ukrainians as they hoped at first to use her themselves and/or later sell her to either Russia or China. The PLAN will get a good deal and already was reported being interested in buying her; I also agree that the Russians may also sell later as the Kuznetsov rarely deploys anyway. We all agree that currently China CV escorts (just 47 major surface combatants is a small # for 2-3 CBGs and other missions) and if there is one almost complete CG available it will make a lot of sense to get it to speed up the growth of PLAN's blue water capabilities,- and it won't matter what class it is- the same as with their SSKs, which are of many different classes/mods, both domestic and foreign built.
These problems you mention are certainly not bigger than those on the Varyag.
In any case, I strongly suspect that the ship was well maintained/mothballed by the Ukrainians as they hoped at first to use her themselves and/or later sell her to either Russia or China. The PLAN will get a good deal and already was reported being interested in buying her; I also agree that the Russians may also sell later as the Kuznetsov rarely deploys anyway. We all agree that currently China CV escorts (just 47 major surface combatants is a small # for 2-3 CBGs and other missions) and if there is one almost complete CG available it will make a lot of sense to get it to speed up the growth of PLAN's blue water capabilities,- and it won't matter what class it is- the same as with their SSKs, which are of many different classes/mods, both domestic and foreign built.
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I did a little thinking. The Ukrina was actually mentionned to sell to China as early as September of 2005 after peace mission 2005. At that time, it was mentionned that one other possible buyer is USN. Don't laugh, the rationale is that USN would buy it, so that it would not end up in China's hand.
As for the 1 ship class, it could be a problem, but PLAN does have a habit of having only 1-2 ship classes, so it might not be that big of a concern to China.
Another thing to consider is that it has the same SAM as the two 051Cs. It could be considered a plus/negative. Plus is quite obvious. Negative is that China already has two more modern hull that packs comparable air defense capability into a much smaller hull.
As for the 1 ship class, it could be a problem, but PLAN does have a habit of having only 1-2 ship classes, so it might not be that big of a concern to China.
Another thing to consider is that it has the same SAM as the two 051Cs. It could be considered a plus/negative. Plus is quite obvious. Negative is that China already has two more modern hull that packs comparable air defense capability into a much smaller hull.
Pointblank
Senior Member
I think the Chinese are seeking a ship with a long range surface attack capability, to project force over much longer distances. Watching the Americans attack targets with the Tomahawk cruise missiles that are launched from the Burkes and Tico's is a hint.