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Vice-Admiral Kulakov (626)

1982 COLD WAR MODERN NAVY

History of Lieutenant General Kulakov (626)

The modern Russian Navy deploys a destroyer force of more than a dozen ships divided into three main supported classes - Kashin, Udaloy and Suframeni. Udaloy leads in numbers, including Vice-Admiral Kulakov (626), a 7,570-ton vessel that entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1982.

At the time of writing (2017), she is serving in the Northern Fleet.

The Udaloy class was originally developed during the final stages of the Cold War (1947-1991) when the main enemy was American submarines. Therefore, the class was built for anti-submarine functions and completed more than a dozen in two standards - "Udaloy I" and "Udaloy II".

The Udaloy II counted only one warship, which completed modernization standards in the late 1990s. Two ships of the class were later cancelled as the Russian Navy entered a period of decline and budget cuts following the fall of the Soviet Empire.

Lieutenant General Kulakov, named after Soviet statesman Fyodor Davidovich Kulakov, was launched in 1980 and commissioned in 1982. She entered a longer retrofit period, lasting from 1991 to 2010, during which some of her systems and facilities were upgraded.

As of this writing (2017), she is still active.

The Kurakov displaces 6,200 tons under standard load and up to 8,000 tons under full load. She has a length of 535 feet, a beam of 62 feet, and a draft of 26 feet. Power is provided by a "Combined Gas and Gas" (COGAG) unit, in which 4 gas turbines produce a combined 120,000 hp and drive 2 shafts. The speed reaches 35 knots and the range can reach 10,500 nautical miles.

This makes the Kulakov both fast and has good stamina, plus the ability to be sent to hunt down submarines as part of a fleet or as a separate unit. However, she lacks the more modern design lines and pronounced "stealth gear" seen on Western warships - with many ledges and exposed spaces on board, providing more than is often required in modern ship designs big feature.

There were 300 people on board. The aft helideck can support up to 2 Kamov Ka-27 "Helix" naval submarines equipped to search, track and destroy submarines and surface warships beyond the ship's line of sight. The hangar provides comprehensive maintenance and repair service facilities.

In addition to naval work, these helicopters can support nearshore amphibious assault operations. Notably, the warship can now launch and retrieve the powerful Kamov Ka-52 Crocodile attack helicopters also used by the Russian Navy - which provides an excellent attack platform for attacking coastal and coastal positions during amphibious assaults .

Standard Kurakov armament consists of 2 x SS-N-14 anti-submarine/anti-ship missiles arranged in quad launchers. The SA-N-9 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) has a Vertical Launch System (VLS) to counter air threats to ships (or fleets).

More traditional projectile-focused firepower comes from 2 x 100mm deck guns and turrets (single gun mounts) and 4 x 30mm AK630 Gatling systems for close-in weapons system (CIWS) roles. The ship is equipped with 2 x 533 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes mounted in quad launchers. Also carries 2 RBU-6000 Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC) launchers.

With all this, Kulakov can attack and defend as needed - becoming a threat from the air (aircraft/cruise missiles), sea or below.

Despite all this, despite modernization attempts (which kept her from sailing for almost 20 years), the Kulakov is an ancient warship with origins dating back to the Cold War era. A fire caused by a short circuit in January 2011 damaged some of her internal structures, further delaying her sea voyage. It was only recently that her career took off: she was deployed in 2012 as an escort convoy to the coast of Syria to support Russia's operations in the ongoing Syrian civil war. In 2013, she took part in a WWII celebration hosted by the UK.

In April 2014, she made headlines around the world when she was spotted near the UK coast by a British warship. In 2016, she was again deployed off the coast of Syria to support Russia's involvement in fighting various insurgent factions on behalf of the local government.