Russia in 2018 will begin construction of the "Leader-class," a huge nuclear powered destroyer that will be the most heavily armed and largest warship of its type in the world.

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Described in Russian media as "a strongpoint in the ocean," Leader destroyers will be armed with Russia's latest anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles that will allow it to outfight any destroyer in operation today.

The 200 meter-long Leader destroyers will combine into one massive fighting vessel the capabilities of a destroyer, a guided missile cruiser and a large antisubmarine warship. It will be powered by a nuclear engine since Russia has no domestic manufacturer of reliable gas-turbine engines suitable for warships.

The nuclear power plant will enable the Russian Navy destroyer to remain at sea for up to 90 days, long enough to conduct long-range patrols of the Pacific Ocean.

In contrast, the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the mainstay of its surface fleet, is 150 meters long. And despite its larger size, Leader destroyers will also be faster than the Arleigh Burke-class, with a maximum speed of 32 knots compared to 30 knots.

Identified by the Russian Navy as Project 23560, the Leader-class will be manufactured by the Severnoye Design Bureau.

More impressive than its sheer size will be the Leader's exceptionally heavy armament. The Leader-class is to be equipped with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, S-500 air defense systems and P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of 300 kilometers. Zircon hypersonic missiles might also be added to its arsenal.

A Poliment-Redut vertical launch system (VLS), Russia's answer to America's AEGIS missile defense system, will target short-range aerial threats. The Redut VLS will be controlled by the Poliment active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system.  

Each Leader destroyer will carry 200 missiles, almost double that on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The Russian destroyer will displace 17,500 tons compared to the 9,800 tons for the newest version of the American destroyer.

The Leader's gun armament will be the A-192 130 mm universal artillery system that can be used against warships and aircraft. Leaders might also be armed with two navalized versions of the Pantsir-M SAM/gun system, a combined short- to medium-range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft gun.

The Leader-class will replace the Sovremennyy-class destroyers, the main anti-surface warships of the Russian Navy, the Slava-class cruisers and the Udaloy I class anti-submarine destroyers. It will carry either two Kamov Ka-27 or Kamov Ka-32 helicopters for scouting and anti-submarine work.

Twelve Leader destroyers are expected to enter service by 2025, with 12 apiece going to the Pacific and Northern Fleets.

TagsLeader-class destroyer, Russian Navy, Pacific Ocean, U.S. Navy, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers