<p >The Russian Navy is reported to have brought the two nuclear reactors powering the country’s last Kirov Class battlecruiser, the Admiral Nakhimov, back online, indicating that the warship is likely to begin sea trials in the near future. The first reactor was reported by state media to have been brought online in late December, while the second was brought online on February 2. “The consecutive physical launch of the cruiser’s two reactors demonstrates the readiness of the entire nuclear powerplant of the ship for operation in all modes,” state media outlet TASS reported. The Admiral Nakhimov is one of four Kirov Class battlecruisers built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s, which at the time represented by far the most formidable surface combat ships in the world. Their 28,000 ton sizes place them at more than three times the size of American Arleigh Burke Class destroyers, at at over twice the size of any other surface combat ship, with comparable displacements to aircraft carriers such as the Japanese Izumo Class. As the only surface combat ships using nuclear propulsion systems, the cruisers are capable of sustaining high 32 knot speeds and powering high energy armaments and sensors for extended periods.&nbsp;</p><p ><img src=" title="Russian Navy Kirov Class Battlecruiser"></p><p >Currently in the Sevmash shipyard on the White Sea, the Admiral Nakhimov has been undergoing modernisation since 2008, with the ship initially intended to rejoin the Navy in 2018. Although Russia effectively preserved its submarine industry after the Soviet Union’s disintegration, the sharp deterioration of its industry for building large surface ships has contributed to major issues working on the Nakhimov. Modernisation has revolutionised the class’ combat potential, Integrated a wide range of <a href=" sensors and offensive weapons</a>, including replacing their 20 massive P-700 Granit ‘carrier killer’ anti ship cruise missiles with 80 launch cells for smaller more modern cruise missiles. These include the P-800 Oniks, the 3M54T Kalibr and the hypersonic Zircon for anti shipping roles, and the 3M14T Kalibr for&nbsp;long range precision strikes against ground targets. Initially designed to operate the S-300F surface to air missile system, the ship now deploys a navalised variant of the S-400 across 96 launch cells – equivalent to three full ground based battalions’ worth of the air defence systems. Complementary shorter ranged air defence systems include the Pantsir-ME, which has replaced the battlecruiser’s six Kashtan close in weapons systems, and a navalised variant of the S-350 Vityaz known which had replaced the 44 4K33 ‘OSA-M’ missiles perviously in use. All sensors have also been replaced.</p><p ><img src=" title="Zircon Hypersonic Missile Launch From Russian Navy Frigate Admiral Gorshkov "></p><p >In 2021 CEO of the Severnoye Design Bureau Andrei Dyachkov stated regarding improvements to the cruiser: “The high modernisation potential integrated in these ships upon their designing helped carry out certain works and outfit the Admiral Nakhimov with the most advanced weapons, which makes it the<a href=" >&nbsp;world’s strongest surface combat ship</a>.” The ship’s firepower with 176 longer ranged missiles, and the potency of the Zircon hypersonic missile, combined with the potency of a dual nuclear propulsion system, make the&nbsp;Nakhimov a&nbsp;serious contender for this title, although it lacks the stealth features that are found on more modern warships such as the&nbsp;<a href=" >Chinese Type 055 Class</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=" >American Zumwalt Class</a>. Kirov Class ships were developed in an era when the Soviet Union had the world’s second most formidable blue water navy, and was fast closing the gap with the United States by bringing increasingly formidable ocean going ships into service in growing numbers. Post-Soviet Russia, by contrast, has not laid down a single destroyer or cruiser sized ship other than for export, with all surface combatants built being around one fifth or less of the Nakhimov’s size. The last Kirov Class cruiser will thus stand out in the Russian fleet, and in light of the serious issues suffered by the country’s sole aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov, the&nbsp;Nakhimov&nbsp;is likely to serve as the flagship of the fleet.&nbsp;</p>