Sovremenny class

   The Sovremenny class (Project 956 Sarych) was derived from the hull of the previous Kresta II cruisers, and was intended to offer a surface-strike capability and to provide other warships with protection against air and ship attack. As such, the class was seen as a specialist anti-shipping complement to the Udaloy class ASW destroyers.

   A total of 21 vessels were constructed, with another three cancelled or aborted (up to 28 ships may have been planned). The first, Sovremenny, was laid down in 1977 and commissioned in 1980. From Bespokoiny (commissioned in 1992) onwards, the class was known as the Project 956A, which features improved weapons and electronic warfare systems. Currently, there are only five units in active Russian service. Another three warships are ongoing modernization.

   The Sovremenny class was initially armed with the rocket/ramjet-powered P-80 Zubr missile, replaced on the Project 956A by the longer-range P-270 Moskit. The P-80 is a sea-skimming weapon, with a low-altitude speed of Mach 2.2 (three times that of Harpoon) and a 320-kg or 200-kt nuclear warhead. Both weapons carry the NATO designation SS-N-22 Sunburn. Air defence requirements are handeld by the Mach-3 Uragan (SA-N-7 Gadfly) missile system, which has a range of 44 km and a maximum altitude of 15 000 m. A total of 44 missiles are carried for launchers mounted on the raised decks fore and aft of the two islands. Project 956A ships introduced the Yozh (SA-N-12 Grizzly) using the same launcher.

   In 2000-2001, the Chinese navy received two Project 956A vessels (hulls 18 and 19), Hangzhou (ex-Yekaterinburg) and Fuzhou (ex-Alexandr Nevsky). Later China received two more warships of the improved Sovremenny class (Project 956EM) - the Taizhou and Ningbo. These four warships are still in active service with the Chinese Navy.

   It seems that Sovremenny class destroyers are being sacrificed by Russian navy in favor of the Udaloy class, which has more reliable propulsion system. Currently Russian Navy has got no modern guided missile destroyers and there are no plans to build any. It is planned that in the future all Sovremenny class destroyers will be replaced by the new Admiral Gorshkov class frigates.