Forums

Recent news reports have entitled one of the Russian ships headed for the Mediterranean as "the carrier killer." Here is a link:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/12/...p=obinsite

This is the Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva.

I thought I would ask modern naval warfare afficionados here whether this is hyperbole by the news reports. I had the impression the modern Russian navy had decayed somewhat and wasn't regarded as a threat still to a US carrier battle group.

According to Google, this ship was launched in 1979, which would make it 34 years old - not that old as ships go, although a bit long in the tooth. The relevant armament are 16x SS-N-12 SANDBOX anti-ship missiles.

The SS-N-12 Sandbox entered service in 1973, so it has been around a while, which doesn't tell you much though since so have a lot of still-lethal US armaments.

But I have to think an armament that has been around that long has had plenty of time for its targets to devise countermeasures. I also have to think the Moskva's presence is not going unmarked by any Western submarines plying the Med.

Fascinating though how a ship that has been around this long can still cause a splash.

Well, speaking from the perspective of a USN officer from '82-'92, Moskva definitely would get our attention. Memory has long since faded, but it seems to me that the profile of the Sandbox could certainly be lethal.

I venture to guess that the days of shadowing are long gone, but perhaps they will be revived.

Steve

This is about the Chinese carrier killer, but it sums it up well.

Who's Afraid of the DF-21D

Quote:The Chinese DF-21D (CSS-5 Mod 4) anti-ship ballistic missile has become the proverbial “boogie man” for a U.S. Navy concerned about China’s evolving Anti Access/Area Denial (A2D) capability. This weapon is indeed an impressive achievement and does present a significant addition to the threat faced by warships at sea. While a major advance in military capability, it is not the first “game changing” weapon system mitigated or countered by the U.S. Navy.

http://www.informationdissemination.net/...f-21d.html