Iowa answered Kirov with visible naval presence

Would the Soviets have built still larger guided-missile cruisers if the United States had matched Kirov directly?

Possibly, but recommissioned Iowa-class battleships ended the visual competition by providing a more imposing symbol of power in port than concealed missile batteries.

Kirov could carry enough missiles to devastate a target, but vertical launch cells do not display their power to observers. Iowa's large turrets made an immediate presence argument, giving the United States a prestige response without designing an even larger missile cruiser.