Why base a proposed British cruiser on an old ship such as Kirov?
Short answerThe proposal borrows the mission and general concept, then calls for a modern British design with nuclear propulsion.
NotesThe proposal calls for six to twelve modern British ships based on the general mission of the nuclear-powered Kirov class. A participant challenges the choice of such an old design. The answer clarifies that the aim is to modernize the concept rather than reproduce the existing ship. A large nuclear cruiser could provide visible naval presence where deploying a full supercarrier force was undesirable. The comparison with the preceding missile-and-gun cruiser proposal adds a nuclear reactor and roughly 5,000 to 10,000 tons, while the claimed operating advantage concerns fuel.