Project 1144 sensors, layered defenses, and aviation

A complement of about 710 supported Project 1144's extensive combat systems. The ship carried three-dimensional search radars, separate navigation radars, and both hull-mounted and variable-depth sonars. Two large decoy dispensers supported electronic defense, while twenty P-700 missiles supplied the main anti-ship strike. S-300-family area-defense missiles, shorter-range surface-to-air systems, Gatling guns, and gun-missile mounts created different defensive layers, with the exact fit changing across the four hulls. The ships also carried a dual-purpose 130 mm gun arrangement, anti-submarine rockets, and ten 533 mm torpedoes. Three helicopters in a below-deck hangar extended anti-submarine search and attack beyond the ship's own sonar horizon. The design relied on its combat systems and concentrated reactor protection for survivability instead of battleship-style armor.