Q&A ยท 1:59:03-2:00:00

A surviving Soviet Navy's answer to Arleigh Burke

Existing Soviet destroyer studies and the escort needs of a projected four-carrier fleet shape this counterfactual.

Question

How would the Soviet Navy have answered the Arleigh Burke class if the USSR survived?

Short answer

The Soviet Navy could have developed its own response from destroyer designs already under consideration, with additional demand for escorts from its projected carrier fleet.

Notes

Soviet destroyer development already included designs that could have answered the Arleigh Burke class. A Soviet response would not necessarily have copied the American ship. In this counterfactual, a surviving Soviet Navy would also operate at least four large carriers, two of them nuclear powered. Those ships would need escorts, giving destroyer development a wider purpose than matching one foreign class. Their appearance would affect other navies as well, so the consequences extend beyond the Soviet destroyer design itself.