Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:47:33-2:47:51

Soviet programs already answered an American strike cruiser

The Soviet response would be continuity and expansion of its existing heavy surface and submarine force rather than an entirely new concept.

Admiral Kuznetsov Class Aircraft CarriersKirov Class BattlecruisersSlava Class CruisersSoviet NavyStrike Cruiser
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Question

How would the Soviet Navy respond if the United States built strike cruisers in the late 1970s or early 1980s?

Short answer

It would continue the Kirov, Slava, Kuznetsov, and large-submarine programs that already formed its answer to heavy American surface combatants.

Notes

Gorshkov already had the essential response in construction or development. Kirov-class battlecruisers and Slava-class cruisers supplied heavy missile batteries, while Kuznetsov-class aviation ships broadened the surface force. Large submarines added another route for threatening American formations. An earlier US strike cruiser would therefore reinforce Soviet commitment to these programs rather than force a clean-sheet doctrinal answer.