Lider-Class Destroyer - The Leading Challenger

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The Lider-Class, Vichnayan designation Project 23560 Lider, is a combined stealth nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer, cruiser, and battlecruiser currently in service with the Vichnayan Navy that has replaced or supplemented a variety of older designs such as the Sovremenny-Class Destroyer, Udaloy-Class Destroyer, Slava-Class Cruiser, and Severna-Class Destroyer as a universal-hull multi-mission surface combatant designed to operate in blue water operations with a minor emphasis for littoral operations. As one of the most technologically advanced vessels put afloat as of 2024, it features vast and interconnected networking systems, highly sophisticated weapon and fire-control systems, a multitude of systems meant for electronic warfare, fleet defence, and close-in defence, and a large set of back-up and redundant systems — completed with a dedicated artificial intelligence system and an entire suite of smart systems that allow for reduced crew count, streamlined and efficient operations, and reduced chances for human error. As it is one of the largest surface combatants at over 270 metres in length, it forms the backbone of the Vichnayan Navy and is capable of conducting anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) with long-range or short-ranged air defence (LR-AD/SR-AD) capabilities, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-satellite warfare (ASAT), ballistic missile defence (BMD), naval gunfire support (NGFS), and electronic warfare (EWAR) with a large variety of weapon and sensor systems. As it was designed to be a universal hull, it has spawned several derivatives and variants to fill a variety of mission sets based on strategic and operational requirements — because the ships share a common hull and systems, the cost and maintenance requirements were significantly lowered. The export designation of the Lider-Class Destroyer is Project 23560E Shkval, which features downgraded systems but is significantly cheaper and has lower maintenance requirements and costs. It is currently operated by the Vichnayan Navy, with the Lider-Class serving as the premier principle surface combatant for most of the fleets where it serves alongside smaller surface combatants.

Its design started in 1991 directly after the Third Astovkan-Vichnayan War when the Vichnayan Maritime Forces requested two next-generation guided-missile destroyer designs that could overmatch opponents of the future with an emphasis on heavy missile armaments, stealth, advanced radar and sensor systems, and a large modular design that could accept future upgrade packages with a slightly smaller emphasis on reducing costs and production time via standardised common hulls. Over 10 companies submitted various designs between 1991 and 1992 that varied greatly as all interpreted the 18 main and 57 secondary design requirements differently with the four major design teams hailing from the Orlova Ship Design Bureau, Orlova State Research Center, Orlova Naval Works, and Sila Naval Works with several subsidiaries and sub-companies contracted to assist the four major countries; after three months of research and development, Mara Industries and Almaz-Antey would later be contracted to assist the Orlova Ship Design Bureau. Year after year, the ship design proposals would be meticulously reviewed and either discarded or approved until a total of two designs emerged. The first design was known as Project 21956, a 11,000 ton, 193 metre-long multi-mission stealth guided-missile destroyer that would serve as a cheaper but easily mass producible vessel that was powered by two gas-turbine engines, and equipped with advanced sensor and weapon systems such like the S-400 long-range surface-to-air/anti-ballistic missile system and 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic missile — dedicated more to anti-aircraft, ballistic missile, and fleet defence rather than offensive capabilities; the second design would be designated Project 23560, a 270 metre-long and 40,000-ton multi-mission nuclear-powered guided-missile destroyer that featured for more advanced sensor and weapon systems, along with carrying a significantly larger payload compared to the first design. After testing and further modifications, the first seven hulls of either design would be laid down in 1998, and the two later received their official designations with the 11,000-ton destroyer designated as the Severna-Class and the 40,000-ton destroyer designated as the Lider-Class. The Lider-Class was finally accepted into service in 2001 with their construction finally completed, fitted out, and underwent sea trials and training. Advances in technology, rising global tensions, a boost in the workforce, and the Lider-Class' streamlined hull allowed the ship to be rapidly produced in impressive quantities; for every 300 days, a Lider-Class Destroyer can be produced and fitted out. It has gone on to see its fair share of conflicts, with its largest deployment in the Vichnayan Intervention in the Second Russo-Georgian War and the later Vichnayan attempt at Intervention in the Second Magican War, where it had provided the majority of fire support to Vichnayan forces and was responsible for destroying most Georgian infrastructure. All ships of the original Lider-Class would later be upgraded to the Lider-M standard by 2020, with all Lider Ms to be continually subject to upgrades throughout their expected 70-year service life with the Lider II to replace the Slava-Class and Kirov-Class cruisers.

As it was designed for stealth and multirole capabilities, the Lider and later Lider M-Class Destroyer would be built around the Noch-Krylatka Universal Combat System and the Noch-Krylatka AM-series of radars and sonars that allow the ship to identify, track, and engage all manner of air, land, and sea targets at extreme ranges with its large complement of anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles, point defence systems, and electronic warfare systems. The ship can house, service, and launch up to two Ka-27, Ka-29, Ka-31, or Ka-52 helicopters for anti-submarine, reconnaissance, or anti-piracy operations. With its advanced networking and detection capabilities, the Lider-Class and its derivatives and variants are suited to be elements in carrier battle groups or other large naval formations, act independently away from the leading group, act as flagships, or serve as highly mobile anti-ballistic missile and anti-satellite platforms. Plans have been underway for a future variant of the Lider-Class, named Lider II, which extends the length and width to house additional weapon systems and more advanced equipment. Domestic Production Rights (DPR) will not be available for purchase, nor will they be offered aside from select allies of the Orlova Pact.

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Design

Construction, Composition, Structure, and Layout
At over 270 metres in length, 30 metres at the beam, and over 40,000 tons (36,287 tonnes) in displacement, the Lider-Class and its derivatives are one of the largest and heaviest surface combatants in the world and holds the record as being the largest surface destroyers ever fielded — exceeded by the Lider's upgrade, the Lider II — for which dwarfs all older Destroyers that the Vichnayan Navy fielded. The Lider-Class as a whole is a ship designed primarily for stealth and high performance over rough seas and currently is the most heavily armed warship design on the planet outside of major capital ships. It features a highly angular monohull tumblehome body with a bald clipper bow, sharp wave entry point, and a bulbous “knuckle” bow for penetration through waves in sea states up to 9 and reducing drag, increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability for the vessel through both littoral and blue-water operations, with an added benefit in the combination of the design of the Lider is a higher degree of manoeuvrability; the bulbous bow, a staple of Vichnayan maritime architecture, not only houses the powerful sonar arrays but is strengthened enough for the ship to clear pack ice by itself for limited amounts of time without the assistance of icebreakers. Contributing the excellent stealth characteristics, performance at high speeds regardless of sea conditions, and endurance in rough weather conditions, the hull — most especially, the sharp wave-breaking bow — is subtly raked with a raised forecastle for the retractable main gun and spray shields running all along the shift, ending at the aft end of the monolithic superstructure of the Lider-class and its derivatives. Whatever equipment or stations that are present on deck, such as small watercraft or the two helicopter monitoring/air traffic control "bunkers", are hidden under shudders, panels, and hatches with stealth coating that ensures that the total radar signature of the Lider is reduced and sensitive areas protected from environmental conditions such as seawater. A shorter spray shield extends partly behind the aft end of the aft superstructure, which contains a helicopter hangar. The long fantail is topped with a sizable helipad and ends in a transom stern. The keel boasts four retractable large stabilisers and extremely long and broad chines to provide enhanced stability and manoeuvrability, for which the functions of the stabilisers allow a small acoustic and sonar signature in both brown-water and blue-water environments. Above the sonar arrays but still below the waterline, the vessel has two pumpjet intakes and propellers to aid in manoeuvring in shallow waters, able to be centrally controlled via the bridge or locally controlled via deck controls. The vessels' two magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accelerators are located underneath, with the forward intakes located at the forward keels, where seawater is accelerated using an electrically conductive gas propellant and directed backwards near the propellers, not only removing friction and decreasing wear of the drivetrain of the ship but making the Lider-class dead silent whilst using its MHD drives, limited only through the slow acceleration and speed of the MHD drives compared to the two seven-blade composite propellers that are nearly as silent. Built-in prefabricated modular sections, the Lider features a three-hull design where the keel and both sides of the ship have three complete layers of watertight hull surface that sandwich a mixture of fusion-welded hexagonal/honeycomb matrices of reinforced super austenitic stainless steel, composite matrices, multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotube materials, composite armour sections screening vital areas of the ship such as the nuclear reactors or VLS-compartments, and tri-alumina steel reinforced longitudinal girders that provide additional structural stability and strength. The red antifouling paint, aside from also decreasing the hydroacoustic, magnetic, and sonar signature of the vessel from underneath, prevents barnacles, moss, weeds, and other marine inhabitants from decreasing the performance of the vessel and potentially threatening the vessel’s stealth signature. The planned Lider II-Class would be larger at over 320 metres in length and weighing over 70,000 tons, maintaining a similar design whilst drastically improving the performance characteristics and armament of the Lider; the Lider II, much like the Lider M, would continue to modernise the Navies of the Orlova Pact, and fully replace the ever-ageing Kirov-Class Battlecruisers of the Vichnayan Navy.

The superstructure of the vessel is as equally impressive with a mixture of both modern and older but proven designs that factor into the Lider's stealthiness and intimidation, and are reminiscent to Magican-style pagoda masts of old with a pyramidal aft mast, and a massive conning tower with three-tiered, diamond-shaped bulges that contain the vessel's bridge, combat information centres, platforms and balconies for observation, sensors, communication systems, searchlights, and additional equipment that can be retracted back into the superstructure or hidden under hatches to maintain the stealthiness of the ship. Both islands of the superstructures, much like the hull, are multi-hulled with two layers of composite matrices featuring multi-wall carbon nanotubes forming either structural supports or armour, reinforced super austenitic stainless steel, carbon fibre-vinyl laminate composites reinforced with tri-alumina, and additional non-magnetic materials that significantly lower the radar, sonar, acoustic, infrared, pressure, and magnetic signature of the vessel down to a wide margin to an overall signature comparable to a 10-foot polymer-plastic canoe. Additional equipment such as life rafts, sensors, or bulkheads are also subjected to these treatments, hidden under hatches or feature such measures themselves such as the retractable flag post located on the aft-facing island as do the other masts. External surfaces such as the bridges' windows are not constructed out of glass, but transparent aluminium mixed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and coated with fire-retardant oxide powders to ensure the likelihood of fires would be sufficiently lowered in the event of damage, providing additional protection to the crews and sensitive equipment, and maintaining stealth by not interfering with the extensive anti-radar/sonar/acoustic/magnetic measures put in place. Fencing and additional safety railing located in crew-accessible areas such as the external decks and helicopter decks may be lowered and raised remotely via local control stations or centrally via the bridge/CIC by either mechanical or electric control, and hidden under dedicated hatches as, again, to prevent the detection of the Lider by all means necessary. Internal wiring consists of optical fibre cables spanning from the bow to stern with a multitude of transmitters, receivers, modulated distorters, and amplifiers located across the vessel for information and data to be transmitted instantaneously, wrapped in rubber and fibre-reinforced plastics to protect said wiring from external elements where then it can be locally or centrally disconnected if the need arises, such as maintenance; for redundancy, standard electrical-based wiring is utilised in the event the fibre optic cables are unable to be operated in the case of emergency, such as damage to the vessel that may hamper or out-right remove the ability for the crew to use fibre-optic based communications or transmissions. Sensor equipment such as the AESA-Quantum radar's components such as the array control systems, signal & data processing subsystems, power subsystems, cooling and coolant subsystems and mechanisms, and artificial intelligence integration units are well protected underneath the superstructure and hull of the vessel, protected by layers of composite armour and kevlar spall liners in the event of damage, automatic environmental cooling and heating to maintain efficiency and performance for ideal operations regardless of the situation for the equipment and crew, and additional maintenance equipment located within nearby lockers to allow sailors to conduct emergency repairs. Hot temperatures that are generated from intense pressure, hot water coolant, and turbine exhausts are routed upwards to the first superstructure via an assortment of valves (which may be manually or automatically adjusted in the event of damage) to two exhaust towers, where then they are routed to large condensers and to radiator units where powerful but silent cooling fans blow air from the outside over to the coolant lines to rapidly cool them, before being sent back to the nuclear reactor and steam turbines for use once again; the hot and high-pressure exhaust from the steam turbines is likewise cooled alongside the coolant, where they are then passed to a digitally-monitored exhaust shaft where the exhaust will have its temperature adjusted to fit the resting air temperature around the Lider, maintaining thermal/infrared stealth by presenting a constant signature. To protect the crew in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) conditions all 433 rooms within the Lider/Lider M and a projected 527 rooms within the upcoming Lider II-Class are gast-tight equipped with radiation source detection sensors, chemical warfare agent sensors, and dosimeters, with all entry and exit points and important sections including the helicopter hangers featuring airlocks capable of being decontaminated upon a moment’s notice from biological, chemical, or radiological particulates or sources; via continuous ventilation, the vessel, via the automated programs and artificial intelligence programs that may be manually operated, maintains a constant positive overpressure of 7 psi (49 kPa) to keep out contaminants and a constant uncompromised, uncontaminated air supply that is assisted by the central air supply system that is integrated with the air conditioning system. In the event of a hull breach and flooding, the automatic flood control system (a part of the onboard damage control system) will maintain ship stability by either flooding or pumping out sections with seawater in them, with the vessel or crew able to access anti-flooding mats that will either stem the flow of flooding water or outright seal an opening depending on the size and severity of the damage. Onboard fire-suppression systems are also fully automated with the superstructure, much like the decks down below, featuring extensive damage-control and fire-fighting stations, sensors and cameras that constantly monitor the temperature of the vessel, smoke detectors, sprinkling systems in all compartments, and bromotrifluoromethane (BTM) and clean agent fire suppression systems for essential areas. Ammunition magazines, missile magazines & loading mechanisms, pressurised water coolant tanks and lines for the various systems aboard the bridge including the three Mantiya-M CIWS and laser systems, and important sections necessary for the function (primarily, command and control) of the vessel are well protected with several layers of the aforementioned materials such as kevlar, reinforced super austenitic high-carbon stainless steel, carbon fibre-vinyl laminate composites reinforced with tri-alumina and carbon diboride, and other materials intended to protect key and hazardous components from penetrations, lessen the shock and damages that a concussion may pose from multiple potential penetrations from threats such as anti-ship missiles, also protect against flooding in the event of damage (severity may affect performance) whilst allowing damage-control parties to conduct their duties, and lastly, for in case for the magazines and missile storage units, protecting exterior and other internal systems from cook-off and detonations. In cases of CBRN situations, the vessel comes equipped with an automatic (though may be manually activated) countermeasure wash-down system wherein all exterior surfaces are sprayed down in seawater that are drawn through the intakes for the two magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accelerators to preserve the stealthy acoustic, magnetic, sonar, and pressure signature of the Lider as external intakes could and would compromise such measures; the countermeasure wash-down system sprays down the vessel with seawater to wash off hazardous particulates from chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks which is later mixed with aqueous film-forming foam that may be sprayed on top of high-hazard fires such as jet fuel set alight. Large neutron-absorbing boron-carbide panels and layers are embedded within the composite layers of the tri-hull and double-hull, additionally protecting against large-calibre rounds and explosive warheads and giving additional resistance against damages like scratching, however, it may be discarded without manual human labour to either replace it or remove it should it prove a threat. No aluminium is used in the Lider aside from minor components to be both more fire-resistant and not subjected to the threat of lighter metals cracking or fracturing apart, with such components located away from sensitive and vital equipment or sections. To lower its magnetic signature, and thus remove the chances of being intercepted by a magnetic sea mine or dedicated magnetically, the Lider-Class has multiple rotating coil degaussers and electromagnetic degaussers alongside the super austenitic stainless steel used in the general construction of the Destroyer being non-magnetic in nature.

Important sections such as the bridge, action information centre (AIC), damage-control sections, berthing facilities, and more are built with comfort but efficiency in mind. From the lights, and paint on the walls, to the materials used in seating, the Lider is the first in the Vichnayan Navy where the comfort of the crew was prioritised as well and the long deployment expected of a nuclear-powered ship meant that the cramped nature of previous designs could simply not be amended by shorter deployment periods or crews swapping once in port. For one, the standard seating that is used across the ship uses water and fire-resistant materials that incorporate memory foam, built in such a fashion that would allow the user to be fully comfortable whilst perfectly viable for work. Following the 2018 modification of Federal Defense Law No. 447, all late model Lider-Class, following Lider M-Class Destroyers, and future designs that relate to it would include gender-neutral living spaces to accommodate male and female crew members; communal shower and heads facilities have given way to individual cubicles, and six-person berths for junior ratings are far more flexible in accommodating a mixture of male and female sailors with both genders both expected to sleep in shared spaces and use common facilities. Shower facilities have been upgraded as well, being larger to accommodate persons of a larger height (up to 6’8 or 203 cm) and width. For comfort for long voyages, the officers and enlisted crews have access to separate sauna and plunge pool rooms, albeit small as to conserve space, and the newest addition to Vichnayan Navy designs, the addition of a small convenience store where sailors can go purchase an array of products ranging from (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks to clothes and uniform items, all the way to dedicated rental spaces where companies open up small fronts such as Starbucks coffee shops; sailors onboard the vessel can influence what products may be sold via suggestion slips, however products that contain hazardous products like Red-40 have strictly been banned for the health of crews. As stated previously, the crew has access to both an HVAC and AC system that constantly provides a well-regulated air temperature across the vessel that may be adjusted from room to room via controls typically located on a wall, although more often than not, controlled centrally to conserve energy. Aiding onboard water stores, two water desalination plants provide the crew with an unlimited source of drinking water, with the salt reused for the purposes of the crew. Whilst the mess hall and kitchen space onboard the Lider are built to maximise efficiency for serving, seating, and feeding sailors, it has been stylized to be reminiscent of diner halls from cities to produce a friendlier and relaxing space — each Lider-Class has its own unique decoration design for the mess hall for which the differences end at visuals alone, as they are nonetheless produced in the same configuration and layout as previously stated.

Propulsion and Power
The beating heart of the Lider-Class Destroyers has varied throughout its years of service though has consistently kept nuclear power as its source of propulsion and power; while a newer design than other nuclear-powered vessels within Lyceni, all Lider-Class Destroyers are equipped with two KN-10AM Generation IV Nuclear Reactors and two GT3AM-700 Steam Turbines that equipped the late model Kirov-Class Battlecruisers — although, the Lider M-Class upgrades would include upgraded GT3B-705 steam turbines that would increase efficiency and decrease noise — and though still uses Combined Nuclear and Steam (CONAS) propulsion as now as a secondary/redundant mechanism in the event of damage, now uses an integrated power system (IPS) that powers the drive motors as well as the rest of the ships’ systems. IPS now means that the Lider-Class Destroyer no longer requires a mechanical connection from the nuclear reactor-steam engines and propulsion, thus reducing the acoustic signature of the vessels significantly by reducing the vibration and noise that may been generated, and significantly reducing the weight as the mechanical systems for CONAS propulsion is no longer necessary for the operation of the propellers. This, in addition to acoustic and shudder dampening measures each of the rooms containing the nuclear reactor and steam turbines that are held separately for safety and damage control purposes, makes the acoustic signature of the Lider-Class Destroyers minimal enough to where its comparable to the a polymer-plastic canoe. Furthermore, there are four permanent-magnet motors (PMMs) as a lighter, more efficient, reliable, and high-strength alternative to the more antiquated singly-fed electric machines and other DC electric motors utilised by older vessels — the permanent-magnet motors are not a Vichnayan design, but one originating from the Republic of Alexiandra with the design only coming into Vichnayan hands following the end of the Third Astovkan-Vichnayan War where Western companies flooding into Vichnaya had sold the design, of which that patent would be withdrawn following the controversial attempted Vichnayan Intervention in the Second Magican War of 2022. The KN-10AM Nuclear Reactors are used in tandem with the GT3B-705 Steam Turbines to produce the total top speed for a Lider M-Class Destroyer of 70.8 knots, making it one of the fastest surface combatants among its other accomplishments whilst remaining silent. The acoustic decoupling of the nuclear reactors/steam turbines from the hull, aside from making the vessel silent, also reduces the weight, capital costs, and maintenance costs. Regardless, the integrated power systems and secondary CONAS mechanisms can be easily accessed internally by the crews with much of the same albeit modernised version of the Kirov-Class Battlecruiser’s prop shafts to facilitate faster training and crew familiarity as the previous Battlecruiser designs are still are a prominent ship type within the Vichnayan Navy. The two KN-10AM Nuclear Reactors for the Lider M-Class Destroyers are supercritical water reactors derived from the land based BN-series of Land-Based Nuclear Reactors currently used as the primary nuclear reactors within the Federal Republic of Vichnaya; far more compact than its land-based cousins, the two fast reactors are housed between the first and second ‘island’ superstructures for easier refuelling or replacement as well being able to handle far more stress than the previous KN-3/VM-16 pressurised water reactors (PWR) utilised in the Kirov-Class Battlecruisers, operate flawlessly under all adverse conditions encountered at sea that include vibration and the pitching and rolling of the vessel whilst operating in rough seas, be far more resistant to corrosion of seawater, efficiently run on either low or highly-enriched uranium, instantaneously halt functions in a SCRAM whilst preserving the capabilities/power generation for all systems important for operations and being safer to handle if damaged or, in the worst case scenario, underwent a reactor melt down, and a variety of other factors that make the Generation IV-derived reactors far more expensive than previous reactors of the Vichnayan Navy but significantly more capable with an increase of power, reliability, safety with reduced maintenance costs, maintenance downtime, and suited for the next-generation power-hungry vessels of the Lider-Class Destroyers. With the integrated power system allowing the two nuclear reactors to generate more electricity without the hassle of powering the a conventional drive as the primary means of pushing the propellers, the power generation from the nuclear reactors producing the steam to power the electric propulsion motors can be used far more efficiently with the assistance of the onboard nuclear reactor control and management program (BK-UYR) who will automatically monitor and manage the power generation and cooling systems which in-turn is directly supervised by sailors who can manually operate the systems should it be required to.

The two supercritical water reactors work on the basis of boiling either light or heavy water within the reactor core at a temperature above the critical temperature of 374 °C (705 °F) to enter a quasi-water-steam state at a maximum supercritical pressure of 49.02 megapascals (7,110 psi), with the aforementioned supercritical-light/heavy water serving as the neutron moderator throughout the entire process with emergency neutron moderating elements located the pressure tubes and control rods. The moderators, contained within a hermetically-sealed low-pressure calandria vessel, is in direct contact with the pressure tubes which are also hermetically-sealed to provide an additional long-term moderation for cooling as well as removing decay heat that the standard passive moderators were not able to syphon out the high-efficiency fuel channels for both reactors; during a start up process lasting ten minutes, a mixture of thorium oxide and plutonium is introduced into the reactor as a reference fuel before high/low-efficiency uranium or thorium is injected as the primary fuel source — the moderating rods are also assisted by water rods that also serve as yet another moderating source, but both are still constructed as a tight rod lattice with superb thermal stability and insulation. By avoiding boiling that standard pressurised water reactors (PWRs) would have, the KN-10AMs does not generate voids with less density and moderating effect, in turn making the need for pressurizers and steam generators, jet/recirculation pumps, and steam separators and dryers entirely redundant that significantly reduces production and maintenance costs, improves reliability, and improves safety should there be accidents involving a large-break loss-of-coolant or station black-out events; the reactors are padded with materials with steel oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys reinforced with zirconium for increased neutron absorption, reduced swelling or brittlement, creep resistance, and more corrosion resistant than nickel-based alloys. The Lider II-Class is expected to follow much of the same with their planned KN-11 Supercritical Water Reactors, however features more space for additional moderating channels that would allow it to utilise unenriched uranium as an emergency source of fuel should enriched uranium not be able to be attained. Each of the previous KN-10A reactors in the first-model Lider-Class Destroyers were able to produced 1300 MW of electric power, the current Lider M-Class Destroyers and its derivatives using the KN-10AM reactors were each able to produce 1800 MW of electric power, and the planned Lider II-Class with their two KN-11 reactors are each theoretically capable of producing up to 2200 MW of electric power — regardless of all three reactors, this doesn’t translate to waste heat but instead high thermal efficiency of upwards to 57% compared to the 43% of previous nuclear reactors making it a more self-sufficient, sustainable, and overall far more simplified which then leads to the aforementioned benefits. The excess thermal energy is then used to boil water for the steam turbine, for which provides additional energy; the Lider M-Class Destroyer, by far the most numerous of its type currently in service in 2024, is capable of generating upwards of 1900 MW if both the nuclear reactors and steam turbines are used together with the option of installing an Astovkan MTU-designed diesel engine in the event that the nuclear reactors are unable to be used. If a rapid emergency shutdown of one or both reactors is necessary (SCRAM) then the control rods will be inserted automatically within milliseconds of the control system detecting an anomaly and, if a catastrophic meltdown and possible supercritical detonation were imminent, force the injection of ten tons of boron into the core/reactor unit that would kill a nuclear reaction. The reactor and turbine rooms are separated in individually contained rooms within the mid-section of the Lider-Class where the armour is thickest with additional kevlar and composite matrices surrounding each section that protects the power generation units from damage or penetration from event hypersonic cruise missiles or armour-piercing precision-guided bombs but also protects the crew from radiation or an explosion from either the reactors or steam turbines; the reactors have additional composite layers of lead, concrete, and other materials that would be resistant against temperatures upward to 3,000°C (5,432°F) that, in theory, would be nigh immune to a melted down core that would leave the ship and its surroundings free of radiation where damage control can respond safely. The lifetime of each reactor is 60 years.

Excess gas generated by the nuclear reactor and steam turbines are collected by the Lider-Class into separate tanks, which are stored for use for the two magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) accelerators for silent propulsion. The two drives are equipped with a Neimann-Holtz generator that prevents the formation of a magnetic field and the gas bubbles that would otherwise threaten the magnetic, acoustic, and sonar stealthiness of the Lider-Class and truly allowing it to be silent whilst underway.

The first means of propulsion for the modern Lider M-Class Destroyer is a seven-blade composite skewback screw fitted with a vortex diffuser to reduce propeller-induced vibrations, reducing very low-frequency blade rate noises in the wake of the vessel during either low or high speeds with the vortex diffuser unwinding the vortex produced by the root of the blades which increases propulsive efficiency and prevents the formation of vortex hub cavitations when the Lider-Class is at its maximum speed of 70 knots, and optimised for agility and manoeuvrability whilst producing minimal screw noises whilst rapidly transitioning to higher speeds (I.e, flank speed). The seven-blades additionally assist the vessel by being optimised for minimal drag in the water, producing a smaller wake, less cavitations, and turbulence — making the subsurface acoustic noise of a Lider M-Class Destroyer quieter than the Astovkan Type 212A submarine.

Sensors, Radars, and other Systems
See Sub-Article: Lider-Class Destroyer's Sensor Array and UBK Noch-Krylatka
The Noch-Krylatka Universal Combat System or UBK «Noch'-Krylatka» is the mechanical brain of the Lider-Class Destroyer that autonomously combines data from the data from sensor systems and detection arrays from both itself and friendly assets, serve as a command and control asset wherein it or other systems can extend its capabilities, act as a link in a wider battlespace for fast reaction to air, land, and aerospace threats, and efficiently manage resources. Doing this, it also denies its adversary situational awareness through the use of its advanced stealth features and a wide array of electronic warfare (EWAR) systems for electronic protection (EP), electronic attack (EA), specific emitter identification (SEI), and electronic/communications intelligence (ELINT/COMINT) interception with integrated automatic cryptological analysis, as well as allowing the Lider-Class to conduct its indicated duties such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) and long-range to short-ranged air defence (LR-AD/SR-AD), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), ballistic missile defence (BMD), and naval gunfire support (NGFS) with a large variety of weapon, countermeasure, and sensor systems which it can autonomously operate all at once — capable of effectively overwhelming hostile groups such as surface fleets and their aerial and underwater assets with a single Lider-Class Destroyer. As previously stated, the system receives data from all sensors and combines it via sensor fusion into a single manageable line of information that consoles and sailors can access in secured, encrypted datalinks instantaneously in real-time and without interference from cyber warfare or electronic warfare attempts to delay information. The programs, software, and artificial intelligence programs detect, identify, and track all manner of contacts or threats in real-time and in all weather or environmental conditions at extreme ranges, as well as localise, identify, evaluate, prioritise, and plan engagements with onboard and off-board weapons and systems to counter time-on-target situation attacks, give and send targeting information and engagement information to friendly assets via any sensor–to–shooters via plug-and-fight to enhance air defences, ballistic missile defences, and surface/underwater engagement reach. Alongside the UBK Noch-Krylatka System, the onboard artificial intelligence programs assist the crew and system in monitoring the health of the ship, coordinate and manage energy consumption with the onboard nuclear reactor control and management program (BK-UYR) and the associated cooling systems for all systems across the vessel, manage the efficiency for coordination and communication between the ship and friendly forces via a communications, navigation, and identification suite semi-analogous to Link 16/Link 22 to facilitate a network-centric warfare environment. Additionally, the system conducts minor but overall important tasks that personnel such as gunnery officers would have to conduct, or assisting in complicated tasks such as electronic warfare, monitoring of the battlespace, close-in-defence, battle damage assessment (BDA), and more in a restricted manoeuvre environment in either blue or brown water. All systems in the Noch-Krylatka System and associated systems are hardened against electromagnetic interference from EMPs by either natural, man-made or solar determinants, and additional measures for continued encrypted, long-range information transfer and communications are in place if a high-energy radiation-induced R5 X20-class radio blackout caused by a potential solar storm or solar flare; important networks, which include the fibre-optical cables and alike, are themselves capable of withstanding excessive electrical charges and overloads and directing said excess voltages to the environment around the vessel in moderate amounts to prevent damages of injuries to equipment and personnel outside the ship. The vessel maintains the necessary stations and equipment that can support command and control of tactical, operational, and up-to-strategic battle spaces, serve as a radio/command relay station, long-range electronic intelligence and reconnaissance platform, missile and space tracking station, and more; a single Lider-Class Destroyer can support command, control, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (C2ISTAR); command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (C3ISTAR); command, control, communications, electronic warfare, cyber command and mission system, and situations awareness (C3SREW-MS/SA); command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, and interoperability (C4I2); command, control, communications, computers, cyber and intelligence (C5I); and command, control, communications, computers, cyber-defence and combat systems and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C6ISR). The later Lider M-Class and its derivatives can support multi-domain command and control (MDC2), whilst the projected Lider II-Class is expected to support nuclear command, control, communications, and intelligence (NC3I). Because of such features, the Lider-Class Destroyers and their derivatives can serve as relay stations and command posts where, in the event of a communications shutdown, the tempo of all friendly forces and assets will not be hampered whilst the vessel can operate normally without any strain on its system — an important requirement placed onto the Lider-Class during its development stages as the Vichnayan Navy and later Orlova Pact Navies were expected to fight a numerically superior foe in a nuclear battlefield where standard communications platforms were assumed to be either disrupted or outright eliminated, and with the vessels expected to duel against enemy surface fleets in duos or alone, and constantly maintain a steady stream of information for friendly air, land, and sea forces and assets.

Armament, Decoys, Passive Defences
The Lider-Class Destroyer and its derivatives stands out in the naval world as being one of the most heavily armed guided-missile surface combatants in the world as of March 13, 2024, surpassing even the dedicated Predator-Class Arsenal Ships employed the Magican Navy in armament with a tonnage closer to the Emotive-Class Battleship dating from the First Great Lyceni War rather than contemporary vessels in which it is classified under in the Vichnayan Navy. Compared to the 96 vertical launch system (VLS) cells equipping the typical Destroyers designed in Alexiandran-Harrosopian-Magican standards, the Lider-Class Destroyers comes equipped with over 362 UKSK-U vertical launch cells for its standard configuration, with 170 VLS cells dedicated for land-attack/anti-shipping missiles such as the 3M23 Tsirkon-U or the 3M78 Tsitrin, 72 VLS cells for the S-600F long-to-extreme range surface-to-air missile system, and the remaining 120 VLS cells dedicated to the S-700F medium-to-extreme range missile system that — despite the S-700F’s long-range, speed, and high performance, each 9M500E1M missile is small enough to be quad-packed into each UKSK-U VLS — by large, makes for a staggering 722 missiles that are onboard a single Lider-Class Destroyer alongside the 96 “Ekhion-K” (9M490) missiles for the Mantiya-M close-in weapon systems, for a total count of 818 missiles if the 170 UKSK-U VLS cells for the land-attack/anti-shipping missiles are not used for additional anti-air equipment like the Shashka-Class Destroyer subvariant. As the original Lider-Class Destroyers were built to house large missiles like the S-500F’s 77N6-2M exoatmospheric interceptor, the vessels were able to carry the full strike-length UKSK-U cells to accommodate the size of the now-replaced S-500F with the newer S-600F and S-700F missile systems that have a higher performance, range, range of capabilities, and in the case of the S-700F missile system, a small size that's comparable to the Western-built Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). This in turn, allows the Lider-Class to carry nearly all Orlova Pact-standard naval-compatible missile systems including all cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and anti-air systems with the only systems not compatible with the VLS cells of the Lider-Class Destroyers being submarine-launched missiles such as the RSM-56 Bulava merely because of the width of the system rather than length — and unlike previously UKSK variants, the UKSK-U is capable of alongside connected replenishment (CONREP) of the “canister” or “cell” itself via the crane arms of Orlova Pact replenishment ships or simply reloading a canister by inserting a missile into the cell as individual UKSK-U modules are designed to be reusable for an estimated life of 40 launches before needing to be recycled.

The layout of the weaponry onboard the Lider class is relatively simple and hasn’t changed much seeing it is a highly standardised, mass-produced vessel used widely by the Vichnayan navy and thus, compatible with a number of different weapon systems from across the Orlova Pact and able to be maintained by ports with various degrees of required infrastructure for support. The A-400E 130mm gun and two of the four ‘pop-out’ Udav-1MAs are mounted on the foredeck of the vessel, with the two Udav-1MAs retracted into the hull when not in use; reloading and maintaining the system can be performed below or on deck. The two remaining pop-out Udav-1MAs are found below but adjacent to the superstructure that houses the two forward Mantiya-M CIWS systems, which is also able to be retracted into the hull. The majority of the MTPU 14.5⨯114mm and the 6P50-3 Kord 12.7⨯108mm heavy machine guns are found on either of the two ‘island’ superstructures in either crew-served (in the case of weaponry found higher up near the bridge) or in remote-weapon stations (such as near the gunwales) that are housed in small, specialised mounts that operators can raise or lower, both protecting the weapon from environmental conditions and preserving the stealth of the Lider-Class; two Kords are located to the far aft of the vessel. The 170 UKSK-U VLS cells for the various anti-ship or general-purpose missiles (3M23 Tsirkon, 3M80 Sapfir, 3M78 Tsitrin, etc) are located forward of the deck between the first CIWS system and the A-400E gun. The Paket-NK launchers are located aft midship below the second structure and its hangers, where the 2⨯4 torpedo launchers will have a limited horizontal +/- 3° traverse, whose firing port is covered when not in use to preserve ship stealth. The 2 Kaz COIL Point-Defense Laser Arrays are located midway of each of the masts just above the primary and secondary radiators where their cooling systems are also based in, allowing for efficient cooling and continued usage of the laser array in their functions. Finally, the last 192 VLS cells dedicated to the S-600F and S-700F surface-to-air missile systems are located on either side and rear of the aft helicopter landing pads. Just behind the helicopter landing deck are two AU-220UM 57mm autocannons contained in carbon fibre-reinforced polymer stealth mounts that allow the gun to be hidden from radar and plain sight when not in use, given it a very distinct, angular shape, and thus, a low-radar signature. There are two large spaces in the first superstructure dedicated to storing, deploying, and recovering up to two rigid-hull inflatable boats and two Samoubiystvo underwater surface vessels (USVs). Aside from the two helicopters stored in the Lider, up to four Orlan-70 reconnaissance drones are also stored and can be deployed from the drone launchers located at port and starboard. The Lider II largely maintains the layout, but expands on the baseline Lider-Class Destroyer design with additional armament; closer to the design of a dedicated arsenal ship, the Lider II has 182 USKS-U VLS cells on the forward area of the ship, whilst the 276 VLS cells dedicated for the S-600F and S-700F SAM systems are located in the areas once occupied by the helicopter pad. The Paket-NK launchers have been expanded to 2⨯8 over/under launchers. The number of Mantiya-M CIWS systems have been expanded to six systems, with the last two Mantiya-M occupying the space where the two AU-220UM Baikal turrets were housed as those two were moved up front just below the bridge and just behind the rows of USKS-U VLS cells. In turn, the Lider II removes the forward A-400E 130mm gun and all Udav-1MA anti-submarine launchers.

Redesigned to give a lower radar-cross section than previous UKSK models, the 3S22 UKSK-U VLS are similar in appearance to the Mk. 57 VLS cells utilised by the newer-generation Western Destroyers to reduce radar and electromagnetic returns from a high altitude sensors looking down towards the Lider-Class, with the composite materials utilised in each launcher giving it not only a lighter weight that would keep it the same as the previous 3S14 UKSK-M but additionally reducing its thermal/infrared signature of the launcher itself from ambient surface temperature that after the launch of a missile or a failed launch. The cooling system of the launchers are regulated by the onboard AI programs that maintain the resting temperatures to be in-line with the rest of the vessel, which in turn camouflages the Lider-Class Destroyer against thermal/infrared sensors by matching the exterior ambient sea and air temperature outside the Lider; during launch, the gas management system facilitates the egress of gases into the exhaust vents within each cell and reverses said gases back into a cell to rapidly cool the missile canister should a ‘hot-launch’ be utilised. A concentric-canister launch (CCL) design, the UKSK-U supports hot-launches wherein the missile propels itself out of the launching cell using its own engine, which eliminates the need for a separate system to eject the missile from the launching tube, and cold launchers where the missile is thrown 50 metres at a speed of 440 miles (700 km) per hour into the air via an magnetic-compressed air hybrid launch system before the engine/rocket motors are ignited. Missile such as the 9M500E1M from the S-700F SAM system is more suited to a hot-launch for a fast reaction against aerial threats while the 3M23 Tsirkon-U hypersonic cruise missile is cold-launched as its missile booster cannot be safely launched within the ship’s hull. The compact size of the pods also mean that each one are armoured with extensive armour on the interior and thin armour on the exterior, limiting any damage from fragments or an explosively-formed penetrator to only one or two modules and leaving the rest of the VLS cells unaffected. The design of the UKSU-U also redirects an explosion upward that, again, limits the damage to only that cell whilst leaving the others in operational conditions. Missiles, regardless of the type of launch method, can be launched in pairs of 2 within 1 second of each other.

The 111SG-M depth charge rockets, 111SZ-M mine-laying rockets, and 111SO-M decoy rockets utilised by the Udav-1MA anti-submarine rocket system maintain the same design with the older Udav-1M, however, all warheads and propellants used are insensitive and resistant against high-temperature fires, cook-offs, sympathetic detonations, bullet and fragment impacts, and shaped charge jet impacts. The 510 140mm case-telescoped rounds carried by the A-400E gun are likewise insensitive, as well as the 1600 57mm case-telescoped rounds for the AU-220UM autocannons. All ammunition and small-arms carried onboard the Lider-Class are stored within armoured magazines or armoured gear storage lockers. The 14.5⨯114mm MTPU heavy machine guns can be swapped out with low-observable remote-control mounts to mount 2A110 40mm electrothermal-chemical autocannons firing case-telescoped ammunition, whilst the 12.7⨯108mm Kords can be swapped with 2A97 30mm autocannons also housed in low-observable mounts. Optionally, the two AU-220UM autocannons can be replaced by two Mantiya-M combined gun-and-missile systems that brings up the total CIWS count to 5; the Jarilo-Class and Shashka-Class derivatives feature a heavier armaments with the swapped options stated above, with the Jarilo-Class removing its Udav-1MA anti-submarine launchers for either additional 2A110 40mm autocannons or electronic-warfare equipment to suit its role as a dedicated air-defence variant and the Shashka-Class doing much the same, but replaces the A-400E gun with a A-500E 155mm ETC gun and replaces the helicopter hangers for more UKSK-U VLS cells that aligns it more as a fleet-defeating/shore bombardment platform. Regardless, all gun systems onboard the Lider-Class can be utilised for anti-ship, anti-air, point defence, and naval gunfire support (NGFS) roles.

The two Kaz EOIL Point-Defence Arrays are groups of 6 module variable-scale lasers whose power can scale from 10kW to rapidly defeat low-end/cost asymmetrical threats such as drones/loitering munitions, or up to 30mW to destroy threats such as hypersonic cruise missiles or satellites/orbiting weapon stations at all in-atmospheric altitudes and up to low-earth orbit — its design is based off of the land-based ‘Peresvet’ laser system, although can engage up to 12 targets simultaneously and in-turn is more matured system much like the Peresvet’s successor, the Zadira laser system currently employed by the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Federal Republic of the Aerospace Forces of the Federal Republic. Additionally, the Mantiya-M CIWS has three 80kW Electric Oxygen Iodine Lasers (EOIL), capable of engaging aerial and sea targets from a maximum distance of 120 kilometres under ideal conditions. Depending on the target, an individual laser may incinerate a target in merely 1-3 seconds, with a maximum of 10 seconds for larger targets such as aircraft. Each laser can be focused onto a singular target, or be directed by the Mantiya’s AI and FCS to individual targets. The lasers can be guided onto target by either radar or electro-optical sensors, or in the case of the Kaz Point-Defence Arrays, be used to dazzle/disable optics of surveillance vessels or aircraft to deny the Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to hostile forces.

The ten KT-220 decoy launchers can deploy up to 100 combined chaff-and-flare rockets, and the four KT-300 Active Decoy Launching Systems can deploy up to 40 decoys. The KT-300 is a solid-fuel rocket-propelled disposable, offboard, active decoy designed to lure anti-ship missiles away from the vessel by hovering mid-air before simulating the radar signature of ship, as well as jamming or simulating the false radio frequency emissions for a lingering period of an hour. These two systems are designed to spoof modern and projected next-generation anti-ship missiles deployed by the Alliance of Global Powers if they are not intercepted by the variety of air-defence systems onboard the Lider-Class. The MG-98AM floating torpedo decoys deployed from the aft of the vessel and 110SO-M rocket-propelled sonar decoys launched from the Udav-1MA rocket launchers are designed to defeat wake-homing, acoustic-homing, magnetically-guided, and wire-guided torpedoes by jamming signals in all frequency bands at distances up to 100 metres away from the ship, which disables the receiving channels of a torpedo’s homing system and the latter lose the capability to detect surface ships, or provides simulated emission, which causes the torpedo to home in on the SCM module. The MG-98AM floating torpedo decoy can be launched via a rocket much like the anti-ship decoys out to 2 kilometres away at a speed of 185 kilometres per hour (115 miles per hour) and can remain active for up to three hours. The KT-220, KT-300, and MG-98AM decoys share the same KZM launcher, and can be interchangeable — the systems have ready lock lockers for quick reloading, with the Shashka-Class Destroyers having an automated loading mechanism for all launchers. All countermeasure/decoy systems are hidden within the ship beneath shudders, reducing the radar signature of the vessel. The countermeasures are automatically deployed when the vessel detects the threat, with the UBK Noch-Krylatka automatically determining which system to use though can be manually deployed by operators if required.

The Paket-NK-M torpedo launcher is a modernised version of the Paket-NK. It is capable of engaging ships, submarines, torpedoes, mines, and unmanned underwater vehicles at a longer range and deeper depths. The standard Lider/Lider M-Class Destroyer’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities are augmented by two Kamov Ka-27s, of which they’re projected to be replaced by the Kamov Ka-40 in the near future as stated by the Vichnayan Ministry of Defense.

There are 6 TK-30 electronic warfare systems installed on each Lider-Class Destroyer as an all-RF frequency, multifunctional, and long-range combined signals intelligence (SIGINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), electronic attack (EA), electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) in the way of pulse compression, ECM detection, frequency hopping, polarisation, and sidelobe banking, foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT), meaconing where the Lider-Class and its AI programs learns of the specific characteristics of navigational aids or radio beacons to them retransmit them with incorrect information, and capable of digital radio frequency memory where then the digitised radio frequencies can be used for the mentioned EW methods above with integrated cryptological analysis and specific emitter identification (SEI) — with secondary functions as a radar warning receiver against anti-ship missile guidance radars, long-range surveillance radars, low-to-high frequency targeting/fire-control radars, and “frying” the guidance systems on precision-guided munitions, drones, and incoming missiles. The newer Lider-M features the TK-30M electronic warfare suite, which was improved to more effectively defend against saturation attacks from anti-ship missiles, guided/unguided munitions of all types, drones/loitering munitions, jam modern/next-generation airborne radar aircraft the E-7 Wedgetail, and seamlessly integrate with the newer decoy systems like the KT-300 and MG-98AM. Once it has jammed a guided-munition or any other target, the TK-30M will generate a multitude of false targets away from friendly forces or the vessel itself to lower the chances of casualties. It is linked to the Noch-Krylatka Universal Combat System, thus allowing it to work in conjunction with other electronic-warfare systems whether they are land-based, aerial, or other naval EW systems such as the older TK-23s found on Orlova Pact-standard frigates.

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Variants

Lider
The first production variant with the original Noch-Kryalatka A Universal Combat System and radars with additional elements, especially in the first 5 ships fielded, from the previous Sovremenny-Class and Udaloy-Class Destroyers. Previously equipped with multiple Kortik-M combined-missile and gun systems, S-500F surface-to-air missile missiles, an AK-130U 130mm naval gun, up to 170 UKSK-M VLS cells, and more before swapping out the Kortik-Ms with Pantsir-Ms. The original Lider-Class Destroyer had 35 hulls produced with more an additional 15 more slated for construction from 2001 to 2010, though halted with the 15 additional hulls converted to the Shashka-Class Destroyer whilst the original Lider-Class Destroyers would be upgraded to the Lider M-Class Destroyers.

Lider M & Derivatives
The current variant that all Lider-Class Destroyers have been converted to with additional hulls expected to join the the Vichnayan Navy up to 2040 when production transitions to the Lider II-Class Destroyer. Originally designated the Lider II-Class, its designated was changed when the General Staff of the Maritime Forces of the Federal Republic selected Project 23564 in early-2020.

The Shashka-Class is a dedicated shore-bombardment and fleet defeating platform with an increased VLS cell count, additional autocannons, two additional CIWS systems, two A-500E 155mm electrothermal-chemical guns and upgraded EWAR equipment designed to negate enemy electronic-warfare elements whilst effectively locking down a sector for friendly forces – in turn, the Shashka-Class loses its helicopter hangers for more storage for ammunition and missiles for its CIWS systems and other weapon systems.

The Jarilo-Class is a dedicated air-defence and anti-ballistic missile platform that loses the A-400E 130mm ETC gun for more space for S-600F/S-700F SAM systems, two more Mantiya-M combined missiles nd gun systems, is primarily equipped with S-700F missiles in place for the land attack/anti-shipping missiles, more powerful electronic-warfare warfare equipment, additional autocannons and small-arms, and also loses the helicopter hangar for more ammunition, missiles, and weapon systems. Unlike the other variants of the Lider M-Class Destroyer, is it exclusively serving as a fleet escort for carrier strike groups or as an area denial platforms for important locations.

Lider II
The current planned replacements for the Slava-Class Cruisers and Kirov-Class Battlecruisers featuring larger dimensions than even that of the current Lider-Class Destroyers with more armament, reduced crew count, more automation, and advanced sensors that would place it forefront as the centre of fleets alongside the Shtorm-Class Aircraft Carriers.

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Operators

The Federal Republic of Vichnaya
● Морские силы Федеративной Республики (Maritime Forces of the Federal Republic)