MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The announcement comes after Igor Ponomarev, the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) vice president for military shipbuilding told Sputnik that the Russian Defense Ministry approved the initial design for the destroyer, but did not specify which type of reactor the ministry chose.
“The design project implies the presence of a nuclear [reactor] on the perspective destroyer. This project was approved by the Russian Defense Ministry,” the source told Sputnik on Thursday.
The new Lider-class destroyer is planned to have a displacement of 17,500 tonnes, length of 200 meters (over 650 feet) and a width of 20 meters. It will have anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic missile, anti-surface and anti-submarine capabilities.
The Severnoye Design Bureau, the country's leading company for designing surface ships, has been refining its plans for the construction of the ocean-going Leader-class destroyer since 2010.
The universal battleship is expected to be set up in 2019 and is expected to replace three classes of ships, including project 1155 anti-submarine destroyers.
