2 days ago
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Is this viable given the state of the US Arctic Fleet compared to Russia's?
Arctic Fleet of Russia
• The Arctic missions-capable Russian icebreaker fleet is the world’s largest and currently includes 42 vehicles, among them eight nuclear and 34 diesel-electric ones.
• These comprise five heavy nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 (the Arktika, the Ural, the Sibir, the Yakutia, the Chukotka) with a capacity of 60 MW each, as well as the world's most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker Viktor Chernomyrdin (25 MW).
• Adding to Russia’s assertiveness in the Arctic is the Russian Northern Fleet, which includes the Ilya Muromets heavy duty icebreaker, the large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov, and the large landing ship Alexander Otrakovsky.
• Also able to operate in the Arctic are Russian nuclear submarines of Borei class, each capable of carrying 16 Bulava ballistic missiles, and Yasen-class nuclear submarines with Onyx, Kalibr, and Zircon missiles.
Arctic Fleet of the US
• The Polar Star remains the US’ only operational heavy icebreaker capable of tackling Arctic ice. The medium icebreaker Healy has been out of action in the Arctic.
• Some naval surface ships, like Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers can navigate the Arctic.
• Nuclear-powered attack submarines of Los Angeles-, Virginia-and Seawolf-class are capable of navigating under the Arctic ice.
• Referring to the US being “severely outnumbered” in terms of icebreakers compared to Russia, Gregory Guillot, the commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, admitted that it “does limit our freedom of maneuver in that [Arctic] region."
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