Balzam-class intelligence ship
The Balzam class is the NATO reporting name for a class of Intelligence collection ships built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. These ships are also known as the Lira class. The Soviet designation was Project 1826.
Design and role
The ships were designed to gather SIGINT and COMINT electronic intelligence via an extensive array of sensors. The data could be transmitted to shore via satellite link antennas housed in two large radomes. They were the first Soviet AGIs to be armed, carrying one AK-630 CIWS gun system and Strela anti-aircraft missiles.The last remaining Balzam class ship in active service is 344 ft in length, mounting a Medium Frequency sonar, High Frequency dipping sonar, Electronic warfare gear to include jammers, interception devices and code-breaking software: these ships were revolutionary when built in that they carried not only intercept and direction-finding electronics but also the necessary computing power to feed raw signal data into on-board information processing computers.
An Underway replenishment system was installed, as were two four-round Strela-2M IR-Guided SAM's and a single six-barrelled 30 mm gun. The weapons rely on a single remote Kolonka pedestal director.
Ships
| Name | Hull No. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fleet | Status | Notes |
| Lira | 516 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 9 February 1980 | Northern Fleet | Decommissioned in 1997 | |||
| Azia | 493 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 13 February 1981 | Pacific Fleet | In reserve | |||
| Pribaltica | 696 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 28 July 1984 | Pacific Fleet | In reserve | |||
| Belomore | 463 | Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad | 7 February 1987 | Northern Fleet | Active |