Project1123 Moscva class Aviation Cruiser 1:350

Plastic model kit for a Soviet Project 1123 Moscow-class aviation cruiser

• Scale 1:350
• 54 cm long
• Can be built as a full-hull or waterline model
• 6 helicopters included (rotor blades in park or flight position)
• Flight deck lift open or closed
• Clear and photo-etched parts included
• With display stand
• 1 marking option
• Unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Project 1123 "Moskva" class was a class of Soviet Navy ships developed in the 1960s. Designed as a so-called flight deck cruiser, it was a combination of missile cruiser and helicopter carrier. Its primary purpose was anti-submarine warfare during the Cold War, particularly against Western nuclear submarines. The ships featured an unusual design with heavy missile armament in the bow and a flight deck at the stern, from which up to 14 anti-submarine helicopters could operate, but without the use of fixed-wing aircraft.

Only two units, the "Moskva" and the "Leningrad," were built. Despite modern sensors and a strong specialization in anti-submarine warfare, the concept proved to be a compromise, as its seaworthiness was limited and flight operations suffered in bad weather. Nevertheless, the class is considered an important developmental step towards later Soviet aircraft carriers such as the Kiev class.