After the first Pr.1134A class, the design was altered to incorporate more advanced techology, namely the M-5 gas turbine plant and Vega towed variable depth sonar to suplement the Titan-2 (titan-2k in most units) bow mouted sonar. The propulsion arragment and economical feasibility changed their building yards from Leningrad to Nikolayev, in Ukrainian SSR, on the black sea coast, where the near by gas turbine factory provided easier logistics. The Pr.1134B featured also more powerfull defensive armament, with AK-276 twin automatic 76,2mm ordanance replacing the 57mm set and Osa-M close range SAM system. 7 ships were build and intially they were all intended for the Pacific fleet, where their main operative area would have been the Philiphinean sea, to hunt down USN Polaris submarines. However, most of the class served in the Black Sea in order to participate in the Mediterrain operations. The ships came in three main variations, with the Nikolayev and Ochakov having the older Zaliv ECM suite,
as presented here by Ochakov
Then Kerch, which had the Koltso ECM fitted,
and the rest, which theoretically were to field the Koltso, but this was never fitted, as presented here by Tashkent:
Unlike many previous large soviet surface combatant, the Pr.1134Bs were designed with possible future modifications in mind with lots of allowed reserve stability and space. Ironically, no true modification plans were implemented due the fall of the union and the economical turmoil, despite some intresting concepts were planned, most of them featuring removal of the Metel/Rastrub complex and replacing them with various set of strike missiles. Reason for this was the obvious downfall of the entire idea of the Metel/Rastrub. The missile had impressive range of 55nm, but actual range that the ship could itself detect underwater targets were close to 12nm. Only one ASW helicopter was fitted, and thus it was impractical to use their capacities as main target accustion method for the main armament (and mostly Soviet fleet considered areal operations too risky and dangerous during the wartime, due the superiority of the enemy's naval aviation). These remedies were somewhat corrected in the following BPK design, the Pr.1155 with two Ka-27 helicopters and the gigantic Polimont sonar...but that is another saga itself.
Some limited modernisations did took place. Petropavlovsk had eletronical helicopter landing system fitted in place of the RBU-1000 AT RLs and was fitted for Ka-27 operations.
Azov was chosen to be test ship for the new Fort SAM system, and the missile and its volna FCR was fitted on the stern. As a backup (incase the Fort would provide failures in its testing nature), the foward position retained the Shtorm complex, so the ship would retain operational status. in 1977 Azov thus became first warship with VLS system installed.
Finally, Kerch recieved the MR-650 Podberezovik radar in place of teh MR-600 in 1988.
After the USN switched to the Trident missiles in their submarines, which could be launched to USSR from confined homeseas of US, the class sort of lost their purpose (as did the whole BPK concept), and they were first relocated into defences of the "Bastions", eq in Pacific Fleet, to defend the domestic SSBNs in the Sea of Okhotsk from hostile hunter-killer SSN incrucions, but largely they were in sort of limbo state of purposefullness, when the Union ended and the Soviet Naval power lost its meaning. Gradually therefore, they didn't find much use in the New Russian fleet, the pacific fleet units were decommisioned during the 1990s, and only Ochakov, Kerch and Azov continued to serve in descenting activity in the Black sea fleet. Only Kerch survives at this point, though it suffered a fire last year, and is out of operations with no secure future ahead, while Ochakov made headlines during the Krimiean take-over in good old fashioned blockship form.
And this ends the ASW sidestory of this saga and the next contribution to this thread will come in form of surface strikes again...soon I hope...