Chkalov
Also called: 契卡洛夫 · Чкалов · Tschkalow Beta- Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
- Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
- Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
On this page
Chkalov Community Stats
Across 19,000+ Standard battles from 190+ players, Chkalov averages a 68% win rate, 107,000 damage and 1.7 kills per battle, and survives 72% of them.
Chkalov Community Stats
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Chkalov Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Chkalov is the premium Tier VII Soviet skip-bomber carrier. Her HE skip bombs ricochet across the water into hulls for up to 10,500 per drop, best against lightly-armored or distracted ships and the tall superstructure of battleships. The air torpedoes are slow and light on damage, so the bombs carry the kit, and thin-skinned planes mean she keeps clear of AA-heavy ships. Standout traits: best AA reach in T7 CVs (5.2 km, 1st of 12). Each squadron flies 6 planes and they come back 40 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 240 seconds of reserves.
Positioning
Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 14.8 km and run at 32.3 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out.
Potato Avoidance
Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Replacing a lost aircraft takes 120 s at best, and your most fragile squadron flies at 1,700 HP, so a wave sent into a wall of AA thins the reserve for the rest of the match.
Signature Traits
5.2 km AA reach, best of T7 CVs.
- Heavy-pen bombs · 68.7 mm
- Long air-torp range · 6 km
- Heavy bombs · 10500 damage
14.8 km surface detect, worst of T7 CVs. Visible before you can react; position early.
3600 damage per air-dropped torpedo, bottom decile of T7 CVs. Need multiple drops to threaten BBs.
How to get Chkalov
Chkalov is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Global XP.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Official WG availability sources
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Anniversary Update: Operation Piñata
Sale
Start: 2025-07-31
- To celebrate the upcoming fall, we're running a special sale in the Store from August 18 to September 8.
- You can look forward to up to 30% off a range of ships, including Soviet Tier VII Premium cruiser Kutuzov, Japanese Tier VII Premium destroyer Yūdachi, and Soviet Tier VII Premium aircraft carrier Chkalov.
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November Update: Black Deals Under a Black Flag
Global XP
2024-11-14
- New Soviet Tier VII aircraft carrier Chkalov is now available in the Store for Global XP!
- You can also obtain Chkalov for doubloons until November 25.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where Chkalov sits among Tier VII CVs (11 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 20 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Chkalov -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier VII Aircraft CarriersShow all 11 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
6 planes per drop x 1 bomb each = 6.ƒ
6 bombs x 10,500 alpha = 63,000, if every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
6 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 6.ƒ
6 torpedoes x 3,600 alpha = 21,600, if every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 119 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 119 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 416 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 119 + Medium 416 = 535ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 9 clouds per salvo × 230 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 5.2 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 8×2 130 mm (8/side) × 60/5 s × 1900 = 182,400. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).ƒ
Fires/min (per side) 7.7 × (1 − 0.366 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 65,000 HP = 56,969. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Secondary DPM (per side) 182,400 + secondary fire DPM 56,969 = 239,369: shell damage plus fire damage against one T7 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
8×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 5 s × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 7.7. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
5 km × 57 + 30 = 315 m.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 32.3 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.0 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (29.1 kt of 32.3 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (32.0 kt of 32.3 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 14.75 km x 0.955 = 14.09 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 14.75 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 14.09 km.ƒ
Air detectability 11.91 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 11.91 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.ƒ
Sea detectability 14.75 km + 2.0 km while burning = 16.75 km.ƒ
Air detectability 11.91 km + 3.0 km while burning = 14.91 km.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Under the hood
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.
AA defense
Only families that reach 5.2 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm 67 V21 16x2 -> 278 DPS @ 3.5 km; 37mm 46k 8x4 -> 139 DPS @ 3.5 km; 130mm B2U 8x2 -> 119 DPS @ 5.2 km.@ 5.2 km: 119 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 278 + 139 + 119 = 536. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.278 + 139 + 119 = 536 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.5 km).278 × 3.5 + 139 × 3.5 + 119 × 5.2 = 2078. SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.Secondary battery firepower
The only family (130 mm): 1900. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1900 from the 130 mm family.The only family (130 mm): 8%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 130 mm family.The only family (130 mm): 22 mm. Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 22 mm from the 130 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
Further development of the Project 71 aircraft carrier continued under the "large aircraft carrier" project, codenamed 71B. The ship would have made it possible for the main naval forces to utilize their aviation quickly and efficiently in the open seas and near the coastline in areas located far from naval bases, but the project wasn't implemented due to the outbreak of World War II.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 51,700, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.
Overmatched by 137+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 19 mm primary (range 19–40 mm) | 1,600 (3% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 30 mm primary (range 15–50 mm) | 38,800 (75% of HP) | Overmatched by 460mm+ AP (Aki, Musashi)Angle bounces 410mm30 mm: HE pens from 203mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 19 mm primary (range 19–50 mm) | 2,200 (4% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Scharnhorst, Scharnhorst '43)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 100 mm primary (range 25–100 mm) | ≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap) | Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage | Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10. |
| Superstructure | 13 mm primary (range 13–50 mm) | 200 (0% of HP) | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP). |
| Secondary mount (130 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 800 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value. |
| AA mount (37 mm mount) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 200 per-mount HP | Destroyed at 0 HP | Per-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast. |
| Rudder (module) | separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP | 15,500 module HP | Incapacitated at 0 HP | When module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party. |
Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Chkalov can equip.
DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Primary official WG sources
Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.
