The Russian Navy Report

The One and Only

        The Russian Navy currently operates only one aircraft carrier. If you want to be picky about it, officially it isn’t called an aircraft carrier. If you translate the Russian literally, then, it is a "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser" (тяжёлый авианесущий крейсер).  This name implies a mission very different from US carriers.  Where US carriers are used to project power and strike sea-based and land targets, the Admiral Kuznetsov is mainly a defensive weapons platform. The Admiral Kuznetsov is intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet.

      The official name of the aircraft carrier is Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov (Russian: Адмирал флота Советского Союза Кузнецов  Translation:"Fleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov"), but for obvious reason the ship is often just called Kuznetsov.  The Russian Navy refers to the ship as Project 1143.5. The  Kuznetsov is the only active ship of the Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carriers, with the other unit now belonging to China. 

      The ships were originally built for the Soviet Navy at Nikolayev shipyard in Ukraine.  Admiral Kuznetsov is the first hull of the class and was launched in 1985. She wasn’t commissioned until 1991, and because of financial delays she wasn’t operational until 1995. That same year she went on her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea to mark the 300^th anniversary of the Russian Navy.

       The ship has gone through several name changes. Originally the ship was to be called Riga, but was then renamed Leonid Brezhnev, and then Tbilisi. Finally, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the ship was named in honor of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.

Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov 

       

Here is a drawing showing the general layout of the ship.

  Now let’s take a closer look at some of the systems and construction of the Admiral Kuznetsov.

Su-33 getting ready for take-off

Aircraft:  The Admiral Kuznetsov uses a ski jump in order to launch its fixed wing aircraft.  

The ski jump is at a 12 degree angle, which can be seen clearly in this picture. 

       The ship lacks catapults for launching aircraft and therefore the take-off weight of the aircraft does not allow for heavy bomb loads.  The take-off speed of the aircraft is estimated at around 75-85 mph. Any aircraft heavily loaded with bombs would stall, and fall into the sea.The ship carries a variety of aircraft depending on its current mission. The following aircraft have been used in the past: 

Fixed Wing: 

Su-33 On the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov

Su-33 (Orginally known as the Su-27K, this is the aircraft carrier version of the Su-27 Flanker). This is a multi-role all-weather fighter, whose primary mission is air defense. The Russian Navy currently operates 19 Su-33's which will reach the end of their service life in 2015. The Russian Navy is then planning on replacing these aircraft with the MiG-29K. While they could just order more Su-33's to replace the aging one currently in the fleet, ordering the MiG-29K makes more sense because it is already being produced for the Indian Navy. 

Su-25

 Su-25UTG Frogfoot: These aircraft are used to train pilots for naval aviation. There are about 10 of them currently operating with the 279th Naval Aviation Regiment. 

 Helicopters:  

Ka-27

Ka-27 Helix: These helicopters are used for anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations.

       The Admiral Kuznetsov uses an arresting wire system similar to what you would see on a US carrier. 

Here is a video of the Admiral Kuznetsov conducting air operations. 

Other Weapons Systems: Besides its aircraft, the Admiral Kuznetsov also has a variety of other weapons systems. According to sources, here are the other weapons that the Admiral Kuznetsov  has.  

12 × P-700 Granit SS-N-19 'Shipwreck' SSM launchers

24 x 3K95 Kinzhal SA-N-9 'Gauntlet' SAM launchers with 8 missiles each

8 x Kashtan air defense modules, each with

2 x 9M311 SA-N-11 'Grison' SAM launchers with 4 missiles each

2 × GSh-6-30 30mm rotary cannon

6 x AK-630 30mm rotary cannon, 6,000 round/min/mount, 24,000 rounds

2 x RBU-12000 UDAV-1 antisubmarine rocket launchers (60 rockets)

Missile tubes for the SS-N-19's. These launchers are located in the bow underneath the flight deck. 

Propulsion: The Admiral Kuznetsov is conventionally powered. There are eight boilers and four steam generators on board that drive four screws. The ships top speed is 29 knots, with a range of 3,800 miles at that speed. However, at a slower speed of 18 knots, the ship has a range of 8,500 miles. 

The  Admiral Kuznetsov is currently on its way back to its Northern Fleet base. Once the Admiral Kuznetsov returns home she will soon be sailing to the shipyards in Severodvinsk, where the ship will undergo a major overhaul.  This looks to be a major overhaul, and the Admiral Kuznetsov will not rejoin the fleet until 2017. However this will extend the ships service life and allow her to serve as planned until 2030-2035. 

Though the Russian Navy has said it plan on building a nuclear aircraft carrier, those plans are in doubt now that they have plans to acquire the French built Mistral's.