Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov ()
Fleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov, (originally named
Riga, renamed
Leonid Brezhnev then
Tbilisi["." Rochlin, G. I.; La Porte, T. R.; Roberts, K. H. Footnote 39. Naval War College Review. Autumn, 1987, Vol. LI, No. 3.]) is an
aircraft carrier (heavy aircraft carrying cruiser (TAVKR) in Russian classification) serving as the
flagship of the
Russian Navy. She was originally commissioned in the
Soviet Navy, and was intended to be the lead ship of
her class, but the only other ship of her class,
Varyag, has never been commissioned and was sold to the People's Republic of China by
Ukraine under the condition she would never be refitted for combat.
["." Storey, I.; Ji, Y. Naval War College Review. Winter 2004, Vol. 57, No. 1.] Kuznetsov was named after the
Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.
Role
While designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the
Admiral Kuznetsov class implies a mission different from that of either the United States Navy’s carriers or those of the Royal Navy. The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholyy avianesushchiy kreyser
(TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and naval missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian Navy. Russia claims that this designation allows the Soviet/Russian navy to circumvent the Montreux Convention, which deals with ships passing the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. However, it is not solely a political designation, as the Soviets intended their carriers to be used differently from Western conceptions of their role.
thumb|left|The deck configuration has three launch positions.
The Admiral Kuznetsovs main fixed-wing aircraft is the multirole
Su-33. It can perform
air superiority,
fleet defense, and
air support missions and can also be used for
reconnaissance and searching for
naval mines.
[KnAAPO. .] It is augmented by the twin seat Su-33UB, which is also used for pilot training along with the
Su-25UTG. The carrier also carries the
Kamov Ka-27 and Kamov Ka-27S helicopters for
anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and small transport.
For take-off of the fixed wing aircraft, the
Admiral Kuznetsov uses a ski-jump at the end of its deck. On take-off aircraft accelerate toward and up the ski-jump using their
afterburners. This results in the aircraft leaving the deck at a higher angle and elevation than on an aircraft carrier with a flat deck and catapults. The ski-jump take-off is less demanding on the pilot, since the acceleration is lower, but on the other hand results in a clearance speed of only 120-140 km/h (75-85 mph) requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds.
The
cruiser role is facilitated by the
Kuznetsov's complement of 12 long-range surface-to-surface anti-ship Granit (SS-N-19) (NATO name SHIPWRECK) cruise missiles. This armament justifies the ship's Russian type designator "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser".
History and current status
Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, constructed at
Nikolayev South Shipyard in
Nikolayev, Ukrainian SSR, was launched in 1985, and became fully operational in 1995. An official ceremony marking the start of construction took place on September 1, 1982; in fact she was laid down in 1983. The vessel was first named
Riga, but in November 1982 the name was changed to
Leonid Brezhnev, in August 1987 to
Tbilisi, and finally on October 4, 1990 to
Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, referred to in short as
Admiral Kuznetsov. The ship was 71% complete by mid-1989. In November 1989 she undertook her first aircraft operation trials. In December 1991, she sailed from the Black Sea to join the Northern Fleet. Only from 1993 on did she receive aircraft.
Kuznetsov made a brief Mediterranean training cruise early in 1996, marking the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy. During that period the carrier laid at anchor at sea off the
Syrian harbor of
Tartus[, IAF journal no. 145., June 2002] and its aircraft, mainly
Su-33 fighters made flights close to the
Israeli shore line, intercepted by Israeli
F-16's.
At the end of 1997 she remained immobilized in a Northern Fleet shipyard, awaiting funding for major repairs, which were halted when they were only 20% complete. The overhaul was completed in July 1998, and the ship returned to active service in the Northern fleet on November 3, 1998. The Kuznetsov apparently remained in port for about two years before participating in operations related to the rescue and salvage of the
Kursk submarine in late 2000. Plans for further operations were postponed or cancelled. In late 2003 and early 2004, the Kuznetsov went to sea for inspection and trials. In late October 2004, she participated in a fleet exercise of the Russian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean, and again in September 2005. During the 2005 exercise, one of her
Su-33 fighters was involved in an accident, and fell from the carrier into the Atlantic Ocean.
Although financial and technical problems have resulted in limited operations for the ship, it is expected that
Admiral Kuznetsov will remain in active duty until at least 2030.
On September 27, 2006 it was announced that
Admiral Kuznetsov will return to the Northern Fleet by the end of the year. The ship will undergo another modernization refit, in an attempt to correct some of its many technical issues. Admiral
Vladimir Masorin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, also stated that several
Su-33 fighters assigned to the aircraft carrier would return to the ship after undergoing maintenance and refits of their own.
On December 11, 2007,
Admiral Kuznetsov passed by Norwegian oil platforms in the
North Sea, outside
Bergen, Norway. Su-33 fighters and Kamov helicopters were launched from the carrier while it was on manoeuvres in the area of the rigs. The incident caused the Norwegian helicopter service to stop its flights out to the rigs, due to a risk of collision with Russian aircraft operating from the carrier. The Russian carrier was in international waters during the manoeuvres.
The
Admiral Kuznetsov then proceeded to the
Mediterranean Sea, where it participated in an exercise together with 11 other Russian Navy surface ships and 47 aircraft. It performed 3 tactical training missions, using live and simulated missile launches with both air and surface missiles.
The aircraft carrier arrived back in Severomorsk on February 3, 2008 along with Udaloy Class anti-submarine destroyers Admiral Chabanenko and Admiral Levchenko.
After a maintenance period she was back at sea on October 11, 2008 where drills were held in the Barents Sea. Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Dmitriy Medvedev visited the ship on October 12, 2008 during the Stability-2008 strategic exercises.
On December 5, 2008 the aircraft carrier and several other vessels left Severomorsk heading for the Atlantic on a tour which was announced would be lasting several months and which would include combat training including joint drills with Russia's Black Sea Fleet and visits to several ports in the Mediterranean. On this tour while the
Admiral Kuznetsov anchored off
Turkey on January 7, 2009 a small fire broke out on the ship. One crewmember was killed by
carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire was caused by a short-circuit. According to the
International Institute for Strategic Studies the
Admiral Kuznetsov is routinely followed by two tugs in case of breakdown.
On February 16, 2009, the
Admiral Kuznetsov, along with other Russian naval vessels was involved in
a large oil spill while it refueled off the south coast of Ireland.
[, Accessed February 17, 2009.]MiG-29K for the Admiral Kuznetsov
Russian Navy expects to buy
MiG-29K for
Admiral Kuznetsov by 2011. According to the newspaperBulletin"Reports said an informed source in the Defense Ministry of Russia, noting that the contract may be concluded in the next two years. Information was confirmed by the general designer of one of the defense enterprises, which produces subassemblies for these aircraft, while the
MiG corporation refrained from comment.
Currently, according to a companion publication to the
Ministry of Defense, the Navy has a fleet of 19 carrier-based fighters Su-33, a resource which will expire by 2015. The production of new
Su-33 is possible but not cost-effective for small volumes. At the same time, the
MiG-29K in this respect are more convenient, because the
Indian Navy has already ordered 16 aircraft and plans to buy at least 30 planes. As noted by Konstantin Makienko, it lessens the series article cost and allows to save on development. India has paid 730 million dollars for the development and delivery of 16 fighters, while 24 planes for Russia's fleet would cost about $1 billion.
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See also
