In the 1980s, the proud Soviet Navy built a less-than-satisfactory vessel that
would become the symbol of the decaying regime. But when the USSR fell apart and
Ukraine asserted its independence, the newly-formed state decided to keep it.
Admiral Kuznetsov was not as much an aircraft carrier as a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser.
From her inception, she was designed to support
submarines and aircraft that carried missiles, as well as surface ships.
However, her development was hindered by the dissolution of the Soviet Union,
and she was even forced to sail for thousands of miles without being finished.
After the fallout, the Soviets did not have the means to keep the flagship in optimal conditions,
but the crumbling government would not let go of their crown jewel so easily,
and secretly plotted to retrieve her from the Ukranians…
Castles In The Sky
Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov could never be considered a proper aircraft carrier.
In Russian classification, the ship is actually a heavy aircraft cruiser. From the start,
the ambitious Soviet Navy understood how the lack of such a crucial asset was indeed a handicap.
In the 1960s, the rapidly-expanding sea service looked to spread its
influence all around the world. Thus followed a list of abortive projects.
Then, in 1973, the Soviet military toyed with the concept of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
that would be 85,000-ton heavy and capable of accommodating no less than 60 to 70 aircraft.
The Soviets eventually pursued two less ambitious endeavors. One was Project 1143.5,
a nuclear-powered ship with twin catapults that would
carry a complement of upgraded Su-27KM and Yak-44 AEW/ASW fixed-wing aircraft.
Despite Western speculation that the ship would have Combined Nuclear And Steam propulsion,
the class had a more conventionally-propelled plant with oil-fired boilers.
Superficially, the ship's profile resembled the American carriers. But unlike her counterparts,
the 60,000-ton vessel was intended to operate in subordination to
missile submarines in the bastions of the Arctic.
Laid down in 1983 and launched in 1985, the first unit was initially named Riga,
then renamed Leonid Brezhnev, then Tbilisi, and finally, Admiral Kuznetsov.
By 1989, the ship was 71 percent complete and ready to begin aircraft operation trials. However,
she was never called an aircraft carrier. Instead, she was designated an aircraft-carrying cruiser,
a crucial distinction that allowed her to cross the Turkish Straits.
Had she not been permitted to cross into the Mediterranean,
she would have been stuck in the Black Sea because of a vital fact: the ship was built in Ukraine.
Revenge
In the fall of 1991, Ukraine declared independence from the USSR,
and tensions between the two states began to arise. There were also disputes regarding
the Black Sea fleet, as a significant portion of the officers were pro-Russian.
Towards the end of 1991, following the failed coup d'etat known as the August Coup and the
independence of Ukraine, newly-appointed President Leonid Kravchuk sent a telegram to the ship's
commander, Viktor Yarygin, proclaiming Admiral Kuznetsov as Ukrainian property.
Therefore, the ship had to remain in Sevastopol until
the Ukrainian government settled on her fate.
Even so, the Soviets wanted their vessel back. For one, Yarygin disagreed that the
ship should be kept in Ukraine. Not without reason, the commander reckoned Ukraine was
not even a constituted country yet, as no independence referendum had been issued.
Soon, the deputy commander of the Northern Fleet, Yuri Ustimenko,
arrived from the Arctic in an urgent attempt to pre-empt the Ukrainian government.
As such, on December 1st, the same day that elections were held for the state’s independence,
the Northern Fleet ordered the pretend-aircraft carrier to leave the Black Sea immediately.
Admiral Kuznetsov then departed for Murmansk,
manned by one-third of her original crew, while the remainder stayed behind.
The vessel was still incomplete, and after leaving the shipbuilding facility, she would
have to travel thousands of kilometers to a port that had no decent infrastructure to sustain her.
Regardless, she went on to become the Russian Navy's flagship.
Construction
Admiral Kuznetsov's design responded to a different mission from that of United States
carriers. Notably, TAVKR ships, or Tyazholyy Avianesushchiy Kreyser, heavy aircraft-carrying
cruisers, primarily aim to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines,
surface ships, naval missile-carrying aircraft and offer protection from hostile ASW aircraft.
Therefore, Kuznetsov is capable of engaging surface, subsurface, and airborne targets.
Her flight deck has an area of 14,700 square meters, and aircraft take-off is assisted
by a bow ski-jump at the bow angled at 12 degrees instead of steam catapults.
Notably, the lack of catapults does not allow to launch aircraft with heavy strike loads,
while the air superiority orientation of the air wing is apparent.
Instead, the fixed-wing aircraft have to start their afterburners and accelerate towards the ski
jump, lifting at a higher angle and elevation than on regular carriers with flat decks and catapults.
Admittedly, with a lower acceleration, the ski jump is less demanding on pilots' bodies. However,
the aircraft design must not stall at clearance speeds of only 120 to 140 kilometers per hour.
Furthermore, the flight deck includes arrestor wires and
two starboard lifts to convey the aircraft from the hangar.
Even though the ship was initially designed to operate supersonic STOVL fighters like
the Su-27K and, later, the heavier Yak-43, only the Su-33, MiG-29K and Su-25UTH have been taken
to sea on a mostly regular basis. Incidentally, the Su-25UTH was operated as an unarmed trainer.
In fact, the cruiser does not carry any airborne early warning aircraft aboard,
as that role is covered by Ka-31 helicopters. The ship also lacks dedicated electronic warfare
and defense suppression aircraft like those commonly fitted on US carriers.
Even so, Admiral Kuznetsov can perform air superiority,
fleet defense, and air support missions, as well as direct fire support of amphibious assaults,
reconnaissance, and placement of naval mines.
Perhaps more interestingly, Kuznetsov has a complement of 12 long-range surface-to-surface
anti-ship P-700 Granit cruise missiles, which only add to the ship's designation.
Bad Luck
The cruiser received her airwing until 1993 and conducted her first Mediterranean deployment
from late 1995 to early 1996, officially becoming the Russian Navy's flagship. Towards the end of
the decade, she was immobilized in a shipyard, awaiting a major overhaul that ended in 1998.
Two years later, her next deployment was suddenly canceled due to the Kursk
submarine disaster in 2000, and the capital ship was engaged in the salvage operations.
It would be quite a premonition for a service life plagued with incidents and aircraft crashes.
In September of 2005, a Su-33 accidentally slipped into the Atlantic, and the following year,
she returned to active service following a modernization to address technical issues.
As the 2010s arrived, the cruiser led a squadron to the naval facility in Tartus,
but the Russian Navy clarified that: (QUOTE) "The call of the
Russian ships in Tartus should not be seen as a gesture towards what is going on in Syria."
Only in 2016 did the cruiser get involved in the Syrian campaign - albeit forcefully
accompanied by an ocean-going tugboat to spare her
the humiliation of suffering a potential propulsion failure.
The vessel was equipped with 6 to 8 Su-33 fighters,
four Mig-29KR/KUBR multi-role aircraft, Ka-52K "Katran" navalized attack helicopters,
Ka-31R "Helix" AEW&C helicopters, and Ka-27PS "Helix-D" search and rescue helicopters.
According to several analysts and experts, the fleet lacked adequately trained pilots,
restricting the number of fixed-wing aircraft that could participate in the operation. In fact,
a MiG-29K crashed into the sea after failing to take off that November.
Nevertheless, the flagship soon took her position in a large-scale operation against
the Islamic State and Al-Nusra in Syria, conducting several fighter strikes and
marking the first time the pretend aircraft carrier participated in combat operations.
Admiral Kuznetsov also directed bomber precision strikes but lost another Su-33
that failed to land on the deck in December after the arresting cables failed to hold the aircraft.
Thus, the so-called carrier's fleet had to be transferred to a
land-based aerial facility to continue military operations in the region.
New Combat Potential
Admiral Kuznetsov has many problems, starting with the ship's propulsion system.
Notably, the Russian Navy struggles to sustain its only carrier and keep her operational.
Moreover, the country has no immediate plans to build a successor.
Kuznetsov has been undergoing refurbishment and upgrades to extend her service life since 2018,
including having all her boilers replaced. The plan initially called for the ship to be
back in service by 2021, but in 2022 she had to be modernized once more.
It was until late 2022 that it was announced the heavy cruiser would leave the dockside
when Alexei Rakhmanov, director-general of the United Shipbuilding Corporation,
stated: (QUOTE) "The dock repairs are almost completed.
The only thing left is to prepare the ship for repairs at the moorage."
However, he also admitted that the second half of the repair efforts
had to be re-oriented because of an incident involving a PD-50 dock. According to reports,
she was placed in a modernized dry dock of JSC Ship Repair Center "Zvezdochka."
The director-general then confirmed that:
(QUOTE) "The repairs of Admiral Kuznetsov are scheduled to be over in 2024."
With the updates she has received, the improved heavy aircraft-carrying
cruiser is expected to renew its combat potential considerably,
and the Russian Navy hopes to use her for another 10 to 15 years.
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