Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

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Career

Designer:

Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau

Shipyard:

Ordered:

Laid down:

Launched:

Commissioned:

January 21, 1991
Fully operational in 1995

Status:

Active in service

General characteristics

Displacement:

43,000 tonnes light
53,000-55,000 tonnes standard
66,600-67,500 tonnes full load

Length:

300 metres overall
270 metres at waterline

Beam:

73 metres overall
38 metres at waterline

Draft:

11 metres

Powerplant

Steam turbines, 8 boilers, 4 shafts, 149 MW
2×37MW turbines
9×1500 kW turbogenerators
6×1500 kW diesel generators

Propellers:

4 with fixed pitch

Speed:

32 knots

Endurance:

45 days
7100 km at 32 knots

Complement:

1960 crew
626 air group
40 flag staff
3857 rooms

Armament:
	Guns	8 ×	AK-630 AA guns (6×30 mm, 6,000 round/min/mount, 24,000 rounds)
	Guns	8 ×	CADS-N-1 Kashtan CIWS (each 2 × 30 mm gatling AA plus 16 3K87 Kortik SAM)
	Missiles	12×	P-700 Granit SSM
	Missiles	18×	8-cell 3K95 Kinzhal SAM VLS (192 vertical launch missiles; 1 missile per 3 seconds)
	ASW	2 ×	RBU-12000 UDAV-1 ASW rocket launchers (60 rockets)

Aircraft:
	Fixed-wing
		12×	Su-33
		5×	Su-25UTG/UBP
	Helicopters	4×	Kamov Ka-27LD32
		18×	Kamov Ka-27PLO
		2×	Kamov Ka-27S

Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (Russian: Адмирал флота Советского Союза Кузнецов, originally named Tbilisi and then Leonid Brezhnev^[1]) 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.^[2] Kuznetsov was named after the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.

1 Role
2 History and current status
3 References
4 See also
5 Gallery
6 External links

[edit] 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 tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet. 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.^[3] However, it is not solely a political designation, as the Soviets intended their carriers to be used differently from Western conceptions of their role.

Deck configuration has three launch positions.

The Admiral Kuznetsov 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 the searching for naval mines.^[4] 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 helicopter for anti-submarine warfare and small transport.

For take-off of the fixed wing aircraft, the Admiral Kuznetsov utilizes 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 requiring an aircraft design which will not stall at those speeds.^[5]

The cruiser role is facilitated by the Kuznetsov's complement of 12 long-range surface-to-surface anti-ship Granit (SS-N-19) cruise missiles. This armament justifies the ship's type designator "heavy aircraft carrying cruiser".

[edit] History and current status

Admiral Flota Sovetskovo Soyuza Kuznetsov, constructed at Nikolayev South Shipyard in Nikolayev, 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 the summer of 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. 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 finally completed in July 1998, and the ship formally 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 2001. 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,^[6] 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.^[7]

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 unexpectedly passed by Norwegian platforms, 60 nautical miles outside Bergen, Norway.^[8] 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. ^[9]

[edit] References

^ "The Self-Designing High-Reliability Organization: Aircraft Carrier Flight Operations at Sea." Rochlin, G. I.; La Porte, T. R.; Roberts, K. H. Footnote 39. Naval War College Review. Autumn, 1987, Vol. LI, No. 3.
^ "China's Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: Seeking Truth from Rumors." Storey, I.; Ji, Y. Naval War College Review. Winter 2004, Vol. 57, No. 1.
^ "A Brief Look at Russian Aircraft Carrier Development", Robin J. Lee.
^ KnAAPO. "The Su-33 single-seat carrier-based fighter".
^ Gordon, Yefim & Davidson, Peter. 2006. "Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker", p. 54. Warbird Tech Series, vol. 42. ISBN 978-1-58007-091-1.
^ Pavel Felgenhauer, A Foolhardy Naval Exercise, Moscow Times. Critical article about the Fall 2004 exercise in which Kuznetsov participated.
^ Russia plans new life for naval assets Extract from Jane's, August 2006
^ "Russiske jagerfly lager kaos i Nordsjøen", 2007-12-11.
^ Russian navy distrupts access to N.Sea oilfields, Reuters. Article about the exercise off the coast of Norway

[edit] See also

List of aircraft carriers
- List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union

v • d • e Admiral Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier

Admiral Kuznetsov · Varyag List of ships of the Soviet Navy

[edit] Gallery

Admiral Kuznetsov	Two Su-33 'Flanker-D's lined up for a ski-jump launch.	An Su-33 on Admiral Kuznetsov's flight deck.	Admiral Kuznetsov sailing 1991 in the Mediterranean Sea with USS Deyo.
Admiral Kuznetsov in drydock.