The only aircraft carrier in the Navy of the Russian Federation, Admiral Kuznetsov, will adapt for the MiG-29K / KUB deck aircraft during the modernization, which is to be completed by the end of 2020. This was in an interview with TASS Sergei Orlov, head of the Nevsky Design Bureau (PCB), who developed a project to improve the ship.

"The aircraft will be based aircraft MiG-29K / KUB, Su-33 and several types of helicopters. For MiG-29K / KUB airplanes, just some modifications will be required. The pilots want something new, more perfect and reliable. Almost the whole aviation-technical complex of ship systems will be modernized, "Orlov said.

From "Riga" to "Admiral"


The construction of Kuznetsov began in 1982. The ship became the next step in the development of the aircraft carrying cruisers of Project 1143.5. Its key feature is the deck, designed for both vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and for fighters that need a take-off strip. In its history the ship changed its name several times. While designing, he was given the name "Riga", but after the death of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev, the cruiser was renamed in honor of the head of the USSR. After the tests began, the ship received a new name - "Tbilisi", under this name were tested. In particular, for the first time in the history of the naval aviation of the Soviet Union, it was planted "in an airplane", that is, horizontally.

  • Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov in the Mediterranean Sea
  • RIA News
  • © Andrei Lusik

However, the ship was officially included in the Soviet Navy after his next, this time the last renaming. He received the name "Admiral Kuznetsov". Soon he almost ended up in the Ukrainian Navy, which at that time was separated from the USSR. President of the Republic Leonid Kravchuk in the fall of 1991 said that since the aircraft carrier was built at the Nikolaev plant, it is the property of Kiev. However, the ship's commander did not agree with such a decision and brought "Kuznetsov" into the sea. Part of the team decided to swear allegiance to the Ukrainian republic and stayed on shore. And the ship skirted Europe and arrived in the Murmansk region, where he was officially enlisted in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

In the 1990s, the aircraft carrier spent an average of three to four months at sea, participating in various campaigns and exercises. In 2001-2004, the planned repair was carried out. And from December 2011 to May 2014, "Admiral Kuznetsov" spent a long campaign in the Mediterranean Sea, to the shores of Syria.

Battle baptism in the Middle East

From November 2016 to January 6, 2017 "Admiral Kuznetsov" took part in the operation of Russian troops in Syria. This was the first participation of an aircraft carrier in real combat operations. As the commander of the Russian group of forces in Syria, Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, later reported, the pilots of the naval aviation then carried out 420 sorties, of which 117 were carried out at night. According to the commander, the planes based on Kuznetsov bombed 1252 terrorist objects. At the same time, there were losses. The catastrophe suffered two fighter-bombers - Su-33 and MiG-29K - with an interval of one month. Both emergency situations occurred in the coins when the aircraft landed. In both cases, the pilots managed to eject.

After the Syrian campaign, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov with the Ushakov Order. And in October 2017, its modernization began at the Murmansk Shipyard.

  • MiG-29KUB with the lowered hook
  • © Wikipedia

Honored Pilot of Russia, a member of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on the development of general aviation Yuri Sytnik believes that one of the main tasks in the repair of the aircraft carrier will be the improvement of the mechanisms responsible for landing MiG-29K / KUB fighters on its deck.

"This event is not only what requires specific skills from the pilot, it also involves heavy overloads for the body. If, from the first approach, the fighter, after touching the landing gear of the deck, could not catch hold of a special device that slows it down, the pilot must sharply increase the speed and again take off in order to avoid a catastrophe. This leads to the fact that most pilots of deck aviation after 5-7 years of service often experience a compression fracture of the spine, "the expert explained in a conversation with RT.

According to him, the situation improved after the Crimea joined Russia, where there is a special training base, which allows future pilots of naval aviation to work out landing on the deck.

"However, repairing Kuznetsov, improving its deck and other elements related to planting, should further reduce the risk of accidents," Sytnik said.

Return to the ideas of the creators

Member of the expert council of the Collegium of the Military-Industrial Commission of the Russian Federation, reserve colonel Victor Murakhovsky, in turn, noted that after the modernization the concept of the use of "Admiral Kuznetsov" in combat operations may fundamentally change.

"I want to emphasize that this is not an aircraft carrier in the full sense of the word, but an aircraft-carrying cruiser. Initially, its main attack was anti-ship missiles, and aviation was based on the deck, primarily in order to reflect the air raids on the ship's grouping into which this ship was part. Another thing is that later the aircraft decided to make the main strike force of this ship. But we need to understand that the effectiveness of this decision will not be very high, because the projected "Kuznetsov" for another ", - said the expert.

According to him, the MiG-29K / KUB, which is planned to be the main aircraft based on the aircraft carrying cruiser, is designed primarily for the destruction of enemy aircraft.

"And this shows that our military leadership, most likely, plans to use Kuznetsova in accordance with the tasks under which it was originally built. He will cover other ships in the Mediterranean or somewhere else, "Murakhovsky said.

  • Ship-borne Su-33 fighter aircraft of the Russian Federation during the take-off from the deck of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov
  • RIA News
  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

He added that the ideal option for upgrading the ship would be to install an atomic power plant on it instead of diesel.

"However, this will require a profound restructuring of Kuznetsov, in fact creating a new aircraft carrier. Therefore, it is cheaper and more expedient to carry out major repairs of existing engines, as well as equip the ship with new equipment, "Murakhovsky said.

At the same time, the expert stressed that he does not share the viewpoint of a number of experts and journalists that it is necessary to abandon Admiral Kuznetsov because of its high cost and the fact that it is morally obsolete.

"The presence of this ship helps our pilots to obtain a unique experience in the use of decked aircraft, including in combat operations. Such an opportunity is far from every army in the world, and it is at least unreasonable to miss it, "Murakhovsky concluded.

A similar point of view is shared by Sytnik.

"Since we have a Navy base in Tartous, since the Mediterranean Sea is of utmost importance to our security, the aircraft carrier is very much in need of us. "Superfluous" 2-3 dozens of aircraft will allow us to monitor US nuclear powered boats, monitor the situation, and carry out an electronic warfare event. After completing the modernization, "Kuznetsov" can bring our Navy a lot of benefits, "- concluded the pilot.