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EspañolRUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV
(Redirected from Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov)
'''Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov''' (, 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.
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 Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits, which deals with ships passing the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Fixed-wing aircraft on ''Admiral Kuznetsov'' are essentially constrained to air superiority operations. The carrier also carries aircraft for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, as well as anti-ship missiles.
The limiting of aircraft to only air-to-air operations is a result of the carrier's lack of catapults. With the relatively short length of a carrier versus an airstrip, an aircraft weighted down by bombs which are much heavier than missiles; cannot gain enough velocity to get off the deck without aid. Large aircraft armed for strike mission launched from a catapult, like the F/A-18E will often make a short momentary descent. The catapults however impart enough velocity that when combined with the aircraft's engines allow it to accelerate above its stall speed before crashing into the sea. (Unarmed or very lightly armed aircraft however are generally light enough to immediately ascend)
Even with a much lighter load of air-to-air missiles, it can still be difficult to get off the deck of a carrier without a dedicated V/STOL capability. To give its aircraft some aid, the 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. This allows aircraft with the lightweight load of air-to-air armaments to take off the carrier. However an aircraft with a heavy armament of bombs would leave the deck below its stall speed and would not have time to accelerate before crashing into the sea.
''Admiral Flota Sovetskogo 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 Sovetskogo 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 was she equipped with planes. ''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, 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.
1. "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.
2. "China's Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: Seeking Truth from Rumors." Storey, I.; Ji, Y. ''Naval War College Review''. Winter 2004, Vol. 57, No. 1.
★ List of aircraft carriers
★
★ List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union
★ Article on GlobalSecurity.org about the Kreml class aircraft carrier.
★ ''A Foolhardy Naval Exercise'' - Critical article about the Fall 2004 exercise in which ''Kuznetsov'' participated.
★ General information and images on www.naval-technology.com
★ [1]
★ "A Brief Look at Russian Aircraft Carrier Development", Robin J. Lee.
★ Su-33 - A video clip with Su-33 operating on the deck of Kuznetsov.
★ [2] - RIA Novosti article on the Kuznetsov rejoining the Northern Fleet
 An overhead view of ''Admiral Kuznetsov''. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career |  Russian Naval Jack | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer: | Nevskoye Planning and Design Bureau | |||||||||||||||||
| Shipyard: | Nikolayev South | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordered: | March 3, 1981 | |||||||||||||||||
| Laid down: | February 22, 1983 | |||||||||||||||||
| Launched: | December 5, 1985 | |||||||||||||||||
| 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: | overall at waterline | |||||||||||||||||
| Beam: | overall at waterline | |||||||||||||||||
| Draft: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Powerplant | Steam turbines, 8 boilers, 4 shafts, 2× turbines 9× turbogenerators 6× diesel generators | |||||||||||||||||
| Propellers: | 4 with fixed pitch | |||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Endurance: | 45 days at | |||||||||||||||||
| Complement: | 1960 crew 626 air group 40 flag staff 3857 rooms | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
'''Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov''' (, 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.
| Contents |
| Role |
| History and current status |
| References |
| See also |
| Gallery |
| External links |
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 Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits, which deals with ships passing the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Fixed-wing aircraft on ''Admiral Kuznetsov'' are essentially constrained to air superiority operations. The carrier also carries aircraft for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, as well as anti-ship missiles.
Deck configuration has three launch positions.
The limiting of aircraft to only air-to-air operations is a result of the carrier's lack of catapults. With the relatively short length of a carrier versus an airstrip, an aircraft weighted down by bombs which are much heavier than missiles; cannot gain enough velocity to get off the deck without aid. Large aircraft armed for strike mission launched from a catapult, like the F/A-18E will often make a short momentary descent. The catapults however impart enough velocity that when combined with the aircraft's engines allow it to accelerate above its stall speed before crashing into the sea. (Unarmed or very lightly armed aircraft however are generally light enough to immediately ascend)
Even with a much lighter load of air-to-air missiles, it can still be difficult to get off the deck of a carrier without a dedicated V/STOL capability. To give its aircraft some aid, the 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. This allows aircraft with the lightweight load of air-to-air armaments to take off the carrier. However an aircraft with a heavy armament of bombs would leave the deck below its stall speed and would not have time to accelerate before crashing into the sea.
History and current status
''Admiral Flota Sovetskogo 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 Sovetskogo 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 was she equipped with planes. ''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, 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.
References
1. "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.
2. "China's Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: Seeking Truth from Rumors." Storey, I.; Ji, Y. ''Naval War College Review''. Winter 2004, Vol. 57, No. 1.
See also
★ List of aircraft carriers
★
★ List of aircraft carriers of Russia and the Soviet Union
Gallery
External links
★ Article on GlobalSecurity.org about the Kreml class aircraft carrier.
★ ''A Foolhardy Naval Exercise'' - Critical article about the Fall 2004 exercise in which ''Kuznetsov'' participated.
★ General information and images on www.naval-technology.com
★ [1]
★ "A Brief Look at Russian Aircraft Carrier Development", Robin J. Lee.
★ Su-33 - A video clip with Su-33 operating on the deck of Kuznetsov.
★ [2] - RIA Novosti article on the Kuznetsov rejoining the Northern Fleet
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