Russia's Cursed Carrier Is Coming Back to Sea. Maybe.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
- Russian state media claims the country's only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, will be ready for sea trials in 2022.
- Russia lacks the money and shipyards to build a replacement for Kuznetsov.
- Kuznetsov has suffered engine failures, fatal accidents, crashes, fires, and even embezzlement of funds to update the ship.
Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, will reportedly emerge from its refit in 2022. That's at least according to Russian state media, which quotes an anonymous source in the country's shipbuilding industry.
The carrier, which has earned the reputation of a cursed ship, is in dire need of a replacement, but Russia lacks the funds and industrial capability to fully commit.
Kuznetsov is receiving a modest upgrade that will increase the number of Su-33 and MiG-29 strike fighters the ship can carry from 24 to 26, according to Business Insider. The $715 makeover also includes new electronic warfare, communications, and networking systems; new boilers and pumps; the Pantsir-M close-in weapon system; and new flight systems to aid in launching and recovering aircraft, Defense World reports. The ship will even receive a new $3.4 million paint job.
The Soviet Union built the Cold War-era Kuznetsov in what is now Ukraine. The Russian Navy inherited the ship after the breakup of the Soviet Union, but lacked the money to operate it at full capacity. While Kuznetsov began construction in 1981, it only conducted its first deployment at sea in 1996.
The carrier hasn't fared well in recent years. In 2009, an electrical fire killed one crewman. In 2012, the ship broke down off the coast of France and had to be towed by the navy tug Nikolay Chiker. In 2016, Kuznetsov lost two airplanes in two weeks, both reportedly due to faulty arresting wires during the aircraft recovery process.
© Lev Fedoseyev - Getty Images Admiral Kuznetsov on fire, December 2019. The fire killed two and extended the ship's refit.
That's not all. In 2018, the ship was damaged when a sinking drydock knocked a hole in it, which complicated planned upgrades. In 2019, Kuznetsovcaught fire, suffering millions in damages. And last year, the director of the shipyard servicing the ship was arrested for allegedly embezzling approximately $500,000 meant to clean the ship's fuel tanks.
Russia has announced several efforts over the past 15 years to build Kuznetsov's replacement. But the country lacks both the funds to invest in a fully modern ship, and the shipyard capacity to build such a large vessel. The result is a continued reliance on an old, decrepit warship that should have left service a long time ago.
Will Kuznetov really be ready for sea trials in 2022? Only time will tell.
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Ahhhhhhhh......... My favorite Soviet/Russian boat!
The only thing we were scared of were the 12 SSN-19 anti-ship missiles she carried. 300nmi range and capable of mach 1.6 at 30 meters altitude. (+2.5mach at high altitude)
It is rumored that the tugs that always went out in escort with her, had more time in tow of the Kuznetsov, than she did under her own power.
I find it interesting that they don't have a shipyard big enough to build her replacement.
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov - Wikipedia
I'm sure they have the shipyards where they originally built it but a lot of that stuff has been sitting derelict for 40 or more years.
It was originally built in what is now Ukraine.
that reads like something out of the Onion.
I see that you fell for the Russian propaganda FLY, meanwhile, Russia was secretly building its latest aircraft carrier at an undisclosed super-secret location somewhere along the Volga River.
It burst on the scene shocking not only the US but NATO as well.
The Rear Admiral Putz joins the powerful Russian fleet.
Swing and a miss Kavika...... That is their new amphibious hovercraft assault prototype.
At least it is very crew efficient. Any more than 2 or 3 people and it will sink.