Pride turned shame. How was the fate of the Soviet aircraft carriers? Aircraft carriers of Russia and the USSR New aircraft carriers

FSUE "Krylov State Research Center" has completed the development of a concept for Navy Russia. The head of the center, Pavel Filippov, announced this on the first day of the International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg.

The displacement of such an aircraft carrier will be 40 thousand tons, the construction will take five years, and the cost of the project is estimated at 200 billion rubles. Pavel Filippov said that the Russian Ministry of Defense would give the center an assignment to develop a technical project in 2023.

RT managed to talk with the scientific director of the Krylov Center Valery Polovinkin, who spoke about the development of a promising aircraft carrier. According to him, the center aims to improve the three main characteristics of warships: propulsion, seaworthiness and controllability. The solutions being developed at Krylovskoye also make it possible to increase the ship's deck area, Polovinkin noted.

“The deck area of ​​a warship, regardless of its purpose - from a corvette to an aircraft carrier - determines the possibility of placing weapons. The larger the deck area, the more weapons can be placed, ”said in an interview with RT scientific adviser center.

Despite the "light" displacement of 44 thousand tons, the aircraft carrier of this project will be able to carry up to 40 aircraft and helicopters. In addition, they believe in the center, by the time the aircraft carrier is delivered, it is possible that naval versions of the Okhotnik-type UAV will be developed, which can also be part of the regular aircraft.

Subject to a special modification, the newest Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighters will also be able to be based on the new aircraft carrier.

“Theoretically, it is possible to take a certain number of these aircraft on board, provided they are “sealed”, that is, lightening the weight, changing some structural elements. When working on the adaptation of the aircraft, this is possible, ”said Pavel Filippov.

A military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, noted in a conversation with RT that fifth-generation fighters simply need to be equipped with the necessary equipment that allows aircraft to take off and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

“In order to adapt the Su-57 to work on aircraft carriers, it is necessary to strengthen the landing gear, install landing hooks, and so on,” the expert explained.

Non-atomic features

In a conversation with RT, the scientific director of the center Pavel Polovinkin noted that today a search is underway original solutions, which, with a minimum volume and displacement, make it possible to obtain a full-fledged aircraft carrier. This was achieved with the help of a semi-catamaran hull design.

“With the help of original solutions, hull tests, calculations of combat effectiveness, we will achieve that it will be a full-fledged aircraft carrier. The main characteristic of an aircraft carrier is the composition of aircraft. All types of aircraft will be presented there - from reconnaissance and electronic warfare to bombers and attack aircraft, ”Polovinkin said.

According to the project, this will allow the aircraft carrier to carry up to 24 Su-33 heavy fighters or MiG-29K light fighters, four RLDN aircraft and 12 Ka-27 multipurpose helicopters. New solutions in terms of the design of the hull contours, as well as an increase in the deck area, will allow parallel placement of launch positions for aircraft.

Another distinctive feature This aircraft carrier was a gas turbine power plant with a capacity of 80 MW. This will provide the ship with full electric propulsion, similar to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers under construction in the British Navy. The duration of autonomous navigation of the Russian multi-purpose aircraft carrier will be 45 days.

According to Pavel Polovinkin, an aircraft carrier with a gas turbine plant is in no way inferior to nuclear counterparts in this respect. In addition, the use of a power plant will minimize the possible risk in the event of the destruction of a nuclear installation.

“All over the world, high-precision weapons with high penetrating power are emerging that can hit any target and pass through any obstacle. As hypersonic weapons spread, the safety of aircraft carriers with nuclear power plants will be a big question, ”said the scientific director of the center.

At the same time, Polovinkin emphasized that this moment nuclear energy is the best way to ensure the autonomy of heavy warships.

“But you have to keep up with the times. Once such a weapon has appeared, we must evaluate whether we can counteract it and defend ourselves against it. We need to develop alternative options,” he said.

A nuclear power plant allows aircraft carriers not to enter ports and increases autonomy, Viktor Litovkin recalled in an interview with RT.

“It can operate for several years without additional maintenance, while a gas turbine requires fuel replenishment all the time. In addition, a nuclear plant is more powerful than a gas turbine one,” the expert emphasized.

Storm Project

Today, the Russian Navy has only one aircraft carrier - a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, commissioned in 1991. It is undergoing modernization and will return to active service in 2021.

At the same time, the Admiral Kuznetsov surpasses American aircraft carriers of the same age as the Nimitz-class ships.

• US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
• Reuters
• U.S. Navy

These carriers are virtually incapable of repelling enemy attacks, except in very limited air operations, and require a formidable escort squadron of destroyers, cruisers, and submarines. "Kuznetsov" is equipped with anti-aircraft and missile systems that can repel any attacks from the air.

The Krylov Center is developing another multi-purpose heavy nuclear aircraft carrier - Project 23000 Storm. The ship of this project will have a displacement of 100,000 tons and will be able to navigate autonomously for up to 120 days.

The Shtorma aviation group will consist of up to 90 aircraft: carrier-based fighters, early warning aircraft and helicopters.

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The aircraft carrier of the Storm project will be designed to perform various tasks in the far ocean zone. Its own armament and onboard aviation group will make it possible to strike at enemy ground and sea targets, and, like the Admiral Kuznetsov, it will be able to independently provide air defense with airborne air defense systems.

Such projects will be put into operation no earlier than 2030, Viktor Litovkin believes. At the same time, he noted that new squadrons, destroyers, frigates and cruisers would be required to escort Russian aircraft carriers.

Also, according to military observer Viktor Barants, Russia will also need appropriate coastal structures.

“I think that a Russian aircraft carrier, which will be in no way inferior to an American one, will be built when the country has coastal structures for a huge ship,” the expert said in an interview with RT.

At the same time, he noted that, unlike, for which aircraft carriers are a weapon of aggression, Russia does not need a large number of such ships, since the Russian Navy performs tasks to protect and defend the country.

“The United States today has 12 aircraft carriers in service, while in Russia there is only one aircraft-carrying cruiser, which is now under repair and cannot perform combat missions. Russia, in principle, does not need such a number of aircraft carriers, since it is not going to conduct operations around the world and influence some countries, ”the expert noted.

This myth still roams in numerous monographs on the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet. The designers of the "five" themselves argue that the creation of project 1143.5 was not the result of the evolutionary development of ships of the "Kiev" type, but the third attempt to implement the design of a real aircraft carrier that began back in 1971. The requirements for the new ship were revised with kaleidoscopic speed - the composition of the air group, aviation equipment, the number of anti-aircraft weapons and displacement changed. In 1980, the Minister of Defense of the USSR Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov (1908-1984) demanded a reduction in the displacement of the aircraft carrier being designed by 10,000 tons, the removal of catapults and reorientation of it to short takeoff and landing aircraft, for the launch of which a springboard should be used.

In February 1982, the first Soviet aircraft carrier with a solid flight deck was laid down in Nikolaev, at the Black Sea Shipyard (ChSZ) under the name "Riga" (serial number C-105). However, a year later it was re-mortgaged under the new name "Leonid Brezhnev". Then sea trials took place under the name "Tbilisi", but when Georgia declared sovereignty, the ship was given the current name "Admiral of the Fleet Soviet Union Kuznetsov. On August 1, 1990, state tests began. During the tests, 16,200 miles were covered, 454 aircraft flights were made. In May 1990, the ship was temporarily included in the 30th division of surface ships of the KChF, and on December 25, 1990, eight years, three months and 24 days after the laying, an acceptance certificate was signed. On January 20, 1991, he was officially enrolled in the Northern Fleet, and the naval flag was hoisted on him. On December 1-24, 1991, the cruiser made the transition around Europe to the place of permanent deployment in Vidyaevo, Murmansk region.

The main technical and technical characteristics are as follows: displacement 55,000 tons, speed 29 knots, length 304.5 m, width at the waterline 38 m, maximum width 72 m, draft 10.5 m, crew 1,960 people, air personnel 626 people. The main power plant is a boiler-turbine, with a total capacity of about 200,000 liters. With. Armament: 52 aircraft (MiG-29K, Su-27K fighters, Su-25K attack aircraft, Ka-27 helicopters), 12 launchers for anti-ship missiles, eight anti-aircraft missiles, eight six-barreled 30-mm machine guns, two jet bombers.

The ship has a through flight deck, which ends with a springboard in the bow. In the aft part of the flight deck, cable arresters are installed - when landing, the aircraft grabs the arrester cable with a hook installed under the fuselage and, experiencing an overload of up to 3.5 g, slows down, which reduces the mileage after landing to 80-100 m. vertical launchers of anti-ship missiles (ASM) "Granit", covered with armored covers flush with the flight deck.

The architecture of the TAKR project 1143.5, compared to its predecessors, has become “more carrier-based” - with a through flight deck with an area of ​​​​14,800 m², a springboard with a vanishing angle of 14.3 ° in the bow, two side 40-ton aircraft lifts on the starboard side to the bow and stern from the island 13-tier superstructure (height above deck 32 m). The presence of developed sponsons and displacement of the superstructure to the right made it possible to increase the width of the flight deck to 67 m. The entire surface of the flight deck and springboard has an anti-slip heat-resistant (up to 450 ° C) Omega coating, and three sections (10 x 10 m) intended for vertical landing of the Yak-41 were laid out with heat-resistant (up to 750 ° C) AK-9FM plates .

The fully welded hull has seven decks and two platforms in height. A continuous double bottom runs along the entire length of the ship. The main structural material of the hull, main watertight bulkheads, decks and platforms, sponsons and island superstructure is steel; for the manufacture of secondary partitions and bulkheads, aluminum-magnesium alloys were used (with fastening to steel structures). Surface structural protection (SCP) is made according to the screening principle, internal protective barriers are composite structures (steel-fiberglass-steel type). The main material of NKZ is high-strength steel. To protect the fuel tanks and cellars of aviation ammunition, local box-shaped armor was used. For the first time in the practice of domestic aircraft carrier shipbuilding, underwater structural protection (SCP) was used to increase the survivability of the ship, which significantly increases the unsinkability characteristics. Based on the results of numerous research and field experiments, the depth of the onboard PKZ was taken in the range of 4.5-5.0 m. Of the three longitudinal bulkheads, the second one was armored (on the lead ship it was a package, i.e., multilayer, on the second - monolithic).

Hangar - closed type, with total area 3,980 m² (153 x 26 x 7.2 m) - about 50% of the length and 70% of the width of the ship, serves for storage and maintenance of up to 70% of the regular number of shipborne aircraft (LAC). It also stores marching tractors, ship gas-jet and fire engines, as well as a set of equipment for LAC deck maintenance. Transportation and placement of aircraft are provided with folded wing panels, and helicopters - with folded rotor blades. At all regular LAK parking lots in the hangar and at technical positions, they are moored and grounded. The hangar is equipped with a LAK semi-automatic chain transportation system, which makes it possible to refuse the use of tractors and exclude gas contamination of the interior with exhaust gases. Tractors are required only for LAC operations on the flight deck, when they are transferred from the hangar to the lift platforms and vice versa. The typical composition of the air group based on the project 1143.5 ship includes 52 aircraft: 18 Su-27K and MiG-29K aircraft and 16 Ka-27 helicopters.

To ensure the landing of high-speed aircraft on the deck, Svetlana-2 arresters are used - four cables stretched across the deck, located at a distance of 12 m from each other and connected through blocks with four brake hydraulic machines designed to extinguish kinetic energy. In the working position, the cables rise above the deck to a predetermined height to grab the landing aircraft with a brake hook, ensuring its complete stop after 90 m of run with a longitudinal overload of not more than 4.5 g. The fourth cable, counting from the stern, is combined with the Nadezhda emergency barrier. The cable of the first arrester is located 40 m from the stern cut. In the middle of the second arrester on the deck there is a white circle with a diameter of 17 m - the place recommended for pilots when landing to touch the aircraft brake hook.

The main power plant of the TAKR almost completely repeats the one used in project 1143.4: four-shaft, steam turbine, with a total capacity of 200,000 liters. With. The increased fuel supply made it possible to bring the cruising range to 18 knots. up to 8,000 miles. Power was increased by installing new boilers. Thanks to this, with an increase in the standard displacement by 10,000 tons, it was possible to obtain a full speed of 29 knots. Steam is produced by eight KVG-4 boilers with increased steam output. Steam for needs not related to the movement of the ship is obtained through selection from the main boilers, so an auxiliary boiler plant was not needed. The propellers of the ship are four bronze low-noise five-blade fixed-pitch propellers with a diameter of 4,260 mm and a mass of 12,524 kg each.

The Russian TAKR has powerful missile armament: the Granit-NK strike missile system includes 12 ZM-45 anti-ship cruise missiles located in below-deck silo-type launchers (the silo covers are flush with the deck). Anti-aircraft missile weapons - four modules of the Kinzhal air defense system (192 missiles) and eight modules of the Kortik anti-aircraft missile system (256 missiles and 48,000 30-mm shells), located on the side of the sponsons and providing the possibility of circular shelling of air targets. Artillery armament is represented by three batteries of six AK-630M 30-mm rapid-fire gun mounts (48,000 rounds). Initially, it was planned to place another battery of these machine guns under the nose edge of the take-off springboard for firing at bow heading angles. Two embrasure cutouts were intended for their installation (they are clearly visible in the photographs of the early stage of the construction of the lead ship), but they were abandoned.

In connection with the restructuring and the beginning of the collapse of the economy of the USSR, the commissioning of the ship was greatly delayed. Test pilot Viktor Georgievich Pugachev (b. 1948) made his first landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier on September 1, 1989, while combatant pilots began to master the Kuznetsov deck only in 1994 and already in the Northern Fleet. In 1996, the aircraft carrier made the first long hike from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean. During the voyage, the tasks of combat training were worked out; in the Mediterranean Sea, Russian pilots exchanged visits of friendship with American colleagues from the air group of the aircraft carrier "America", however, the Americans did not dare to put on deck Russian ship their planes and sent a helicopter. From 1996 to 1998 was under repair, greatly delayed as a result of underfunding. In 1998, he took part in major exercises of the Northern Fleet.

In 1999, twice went to sea on combat training. In 2000, he participated in major exercises during which the K-141 Kursk submarine was killed, took part in a rescue operation, which canceled the cruiser's second campaign for military service in the Mediterranean Sea, which was supposed to take place at the end of 2000 2001 to 2004 was under scheduled maintenance.

In 2004, as part of a group of nine ships of the Northern Fleet, including a heavy nuclear missile cruiser"Pyotr Veliky", missile cruiser "Marshal Ustinov", squadron destroyer "Admiral Ushakov" and support vessels, participated in a month-long campaign in the North Atlantic. On December 5, 2007, as part of a naval strike group, he went on his second campaign for military service in the Mediterranean Sea, which lasted until February 3, 2008. According to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft carrier requires overhaul However, due to lack of finances, repairs are postponed indefinitely. The seventh long-range cruise of the ship was completed in May 2014. From May 14 to August 20, 2015, the aircraft carrier was under repair at the dock of the 82nd shipyard (Roslyakovo). November 6, 2016 TAKR went on a trip to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Northern Fleet group.

Currently, the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov is part of the Northern Fleet and is the only aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy. During cruises, the Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment (base airfield - Severomorsk-3) and the Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters of the 830th separate shipborne anti-submarine helicopter regiment (base airfield - Severomorsk-1). Thus, this aircraft-carrying cruiser can rightfully be considered a full-fledged aircraft carrier. Not the same, of course, as the American nuclear giants of the Nimitz type, but quite equal in combat potential, for example, to the latest French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. And in terms of the number of naval air groups, Kuzya even has superiority: 52 aircraft versus 40 for the Frenchman.

In 1983, a decision was made to build a second ship, pr. 1143.5, named "Riga" (serial number C-106). The TTZ included the possibility of improving the project in case new types of weapons appeared and electronic means. Its construction began immediately after the launch of the head TAKR: a new order mortgage block (bow MKO) with two GTZA and four main boilers already mounted and covered was installed on the slipway with two 900-ton cranes. The ship was launched on November 25, 1988, and already during the completion it was renamed Varyag (June 19, 1990).

Initially, the 6th completely repeated the “five”, but already in June 1986 the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued a resolution to change some of the main elements of the cruiser, in particular electronic weapons (the ship was assigned the index pr. 1143.6). So, the Mars-Passat radar was to be replaced by a more effective new Forum, which included the Podberezovik radar with the ability to select air targets, two Fregat-MA radars and an information processing system, target distribution and target designation of the Poyma type. All this required the alteration of about 150 rooms, mainly in the superstructure. Also needed to correct a significant amount design documentation, which led to a delay in the completion of the cruiser by about nine months. In addition, on the Varyag, unlike the lead ship, it was already supposed to provide the basing of the Yak-44RLD radar patrol and guidance aircraft (with the possibility of taking off from a distant starting position), which also caused a number of alterations. True, until the end of 1991, these works were not really started due to the lack of data on the aircraft from the OKB. Yakovlev.

The Varyag was built for the Pacific Fleet with a delivery date of 1993. Even after the collapse of the USSR, until the end of 1991, the completion went on in accordance with the schedule agreed and approved even before the abolition of the former USSR Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry. To ensure the basing of the TAKR at ChSY, they managed to manufacture and send to the Far East a special pontoon berth, similar to the one that was previously delivered to Vidyaevo for Admiral Kuznetsov. Taking into account the planned modernization on the superstructure, blocks of premises previously intended for the posts of the Mars-Passat radar station were cut off and foundations were installed under the Fregat-MA AP of the Forum radar station.

But soon economic crisis in the former republics of the Union, it also made itself felt at ChSY - the supply of cable by the Amurcable and Azovcable enterprises was disrupted, which, in turn, did not receive raw materials from Uzbekistan. Then there were problems with pricing and its impact on the cost of building a ship. In addition, as always happens during periods of collapse of large states, this was accompanied by landslide phenomena in the economy, rising prices and galloping inflation.

Despite the termination of funding (4th quarter of 1991), the Chernomorsky Shipbuilding Company (general director Yu.I. Makarov) completed the construction of the TAKR at its own expense, hoping that Moscow would later reimburse the costs (more than 700 million US dollars in 1980s prices) . However, the former Soviet republics that became independent showed no interest in completing the Varyag. Russia, which announced in 1993 that it was ready to complete the construction of the ship, also did nothing for this, limiting itself to fruitless negotiations. In particular, according to the Varyag, it was proposed to create a special intergovernmental body with emergency powers that would coordinate the completion of the cruiser. Government delegations of Ukraine and Russia even came to Nikolaev for its inspection. But none of them, in the new conditions, had the means to complete the construction of such a complex ship.

Therefore, in March 1995, Russia officially refused to finance the construction of the Varyag, transferring it to ChSZ on account of debts to the enterprise 1 . Ukraine, after considering various options for the disposal of the ship, which was in 67% readiness, including the possibility of using it as a floating spaceport, was eventually forced to sell the unfinished aircraft carrier abroad. As a result of the work carried out in 1997-1998. In an international tender won by a Chinese company registered in Macau, Varyag was sold by the State Property Fund of Ukraine for only $20 million.

While its fate was being decided, the Varyag continued to remain at the plant, turning at the beginning of 2000 for ChSY into a “goose that lays golden eggs” - the Chinese paid the plant $ 5,000 per day for the TAKR parking. In the first half of 2000, it was expected to sign a contract with a Chinese company for the completion and conversion of the Varyag into a floating self-propelled entertainment and tourist complex (the contract amount was assumed to be 200-300 million US dollars). But plans changed, and on June 14, at 5.30 am, tugboats took the Varyag out of the factory water area and began towing to China. About his future fate will definitely be told in the corresponding issue of N&T.

Initially, the cruisers of projects 1143.5 and 1143.6 were supposed to be equipped with steam catapults (one of them was even built and tested on land). But the developers failed to provide the necessary structural rigidity of the catapult track, and it turned out to be inoperable. Therefore, as a necessary measure, instead of catapults, the ships received springboards. In the summer of 1982, in the Crimea, at the Nitka complex, experimental work began on taking off the Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft from the springboard, which ultimately ended in success.

In the springboard scheme used, takeoff from the deck is carried out by accelerating the aircraft with its own engines in afterburner mode. At the end of the takeoff run, the aircraft enters the springboard, which sets the required climb angle and somewhat facilitates takeoff. Until the engines reach full thrust, the aircraft is held on the deck by special grips on the landing gear, which are then strictly synchronously lowered below the deck, making it possible to start the takeoff run. To reflect the jet stream standing at the start of the aircraft, a protective shield-deflector rises above the deck.

"Kuznetsov" has three starting positions, two of which are located on the deck one after the other at a distance of about 85 m. But since takeoff is only from a springboard, several aircraft cannot take off at the same time. It is quite natural that in order to increase the speed of lifting aircraft into the air, a rapid alternation of starts from the left and right positions is used. The alternation speed is related to the speed of cleaning the shield-deflector of the near starting position. The absence of catapults did not allow cruisers to compare with modern US aircraft carriers in terms of the ability to quickly lift an air group into the air on alarm. The advantage of American aircraft carriers in this regard is that they are equipped with four catapults for launching aircraft, which are located in pairs at an angle to each other on the bow on the corner section of the deck. This scheme allows you to lift aircraft into the air with an interval of only 15 seconds between them.

In 1984, the main enemy of aircraft carriers, Ustinov, died. Almost immediately after that, the Nevsky Design Bureau was again entrusted with the design of a nuclear aircraft carrier with an increased displacement, a large number of aircraft and steam catapults. Despite the fundamental difference from the ships of the "Kyiv" type, the aircraft carrier still continues to be called the seventh TAKR - project 1143.7. When laying this ship on the slipway of ChSZ in Nikolaev on November 25, 1988, it received the name "Ulyanovsk". TTZ for its development in accordance with the arms program for 1986-1995. The NPKB received it in December 1984. In 1986, the preliminary design was completed and approved, and in 1987, the technical design (chief designer L. V. Belov, then Yu. M. Varfolomeev). In October of the same year, the main elements of the ATAKR were approved: an air group consisting of 70 aircraft (Su-27K and MiG-29K fighters, Yak-44RLD RLD and guidance aircraft, Ka-27 and Ka-31 helicopters), a springboard, two catapults, arresters , new SCRC "Bolid" (later replaced by "Granit"), air defense system "Dagger", ZKBR "Kortik", four-shaft nuclear power plant (280,000 kW), total displacement 73,400 tons, full speed 30 knots.

ATAKR was intended to impart combat stability to fleet formations in operationally important sea and ocean areas, as well as to destroy enemy ship groupings in cooperation with other fleet forces. Outwardly, it would differ from the ships of project 1143.5 in increased main dimensions, the presence of a third aircraft lift (from the stern on the port side), a superstructure reduced in length, and most importantly, the presence of two steam catapults. In general, continuity was also maintained - the ship was provided with a bow take-off springboard.

The creation of ATAKR was a qualitative new stage development of Soviet military shipbuilding and carrier fleet. There were no foreign analogues of the ATAKR project 1143.7. In terms of aviation equipment, it could be comparable to the American nuclear aircraft carrier J. Washington", and surpassed it in the presence of strike missile weapons and anti-aircraft weapons. On the ship, to the maximum extent possible, samples of weapons, mechanisms, equipment and materials previously provided for ships of project 1143.5 were used. 33 development work was carried out, 11 of which were carried out according to the plans of the Ministry of Defense (Navy and Air Force). The number and nomenclature of the naval air group increased. In particular, it was planned to create the Su-27KM multi-purpose aircraft, the Su-27KPP jamming aircraft, the Su-27KRTS target designation and reconnaissance aircraft, the Yak-44PLO anti-submarine aircraft and the Yak-44RLD radar patrol and guidance aircraft. A prototype steam catapult "Mayak" and a prototype that ensures its operation energy complex on superheated steam as part of a boiler unit, steam accumulators and condensers passed preliminary tests at the Nitka complex and were recommended for operation. In general, according to experts, the new types of weapons of the ship pr. 1143.7 should have corresponded to the world level of 1995-2000.

The ship's power plant was created on the basis of mass-produced and successfully operated missile cruisers of the Kirov type (project 1144) PPU KN-3 and GTZA-653. Implementation nuclear energy promised to give a significant reduction in the consumption of organic fuel, thereby providing the ship with an almost unlimited cruising range, the possibility of long-term maintenance high speeds progress and more than doubling the reserves of aviation fuel and aviation ammunition. Aircraft landing conditions were improved due to the lack of a thermal plume, common for ships of previous projects with KTU. At the same time, the corrosion of aircraft located on the flight deck was reduced.

The ship was supposed to have the following main dimensions: the greatest length - 321 m, the length along the waterline - 280 m, the maximum width (with a corner deck and transitional bridges) - 79.5 m, the width along the waterline - 38 m; depth from the main line to the upper deck amidships - 27.5 m, in the bow - 33 m, overall height - 65.5 m; standard displacement - 62 580 tons.

The lead ATAKR, named "Ulyanovsk" (serial number S-107, senior builder P. S. Gerasimov), was laid in Nikolaev on the slipway "O" on November 25, 1988. The slipway period was calculated for 36 months, the total duration of construction was 105 months , delivery date to the fleet - 1995. The cost of the order was estimated at 800 million rubles. It was supposed to start testing the ejection takeoff of the Su-27K and MiG-29K on the Nitka. In addition, they also planned to complete the construction of the previously mothballed BS-3 block for testing serial samples of catapults and arresters intended for installation on ships under construction by ChSZ.

The slipway work at Ulyanovsk was carried out according to progressive technology, with the formation of a hull on the slipway from 27 large blocks weighing up to 1,380 tons, saturated with mechanisms, devices and equipment. To ensure nuclear shipbuilding at ChSY, work began on the reconstruction and modernization of the entire production. It was necessary to build a number of special production units, for their placement in the waters of the Southern Bug adjacent to the ChSY, a fairly large area was washed up with sand.

Work on the formation of the hull on the slipway progressed quite quickly. In total, they managed to install structures with a total mass of about 27,000 tons. At ChSY, almost everything was ready for the installation of APPU, a technical department for special energy was formed, responsible for the installation and physical start-up of the nuclear plant. It was supposed to mount four reactors on the ship, combined into two 1,400-ton zone blocks - for the bow and stern engine groups. For their assembly, a floating autonomous workshop with a retractable roof was specially built and installed on the ground at the stern of the slipway "O". Upon completion of the assembly, the blocks were supposed to be lifted by 900-ton cranes and installed on the ship. The shells of four tanks of metal radiation protection were welded, the shell of which was filled with lead. In 1990-1991 CSY received reactor vessels, steam generators, pumps, filters and pipelines. One of these blocks was welded, the second was assembled and prepared for welding. There were no problems or delays during the construction of the Ulyanovsk, and the ship could well have been delivered on time. The construction of the second ATAKR (S-108) was also planned, the laying of which was scheduled for 1992.

By November 1991, the readiness of the ship was 17-20%. After the collapse of the USSR and the cessation of funding, the slipway turned out to be blocked by the ATAKR corps, which did not allow it to be used for its intended purpose. Based on a real assessment of the situation, on February 4, 1992, an order was issued by the Prime Minister of Ukraine on the disposal of Ulyanovsk, and on February 5, an order for ChSY to stop work on the S-107 (and S-108) order. The dismantling of the hull was completed by November 2. Thus, an end was put to the evolution of domestic aircraft carriers ... And Russia's place in the elite club of nuclear aircraft carriers was taken by France, which in 1995 launched its first such ship, the Charles de Gaulle.

Since 1991, in Russia, the implementation of projects for the construction of aircraft carriers has been suspended. Approximately in 1990 (1991?), the article “Do we need an aircraft carrier” appeared in Moscow News. This topic was picked up by dozens of "very specialized publications" - "Moskovsky Komsomolets", "Echo of the Planet" and others. Only the lazy did not write about it. On their pages, "experts" expressed only one thought - "the new democratic Russia does not need AB, it's better with this money ...". The result of this company was the reduction, and then the complete curtailment of the aircraft carrier program. But this does not mean that under the new conditions there were no grounds for having such ships in the Russian Navy. The press noted that after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the defense efforts of states were transferred to the interethnic space.

As is known, the length of Russia's maritime borders is 38.8 thousand km (for comparison, the length of the land border is 14.5 thousand km), the area of ​​the continental shelf is 4.2 million km2. A 200-mile exclusive economic zone with an area of ​​more than 6.3 million km2 stretches along the entire maritime border, in which sovereign rights and jurisdiction must be ensured Russian Federation and protecting her interests.

On these gigantic sea and ocean expanses, there should be constantly or periodically (on call, with an aggravation of the situation, etc.) the forces of the Navy, ships of various purposes, classes, types, including aircraft carriers. That is why, taking into account the increasingly growing shortage of organic types of ship fuel in the near future, it will be necessary to recognize that there is no alternative to nuclear power plants for military shipbuilding developed in industrial and economic terms states for the next few decades. Of course, shipboard nuclear power plants require a high level of service culture, strict compliance with nuclear safety requirements (design, operational, environmental, etc.). Such experience and, most importantly, the system for operating nuclear power plants in the Navy and on icebreaking fleet countries are available.

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MOSCOW, July 12 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Lightweight, non-nuclear, deadly - the promising Russian aircraft carrier is capable of taking on board the latest combat aircraft and making transitions at a speed of almost 30 knots. The Krylov State Research Center (KGNTs) is already ready to develop an advance project, the only thing left to do is to wait for a contract with the Ministry of Defense. About this ship, other projects of Russian aircraft carriers and their foreign non-nuclear "classmates" - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Mal, yes daring

As Pavel Filippov, head of the KGNTs, told RIA Novosti in an interview, the displacement of the new ship is about 40 thousand tons, the total cost of the project is estimated at 200 billion rubles, the construction time from the moment the contract was signed to launching is five years.

The director did not name the project, but apparently we are talking about the Shtorm-KM light multi-purpose aircraft carrier, first presented as a mock-up at the Army-2018 forum. As Aleksey Litsis, the head of the sector of the design department of the KGNTs, told RIA Novosti at the time, the ship is designed for 46 aircraft. The approximate composition of the air wing is 12-14 heavy Su-33 fighters, 12-14 light MiG-29K, four long-range radar patrol aircraft and 12-14 Ka-27 multi-purpose helicopters. In the future, he will be able to take on board a naval modification of the fifth generation Su-57 fighter and the latest drones. The power plant is a gas turbine with a capacity of 110,000 horsepower. The autonomy of the Shtorma-KM in terms of provisions is about two months, the speed is up to 28 knots.

The length of the ship, according to the project, is 304 meters, width - 78 meters, height - 23 meters. The aircraft carrier is capable of carrying 600 tons of aviation ammunition and 2,000 tons of fuel for its air wing. Take-off will be made in two ways - from a springboard and by means of an electromechanical catapult. An interesting design know-how is the absence of a pipe. The exhaust is supposed to be diverted down along the sides, which will reduce the visibility of the ship.

“In the event of an appeal from the Ministry of Defense, we are ready to move on to a preliminary project in the shortest possible time,” Pavel Filippov told RIA Novosti. “Within its framework, we need to decide where, in what place we could start construction. And also in terms of cooperation: who will deal with what systems of the ship "In addition, it is necessary to clarify with the customer how many and what kind of aircraft will be on board. For the time being, we are counting on the aircraft and helicopters currently in service with the naval aviation of the Russian Navy."

Heavy option

This is not the only aircraft carrier project from KGNTs. Recall: back in 2015, the public was presented with a model of the heavy nuclear aircraft carrier of project 23000 "Storm". It was reported that the ship is designed to perform various tasks in the far ocean zone and is capable of striking land and sea targets with both its own weapons and aircraft of the air wing.

According to data available in open sources, promising ship in many respects it repeats the Soviet project of the nuclear aircraft carrier "Ulyanovsk" - both externally and in terms of performance characteristics. According to the project, its length is 330 meters, width - 40 meters along the waterline, maximum draft - 11 meters. The displacement does not exceed 100 thousand tons. "Storm" will be able to stay at sea for up to 120 days, develop a speed of 30 knots and carry up to 90 aircraft and helicopters. An important know-how is the ability to operate in cold latitudes. In addition, it is on the Storm that for the first time electromagnetic catapults will be installed, which greatly simplify takeoff.

The construction of the lead ship, according to experts, will take eight to nine years, and all this will cost 350 billion rubles - about six billion dollars at the current exchange rate. The newest American aircraft carrier "Gerald R. Ford" is twice as expensive.

However, the prospects for a heavy nuclear aircraft carrier remain vague. There is no experience in building such large warships in Russia, and the only surface ship with a nuclear power plant remains the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great, built back in Soviet times. This is probably why KGNTs decided to focus on a less ambitious lung project aircraft carrier with a gas turbine power plant (GPU).

Foreign experience

There are similar ships in the navies of a number of states. In particular, the Italian Navy has the Cavour aircraft carrier with a displacement of 28,000 tons and four gas turbine engines with a total capacity of 118,000 horsepower. It is difficult to call it a highly specialized floating airfield, since it takes on board only eight AV-8B Harrier II aircraft. In the future, the ship will be re-equipped with American F-35Bs.

However, Cavour is capable of carrying 12 helicopters. for various purposes, as well as landing forces: 415 marines, up to 100 units of wheeled vehicles, or 24 main battle tanks, or 50 heavy armored fighting vehicles. The ship can deploy a headquarters of up to 145 people. "Cavour" is a universal combat unit, most suitable for expeditionary operations: to transfer troops to the theater of operations, land them on the shore, cover the landing with aircraft.

Another aircraft carrier with a gas turbine power plant is the Queen Elizabeth of the British Navy. Full displacement - 70,600 tons, autonomous navigation - about 300 days. The ship is undergoing sea trials and should enter the fleet in 2020. It is expected that its air wing will consist of 24-36 F-35B fighters and 14 helicopters. In addition, the ship will carry V-22 Osprey convertiplanes.

The only Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" will not be able to go to sea for the next three years. Last weekend, he stood in the dock for repairs. This event makes the discussion of what kind of ship could replace the Kuznetsov even more relevant. It is surprising that an extremely absurd idea on this subject was voiced by an authoritative scientific center.

The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" will be seriously repaired and modernized. On September 15-16, the ship was put into a large floating dock in Roslyakovo. The Kuznetsov will spend the next three years under repair, after which, as stated, it will be able to serve for at least another twenty years.

However, the discussion about which ship will replace the Kuznetsov is becoming more and more aggravated. And one of the sharpest sides of this discussion was the discussion of whether Russia needs the so-called light aircraft carriers - like the Kuznetsov, but with a smaller displacement and a smaller air group.

“The Navy believes that from the point of view of the economic price-quality ratio, it is not advisable for Russia to build light aircraft carriers. It is preferable to build aircraft carriers with a displacement of about 70 thousand tons, which allow you to carry a larger number of aircraft on board.

Three months later, his colleague Vladimir Tryapichnikov, head of the naval shipbuilding department, reported on the ongoing development of an aircraft carrier with a nuclear power plant:

“Yes, it is expensive, but the ship must be modern, perform the appropriate tasks, and such a decision will be made in the near future.” At the same time, it was previously reported that the military department had approved a draft design of a promising destroyer pr. 23560 (code "Leader") with a nuclear power plant.

In other words, it would seem that the fleet has already decided what it would like to have in its composition: heavy nuclear aircraft carriers and nuclear destroyers.

However, it turns out that not everything is so simple.

The Phenomenon of the Alternative

It is known that at the previous International Military-Technical Forum (IMTF) "Army-2017", the Krylov State Research Center (KGNTS) planned to present its next concept project - the light aircraft carrier (AVL) "Storm-KM". But, although the model of the ship was already ready, the matter was limited to the transfer of documents to the then Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov. There was no clear response from the client.

For a long time, the concept was known only from a screenshot from the monitor screen and from fragments of performance characteristics: displacement (it is not clear what) is 30-40 thousand tons, the number of aircraft (LA) on board is 40-50. In the picture one could see a strange object with a very wide flight deck, an island on the port (!) side and central (not side) aircraft elevators.

At the beginning of August new head Nevsky Design Bureau, who designed all our aircraft carriers, Sergey Orlov (former Chief Accountant United Shipbuilding Corporation) praised the work of the Krylovites (which in itself is strange, since it is not comme il faut to praise competitors): “They are supporters of building several small aircraft carriers. In principle, I agree with this idea. The new ships should be similar to the Admiral Kuznetsov, but smaller. Krylovtsy do not even advance projects, but concept projects, and very good ones.

As it turned out, it was artillery preparation before the decisive assault - on August 21, the world saw the Storm-KM model at the stand of the Krylov Center at the Army-2018 MVTF.

Strange performance characteristics

At Army-2018, the total displacement of the KGNTs AVL has grown to 44,000 tons (normal - up to 40,500, standard - up to 37,000 tons).

Coefficient of overall completeness Kop ( business card of any ship) equal to the ratio of the volume of the submerged part of the hull (normal displacement divided by the calculated density sea ​​water) to a parallelepiped formed by the length, width and average draft along the design waterline (DWL), which, according to GOST, correspond to the same normal displacement, for Shtorma-KM they correspond to a destroyer with elongated and pointed contours (0.47). While for the hydrodynamically perfect, but fairly complete "Admiral Kuznetsov", it is 0.64 (with adequate Kop, the total displacement of the creation of the KGNTs would be close to Kuznetsov's). The ratio of length to width (L / B coefficient characterizing propulsion is too small (6.84 vs. 8.08), width to draft (B / T, stability) is too large (4.47 vs. 3.72).

If the aircraft carrier were designed in a circle of young ship modellers, such nonsense could be understood and forgiven, but in this case we are dealing with pundits.

When thinking about the classification of the new concept of the Krylov Center, one recalls the 42,500-ton French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which does not occur to anyone to classify as light. The decommissioned British Invincibles or the Spanish Principe de Asturias with a total displacement of about 20,000 tons can rightly be attributed to light aircraft carriers. "De Gaulle", like "Kuznetsov" with "Storm-KM", unambiguously belong to the middle class aircraft carriers (40-60 thousand tons).

Both the classification and the underestimated coefficient of the overall completeness of the brainchild of the KGNTs are perceived as an attempt to mislead the public and the customer.

Step back

In its progressive development in the construction of aircraft carriers (AB), our country was forced to stop at project 11437 with a total displacement of 75,000 tons with 70 aircraft on board and a nuclear power plant. Now, when the circumstances are forcing, and the possibilities allow to continue the construction of the AB, it would be logical to start with a similar project.

However, the so-called naval science (“the so-called” refers only to the notorious advanced design department of the KGNTs, which breeds freaks), for obvious reasons alone, is trying to turn the wheel of history back and persuade the customer to build flawed combat units.

This disadvantage, first of all, is expressed in the composition of the air group. 46 aircraft (LA), as the Krylovites promise, cannot be squeezed into the displacement indicated by them. Suffice it to say that Kuznetsov, which is one third more, can take such a number of aircraft and helicopters. Only the placement of additional aircraft on the huge flight deck of the Shtorma-KM (probably conceived for this) is able to help here, but this is not an option for our northern latitudes - the new Russian aircraft carrier needs a spacious hangar. The aircraft / helicopter capacity of the Krylov AVL can be estimated according to the conditional norm voiced by the former general director of the Nevsky Design Bureau Sergey Vlasov: “One aircraft can be placed per thousand tons of displacement” - 37-40 aircraft.

37-40 LA - these are two three-link (2x12) squadrons of fighter-bombers, 4 radar patrol and guidance aircraft (RLDN) and 9-12 helicopters for various purposes. Due to the fact that one fighter squadron under any circumstances must provide long-range air cover for a shipborne aircraft carrier group (KAG), only one strike squadron (12 aircraft) remains on a light aircraft carrier, suitable for operations against sea or coastal targets. A 75,000-ton aircraft carrier can take three times as many attack squadrons, and this is the best evidence of the failure of the KGNTs concept.

Secondly, due to the insufficient power of the main power plant (PMP) and, as a result, the electric power plant (EPP), it will not be possible to place electromagnetic catapults on the AVL (the recharging time of the energy storage devices for launching the aircraft will be too long). And a promising aircraft carrier without such a catapult automatically falls into the category of inferior ones. In order to somehow compensate for this shortcoming, the specialists of the KGNTs propose to install an electromechanical catapult on their concept (apparently, to launch the UAV).

In addition, the aircraft elevators located in the center of the flight deck (in the diametrical plane), and not onboard, are puzzling - a relic of the past, which reduces the useful area of ​​​​the hangar and does not allow raising and lowering aircraft whose dimensions exceed the dimensions of the elevator.

Finally, why a gas turbine power plant? It's already approved preliminary design destroyer with a nuclear power plant, and in 2019-2020 it is planned to start and complete its technical design in 2022. Nuclear-powered escort destroyer and gas turbine aircraft carrier!

In general, one gets the impression that KGNTs is rowing against the current.

Why Russia can't trade on trifles

First, Russia does not have the ability to spend too much money on defense. Therefore, when choosing such an expensive sample military equipment we must be sure that it will give us guaranteed advantages over foreign counterparts. A "light" aircraft carrier cannot give such guarantees. Any of our warships must be at least twice as powerful as the American one, since we will not be able to outnumber a potential adversary.

The new Russian aircraft carrier can compete on equal terms with two American ones only thanks to its air group. The Americans themselves arrogantly gave us a head start in the field of carrier-based aviation, believing that after the devastation of the 1990s, they can no longer be afraid of our navy. The basis of the air wings of their aircraft carriers is currently the F / A-18E / F Super Hornet fighter-bombers, which grew out of the F / A-18A / B light vehicles, the competitor of which at one time was the F-16 prototype - an analogue of our MiG- 29. In the future, two of the four strike squadrons of all US Navy aircraft carriers are planned to be re-equipped with single-engine F-35Cs.

The current situation gives us the opportunity to outdo the enemy at sea (more precisely, in the air above the sea, which is almost the same thing), by landing the “weakened” Su-57s on new aircraft carriers, and then systematically bringing them to full perfection. However, the KGNTs AVL does not allow deploying more than one squadron of heavy fighters on it, which, as mentioned above, will be occupied only by long-range air cover for the CAG, which will nullify our advantage. At the same time, 75,000-ton aircraft carriers with four squadrons of Su-57s will become real masters of the ocean for a long time, rubbing their noses on arrogant (exceptional) Americans.

Secondly, today Russia does not have suitable construction sites for aircraft carriers at all. Some time later, they can be built in workshop No. 55 of Sevmash (after the completion of the Yaseney series and partially Boreev-A) and in the Zvezda shipbuilding complex (SSK) on Far East. At the end of last year, one of the employees of the KGNTs spoke in the spirit that “the AVL concept will become an addition to our aircraft carrier Storm [a monster with a displacement of 95-100 thousand tons], a light aircraft carrier is cheaper and faster to build.”

Bad idea. We have neither the time, nor the funds, nor the production capacity to first build light and then heavy aircraft carriers.

In general, it is high time for us to seriously think about unification in shipbuilding and move on to work on the principle of "one class - one project."

Thirdly, when offering a small-sized aircraft carrier, the experts of the KGNTs do not at all take into account the prestige of the country that it will represent in the World Ocean. Do they want us to be looked down upon not only by the Americans, but also by the Britons, and some time later by the Chinese and the Indians as well? A state whose navy is based on light (lightweight) aircraft carriers is not worthy of being called a great maritime power.

Model of the new Russian aircraft carrier / Photo: tvzvezda.ru

The project of the promising aircraft carrier "Storm" provides for the presence of two springboards and a catapult to disperse aircraft, Interfax reported. The ship will also receive lifts of both vertical and swing type, which will significantly save space. Thus, the creators will use in the aircraft carrier the best developments of domestic and Western schools for creating ships of this type."Multipurpose heavy aircraft carrier Project 23000E Storm can get a combined power plant and two control islands, ”a representative of the Krylov State Research Center, which develops the ship, told the agency. According to preliminary data, the length of the Storm will be 330 meters, width - 40, draft - 11, speed - up to 30 knots. The laying of the aircraft carrier is planned for 2025 in Severodvinsk, since Sevmash is the only company in Russia with experience in building ships of this class. At its shipyards, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov was completely rebuilt for delivery to India. Atomic reactor"Storm" will be tested on a promising destroyer of the "Leader" type, and in Zhukovsky near Moscow they are already testing an electromagnetic catapult to disperse aircraft.

“The main requirement of the High Command of the Navy for the designers and developers of the Shtorm is that the ship must have broad capabilities both in terms of the use of carrier-based aviation and in terms of combat effectiveness of actions as part of heterogeneous forces,” said Admiral Viktor Chirkov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. The dimensions of the Russian ship correspond to the American Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the largest ships in the world at the moment. True, experts predict the death of US aircraft carriers from long-range missiles developed in Russia - they can attack aircraft carrier orders in a flock from several sides at once. Currently, the only Russian aircraft carrier is the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, which will receive a regiment of MiG-29K fighters in 2016. In addition to the air group, the cruiser is armed with Granit cruise missiles and several types of air defense missile and cannon systems. About this in special project"RG" " Russian weapons” writes Anton Valagin.

Technical reference

Atomic invisible monster: what will be the new Russian aircraft carrier

Despite the fact that the armament program until 2020 does not provide for funds for the construction of aircraft carriers, in Russia the development of a project for a promising aircraft carrier is in full swing. Its prototype was presented to ZVEZDA TV channel at the Krylov State Research Center in St. Petersburg, an organization without whose scientific opinion no project in Russian shipbuilding will ever be embodied in metal.

A promising Russian aircraft carrier so far exists only in the form of models. Some of them are undergoing a cycle of "marine" tests in the numerous pools of the Krylov Center, simulating the "floating" of the future ship in various climatic, weather conditions, seas and oceans of the planet. Another model gives a visual idea of ​​what the ship of the future will actually be like.

With an eye on the future The first thing that catches your eye is the deck of the future aircraft carrier, which is practically “bare” compared to previous projects of aircraft carrier cruisers. Instead of a massive one, it is also called an island superstructure - control towers. This not only saves deck space, but logically should also reduce the radio visibility of the ship at sea. The deck itself also has differences: it has two springboards - a large one and a smaller one, and, accordingly, two take-off directions. And also - aircraft and helicopters fixed at the stern and in the bow of the aircraft carrier - at least five different types. There are clearly more of them than can be seen on the deck of the only aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov in service with our Navy or the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier converted for the Indian Navy.

Even a cursory glance at the aircraft models gives an idea of ​​what kind of aircraft it is planned to place on the aircraft carrier. These are deck fighters T-50, MiG-29K/KUB, airborne early warning aircraft, presumably Yak-44E, and Ka-32 anti-submarine helicopters. The concept of a new multifunctional aircraft carrier developed at the Krylov Research Center, according to the head of the author's group Valentin Belonenko, provides for the placement of up to 100 aircraft on board. And the ship's hull itself was optimized in such a way that the water resistance decreased by 20%. This alone is a significant energy savings, the possibility of increasing speed and autonomy.

On such an aircraft carrier, Valentin Belonenko made it clear, planes and helicopters of the latest generation could take off even in a storm. For aircraft, not only springboards are provided, but also a catapult. And under the takeoff deck and in optimized superstructures - the latest combined power plants, effective missile and electronic weapons.

cruiser or airfield

The last phrase of the specialist that "missile and electronic weapons" will be placed on the ship is one of the most interesting in determining the appearance of the future ship. The fact is that in the Soviet, and now Russian shipbuilding, they still have not decided which class to include domestic aircraft carriers in. So, the only one left in Russia heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" already by its name alone it says that it is not an aircraft carrier, but first of all a "heavy aircraft carrier". That is, a cruiser with additional aircraft weapons. Which for him is auxiliary, and not the main weapon.

Photo: IA "ARMS OF RUSSIA", Alexey Kitaev

And this despite the fact that the ship is armed with 48 fighters Su-27K (Su-33) and attack aircraft Su-25K, 12 helicopters Ka-27. Under the takeoff deck of the cruiser, this is the main difference from similar Western ships, there are 12 launchers of Granit supersonic long-range attack cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The cruiser also has four Kinzhal near-air defense systems - a total of 192 missiles, 8 installations of the Kortik air defense missile and artillery system and 6 rapid-fire (up to 1000 rounds per minute) six-barreled AK-630 artillery machine guns. There is no such set of weapons on any ship in the world.

It is precisely because of this diversity in armament that the Kuznetsov is not considered a “purebred” aircraft carrier in the sense that it is seen in the United States. Nevertheless, according to military experts, it is this arrangement of cruising weapons that makes the Admiral Kuznetsov the most versatile naval weapon. Unlike, for example, submarines with long-range cruise missiles, such a cruiser is equally suitable for participation in a general nuclear or non-nuclear war, as well as in any local conflicts. It is in the latter that it is most effective to use such ships. This was vividly demonstrated by the United States during operations in the Persian Gulf and off the coast of Yugoslavia, when the main strike forces of the NATO Air Force were represented by naval air formations, practically invulnerable to enemy ground forces. However, as experts note, the diversity of weapons is now not as important as the narrow specialization of ships.

“An aircraft carrier will never be alone at sea,” Igor Kasatonov, former deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy, told ZVEZDA TV channel, he will always be guarded by escort ships. It is on them that the task of repelling an air attack or counteracting enemy submarines will fall, so that an aircraft carrier should be an airfield, not a cruiser.

Facets of puzzles And

Valery Polovinkin, adviser to the general director of the Krylov Center, Doctor of Technical Sciences, believes that the conceptual design of ships is not just a way to avoid unnecessary expenses due to the wrong choice, organizational and technical errors when creating expensive systems. This is the most reliable path to the chosen goal and a guarantee that at some point the developers will not find themselves in a dead end or on the sidelines. The development of the ship of the future, even in a mock-up, makes it possible, without significant investment in the project, to accurately follow global trends when creating similar ships in the world. Promptly introduce the wishes of the military into the project.

For example, now a promising aircraft carrier is being considered in two versions: with a nuclear power plant and non-nuclear. If he has a nuclear power plant, then the displacement of the ship will be 80-85 thousand tons. If it is non-nuclear, then 55-65 thousand tons. The number of aircraft that can be placed on the ship depends on this factor.

According to the design standards, one aircraft can be placed per one thousand tons of displacement. Based on this, if the displacement is 65 thousand tons, then 50-55 aircraft can be based on the ship, if 85 thousand - about 70 different aircraft. One more conclusion can be drawn from this - in a non-nuclear version, the ship will most likely be intended for export. In the atomic - for the Russian fleet.

This can be judged by the program for the renewal of the Navy, which is being implemented as part of the state armaments program. For example, a decision was made to overhaul and extensively modernize Project 1144 heavy nuclear cruisers of the Orlan type. We have four such ships: "Admiral Nakhimov", "Admiral Lazarev", "Admiral Ushakov" and "Peter the Great". At one time, these ships were specially created for the tasks of guarding and escorting aircraft-carrying cruisers. The set of weapons on them allows them to conduct combat operations against both surface, underwater and air targets. And the nuclear power plant significantly expands the capabilities of cruisers to carry out autonomous trips.

For these ships, the nuclear aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk was specially built in the USSR, unfortunately, they did not manage to complete its construction before the collapse of the state, and the giant was cut into “needles” right at the shipyard in Nikolaev in Ukraine. However, the decision to repair and modernize the Orlans suggests that the idea of ​​a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier fleet has not been forgotten in Russia.

The lead cruiser 1144 of the project "Admiral Nakhimov" / Photo: Press service of the RF Ministry of Defense

The lead cruiser 1144 of the Admiral Nakhimov project is already at the shipyard in Severodvinsk, awaiting the start of work. According to plans, in 2018 the youngest of the Orlans, the cruiser Peter the Great, will also be there. It is quite possible that by this time a decision will be made to start construction of a new aircraft carrier. A floating dock is being built in Severodvinsk, capable of supporting the construction of ships with a displacement of more than 100,000 tons: tankers, bulk carriers and aircraft carriers. It is planned to spend about $500 million of budgetary funds on the dock.

Su-33 carrier-based fighters / Photo: Press service of the Russian Defense Ministry

“This year it is planned to complete the naval aviation with MiG-29K aircraft,” says the head of the Naval Aviation of the Navy, Hero of Russia, Major General Igor Kozhin. - As a result, we will receive more than 20 MiG-29K aircraft, which will become the basis for the formation of a new aviation military unit as part of the Northern Fleet. The NITKA test site in Yeysk will begin to operate in full. All this suggests that the fleet is ready for the arrival of new aircraft carriers.