The doctrine of the Russian Navy is such that it practically does not provide for the use of aircraft carriers. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is the huge financial costs of maintaining such courts. During the USSR, the first steps were taken towards their creation, but the only ship of this class in our country is the Admiral Kuznetsov. This aircraft carrier has a rather complex and interesting story creation and operation.
Surely not everyone knows that a total of five aircraft-carrying cruisers were built in the USSR. Where did the other four ships go? We will answer these questions and also discuss the main specifications ship "Admiral Kuznetsov". This aircraft carrier began to be designed shortly before the collapse Soviet Union(together with other similar ships).
Basic information
The start of work on the project dates back to 1978. The Leningrad Design Bureau was responsible for the design activities. First, the engineers offered the military specialists project 1143, which provided for the construction of a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. The basis was based on long-standing work on the cruiser 1160 with a nuclear power plant.
There are the following projects implemented in the form of built ships or existing in the form of layouts and sketches:
- Sketch 1160, providing for the laying of an aircraft carrier, the displacement of which would be 80,000 tons.
- Type 1153. The displacement of this aircraft carrier was to be 70,00 tons, the project provided for a powerful armament of the ship (in addition to the aviation group itself). There are no built and laid down ships.
- The project, on the adoption of which the Minsudprom insisted. As in the first case, the displacement was to be 80,000 tons. It was envisaged that at least 70 units of aircraft and combat helicopters would be based on board.
- Project 1143 M. It was planned that the ship would be armed with Yak-41 supersonic vertical takeoff aircraft. The third aircraft carrier type 1143 - 1143.3. The ship was laid down in 1975. It was put into service seven years later, but already in 1993 it was decommissioned and cut into metal. The reason is "economic inexpediency of exploitation".
- Type 1143 A. It is similar to the ships of project 1143M, but an increased displacement was provided. This is the fourth aircraft carrier built in the USSR. The bookmark was made in 1978, officially entered the fleet in 1982. In 2004, an agreement was concluded to lease the ship to the Indian Navy, and it was modernized to suit their needs. He joined the Indian Navy three years ago, in 2012.
- Heavy aircraft carrier project 1143.5. As you might guess, this is another upgrade of type 1143. The fifth and last built aircraft carrier.
So where is Kuznetsov?
It is the last ship that is the Admiral Kuznetsov. By order of the Council of Ministers, this aircraft carrier began to be developed at the end of 1978.
It was project 1143.5. The final technical design of the vessel was ready by the middle of 1980. Initially, it was assumed that the construction of the new ship would be fully completed by 1990. The laying was carried out on the stocks of the Nikolaev shipbuilding plant. But the Admiral Kuznetsov did not appear so easily. The aircraft carrier before its "birth into the world" went through many obstacles, as the timing of its construction and commissioning was constantly pushed back.
History of development and construction
The engineers prepared the initial draft design by 1979. Almost immediately, the document was approved by the commander of the Navy, who at that time was Admiral S. Gorshkov. The following year, D. Ustinov (the head of the entire army department) signs another document in which he affirms the need for fundamental changes in project 1143.5. Because of this, the deadline for the actual start of construction of the ship was almost immediately pushed back to 1986-1991.
But already in April 1980, S. Gorshkov approved a new project, in which all the necessary changes had already been made. Finally, in the summer of the same year, all parties involved in the development of the new ship recognize the development of the Type 1143.5 cruiser as finally completed.
But this project has not yet been completed. The snag came out in the list of necessary aviation weapons that should have been on the ship: it needed to be worked out in full accordance with the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which left a certain imprint on the speed of work. At the end of the year, the design of the ship 1143.5 is again subject to adjustment.
Some experts at that time expressed the opinion that it would be more expedient to build a second cruiser under project 1143.4 (1143 A), and not waste time and money on finalizing the drawings of a new one. However, this idea was soon abandoned, and project 1143.4 itself was finalized to stage 1143.42.
New delays
At the beginning of the spring months of 1981, the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant received a long-awaited order for the construction of a new cruiser. But already in the fall, significant changes were again made to the long-suffering project: the displacement of the ship needed to be increased immediately by 10 thousand tons.
As a result contemporary meaning this figure is 67 thousand tons. Among other things, the designers found it necessary to add the following innovations to the sketches:
- It was necessary to install the Granit anti-ship missiles on board the ship.
- The need to increase the aviation group immediately to 50 units.
- Most importantly, the planes had to be launched without the use of a catapult, by a simple trampoline method. This not only reduced the cost of construction, but also significantly extended the technical life of the cruiser.
The final model of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" was ready only in 1982. They laid it down in September of the same year at the Nikolaev shipyards, initially assigning the name "Riga" and the number (according to the factory catalog) 105. Just two months later, the ship is renamed, after which it turns into "Leonid Brezhnev". Already in December, the installation of the first structural block was in full swing. In general, it was the first cruiser in the history of Soviet shipbuilding, which consisted entirely of blocks (24 pieces).
The length of each was about 32 meters, the height was 13 meters. The weight of each element sometimes reached 1.7 thousand tons. By the way, all superstructures of the huge ship are also made according to the block scheme. But not only this is unique "Admiral Kuznetsov". The aircraft carrier, the characteristics of which we describe in this article, with the normal operation of the supply plants, could be built in three to four years, which is an absolute record for ships of this class.
Alas, the unhurried work of the factories slowed down its entry into the Soviet Navy several times.
Onboard systems installation
The order for all power and power plants was made for 1983-1984. The factories failed: they deviated greatly from the schedule, as a result of which, for the installation of engines and turbines, it was necessary to partially disassemble the hull and in some areas remove the upper deck. The French from a spy satellite first captured the ship in 1984. At that time, its readiness was already at least 20%.
The cruiser was lowered from the stocks at the end of 1985. The weight of the hull and the systems mounted at that time did not exceed 32 thousand tons. Experts estimated the readiness of the aircraft carrier at 38.5%.
The following year, the changes again affected the Admiral Kuznetsov (aircraft carrier). The designer of project 1143.5 has changed, P. Sokolov has become it. By the middle of 1987, the ship was renamed for the third time. This time it is TAKR "Tbilisi". Readiness approached 57%. By that time, the cruiser could be approximately 71% complete, but due to equipment suppliers, the project was repeatedly rudely stalled. Only by the end of 1989, readiness began to reach 70%.
The cost of the ship in those years was estimated at 720 million rubles, and the rise in price by 200 million was caused precisely by the delays of suppliers. In response to this, the chief designer was again changed, which this time was L. Belov. The ship was approximately 80% complete. By that time, more than half of all radio-electronic equipment had been installed on the ship, and most of it could only be delivered by 1989 (and the delivery was scheduled for 1984).
First time out to sea
The first exit to the sea dates back to October 20, 1989. It was officially authorized and approved by all project participants. In principle, by that time the ship was finally completely ready, but the aviation group had not yet been delivered. The campaign lasted a little more than one month. When was the first landing on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov made? It happened on the first of November 1989. The Su-27K aircraft was the first to start testing. Immediately after landing, the MiG-29K left the deck, with which there were no problems either.
All weapons and radio systems were installed only in 1990. But still, the readiness of the cruiser reaches 87%. In the spring and summer of the same year, sea trials of the ship began. Finally, in October of the same year, the ship acquires its final name. Now this is the same Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov".
During the first stage of testing alone, the cruiser covered more than 16,000 nautical miles under its own power, aircraft took off almost 500 times from its deck. Not a single landing on the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" ended in an emergency, which for the first time tested ships is just a great indicator!
The first tests were completed at the end of 1990. Until 1992, the final stage of the State acceptance took place (as part of the Black Sea Fleet), after which the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was included in the Northern Fleet.
Basic information on the design of the ship
As we have already said, the ship consists of exactly 24 blocks, each of which weighs about 1.5 thousand tons. The hull was made by welding, has seven decks and two huge platforms at once. To lift parts of this size and mass, Soviet engineers had to use Finnish Kane cranes, each of which could lift up to 900 tons to the required height. The peculiarity of the ship is also that its entire body is covered with a special coating that effectively absorbs the signal of enemy radars.
By the way, about the recent modernization that the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" has undergone. The latest news suggests that this composition has been significantly improved, so that the ability of a huge ship to literally "dissolve" in the open sea has become even more impressive.
Other figures
If (very conventionally) we divide the ship into average floors of a residential building, then their number will be 27. In general, there are 3857 rooms inside the cruiser at once, which perform a variety of functions. It is worth noting that there are only 387 cabins (which are divided into four classes), 134 sailors' quarters, six huge dining rooms, and fifty well-equipped showers for personnel. Thus, the Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" is a real floating city! Its autonomy is one and a half months.
It may seem that this is not enough. But this is until you find out the number of crew and flight personnel. There are more than 1.5 thousand people on board. Pilots - 626 people. Just imagine the laboriousness of providing food and drink for more than two thousand people for a month and a half on the high seas! So the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov", whose dimensions can really amaze the imagination, is indeed monumental.
In total, during the construction of the ship, engineers used more than four thousand (!) Kilometers of cable, 12 thousand kilometers of pipes for the circulation of liquids for various purposes. The through deck area is 14,000 m². It ends with a springboard, the slope of which is 14.3 degrees in its steepest part. The springboard at its highest point rises 28 meters above the water. The maximum speed is 32 knots. In economy mode, the ship accelerates to 16 knots.
Deck and runways
Special fairings are installed on the edges of the deck and the bow springboard itself. Aircraft are delivered to the landing deck of the cruiser using lifts, the carrying capacity of which is 40 tons each. Aviation units are delivered to the stern and bow. The width of the deck is 67 meters. The total length of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" is 304.5 meters.
The draft depth of the giant cruiser is 10.5 meters.
A section of the deck 250 meters long and 26 meters wide is intended directly for landing. It is located with a slope of seven degrees. To cover this area, scientists once developed special composition"Omega", which prevents slipping and protects the deck material from extremely high temperatures. For the areas from which the Yak-41 vertical planes take off and land, heat-resistant plates AK-9FM are used.
The total number of launch strips is two, and they converge in highest point springboard, which generally distinguishes the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov from other ships of a similar class. The star located on its stem emphasizes the majestic and formidable features of the huge cruiser.
On the left side there is an alternate runway, the length of which is already 180 meters. To protect the maintenance personnel, deflectors equipped with powerful cooling systems are mounted throughout the deck. To ensure the safe landing of flight units, Svetlana-2 arresters are used. In the event of an emergency, there is an installation (emergency barrier) with the "talking" name "Nadezhda". The Luna-3 telemetry and control system is responsible for landing aircraft.
Survivability Service
To store most of the air group, a special protective hangar is 153 meters long and 26 meters wide. The height of this office space is 7.2 meters. The hangar houses approximately 70% of all flight units of the ship. In addition, fire engines and emergency tractors are also located in it. Planes are taken out of the hangar in a semi-automatic mode, while tractors drive them along the deck. The entire hangar is divided by four special "curtains", which are mounted in order to increase fire safety.
To increase the "survivability" of his ship internal partitions made according to the sandwich scheme - with alternating layers of steel and fiberglass. The yield strength of the metal used for the construction of partitions is 60 kgf/mm². All tanks of tankers, premises and vehicles for the transport of ammunition are protected by a layer of armor.
"Kuznetsov" is also unique in that it (for the first time in the history of domestic shipbuilding) used underwater combined protection. Its depth is about five meters. The ship can withstand the flooding of five adjacent compartments at once, the total length of which is approximately 60 meters.
"Reports from the fronts"
By the way, where is the famous aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov located now? News reports that the ship and her crew are currently in Severomorsk, having returned from a long training cruise in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In its course, deck-level aircraft and helicopters repeatedly practiced air combat and preventive interception of targets.
That's where the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is now. It should be noted that at any time he can withdraw from the parking lot and once again go on a long trip.
"Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov"
(former names - in order of assignment - "Soviet Union" (project), "Riga" (bookmark), "Leonid Brezhnev" (launching), "Tbilisi" (tests)) - heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.5, the only one in the composition Russian Navy in its class (as of 2011). Designed to destroy large surface targets, protect naval formations from attacks by a potential enemy.
Named after Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union. Built in Nikolaev, at the Black Sea shipyard.
During cruises, Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment (home base - Severomorsk-3) and Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters of the 830th Separate Shipborne Anti-Submarine Helicopter Regiment (base airfield - Severomorsk-1).
December 5, 2007 "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" led a detachment of warships that set off on a campaign in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, the Russian Navy resumed its presence in the oceans.
History of creation
The fifth heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of the USSR, Tbilisi, was laid down on the slipway of the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant on September 1, 1982. It differed from its predecessors by providing for the first time the ability to take off and land on it traditional aircraft, modified versions of the land-based Su-27, MiG-29 and Su-25. To do this, he had a significantly enlarged flight deck and a springboard for taking off aircraft. Construction for the first time in the USSR was carried out by a progressive method of forming a hull from large blocks weighing up to 1400 tons.
Even before the assembly was completed, after the death of Leonid Brezhnev, on November 22, 1982, the cruiser was renamed in his honor as Leonid Brezhnev. Launched on December 4, 1985, after which its completion afloat continued.
On August 11, 1987, it was renamed Tbilisi. On June 8, 1989, its mooring trials began, and on September 8, 1989, the crew moved in. On October 21, 1989, the unfinished and understaffed ship was put to sea, where it conducted a cycle of flight design tests of aircraft intended to be based on board. As part of these tests, the first takeoffs and landings of aircraft on it were made. On November 1, 1989, the first landings of the MiG-29K, Su-27K and Su-25UTG were made. The first takeoff from it was made by the MiG-29K on the same day and the Su-25UTG and Su-27K the next day, November 2, 1989. After completing the test cycle on November 23, 1989, he returned to the factory for completion. In 1990, he went to sea many times to carry out factory and state tests.
On October 4, 1990, it was renamed once again and became known as "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov."
Service
On November 1, 1989, for the first time in the USSR, a Su-27K fighter (test pilot V. G. Pugachev) landed on the deck of Tbilisi. On the same day, it took off for the first time from the deck using the MiG-29K springboard (test pilot T. O. Aubakirov). 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.
On December 25, 1990, 8 years, 3 months and 24 days after the laying, the acceptance certificate of the cruiser was signed. On January 20, 1991, he was officially enrolled in the Northern Fleet, on January 20, the naval flag was raised on him. After the collapse of the USSR, due to fears of claims against it from the Ukrainian side, on December 1, 1991, it was urgently and secretly withdrawn from Sevastopol and began the transition to the Northern Fleet. On December 1-20, 1991, the cruiser made the transition around Europe to Severomorsk. In 1992-1994, various tests of the ship, its armament and air group continued, the cruiser spent three to four months a year at sea, and participated in exercises. In 1993, the first serial Su-33s began to arrive for his air group. In the winter of 1994-1995, the main boilers were repaired.
In the year of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, on December 23, 1995, as part of a naval multipurpose group, he entered combat service in the Mediterranean Sea, having on board an air group consisting of 13 Su-33s, 2 Su-25UTGs and 11 helicopters. Gibraltar passed through 10 days of the campaign, January 4, 1996. January 7, 1996 anchored off the coast of Tunisia until January 17. An exchange of visits with the US Navy took place there, including landings of Russian helicopters on an American aircraft carrier and vice versa, as well as the transportation of Russian pilots on US aircraft. From January 28 to February 2 he made a business call to Tartus. February 4, entry to the island of Crete. February 17-18 made a visit to La Valletta. March 2 - air defense exercises by an aircraft carrier multi-purpose group with the development of Su-33 intercepts of aircraft and cruise missiles. March 6 - Passage of Gibraltar. At the final stage of the campaign, he took part in the command and staff exercises of the Northern Fleet. As part of the exercises, a conditional repulse of an attack by 4 Tu-22M3s was carried out. They were intercepted at a distance of 450 km from the center of the warrant. March 22, 1996 moored at the base. In fact, 12 air targets were intercepted, two foreign submarines were detected, artillery and missile weapons were fired, including the Granit missile system. The entire campaign was accompanied by serious problems with the main power plant, as a result of which the ship repeatedly lost its course and could not reach full speed, as well as various problems with ship systems.
From 1996 to 1998 it was under repair, which was greatly delayed as a result of underfunding. In 1998 he took part in major exercises of the Northern Fleet. In 1999, he twice went to sea for combat training. In 2000, he participated in major exercises during which the K-141 Kursk submarine was lost, and took part in a rescue operation. As a result of this tragedy, the second campaign of the cruiser for military service in the Mediterranean Sea, which was to take place at the end of 2000, was canceled.
From 2001 to 2004 was on a scheduled average repair. In 2004, as part of a group of 9 ships of the Northern Fleet, including the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the destroyer Admiral Ushakov and support vessels, he participated in a month-long voyage to the North Atlantic, during which flight and design tests of the Su-27KUB were also carried out. In 2005-2007, he carried out combat service, went to sea two or three times a year. 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.
On December 8, 2008, the repair was completed, which had been carried out for 7 months at the facilities of Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center JSC. The main power plant was updated on the ship, boiler equipment, air conditioning systems, mechanisms for lifting aircraft to the flight deck were repaired. Cable routes were replaced, separate blocks of the cruiser's weapons systems were restored.
According to unconfirmed reports, from 2012 to 2017, a full-scale modernization will take place at the Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise.
prospects
At the moment, ships of this class are not being built in Russia. Nevertheless, the construction of nuclear aircraft carriers is planned, according to plans, construction should begin between 2015 and 2020. According to unconfirmed reports, preliminary developments and planning for the layout of the future ship have already begun. According to fleet modernization plans, there should be one unit in each of the fleets, and one in reserve in case another aircraft carrier is repaired.
At the moment, the ship is almost completely combat ready. The head missile system "Granit" is in service after repair, more than two-thirds of the anti-aircraft artillery in service, surveillance and guidance systems are more than 60% functional. The staffing of aviation is 80% of the planned one, which makes it possible to fully engage in combat training.
Specifications
Incidents
The beginning of design work on the creation of the cruiser project 1143.5 - 1978. The work was carried out by the Leningrad Design Bureau. The first option is an improved preliminary design of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser 1143. The design is carried out in accordance with the research work called "Order", which is a military-economic justification for the aircraft-carrying cruiser with a nuclear installation of project 1160.
The design was based on the following projects:
- advance project 1160 - an aircraft carrier with a displacement of 80,000 tons;
- project 1153 - a large cruiser with aviation weapons (50 aircraft), with a displacement of 7000 tons. There are no laid down and built ships;
- project aircraft carrier recommended by the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry, displacement of 80,000 tons, aircraft and helicopters up to 70 units;
- project 1143M - an aircraft carrier armed with supersonic aircraft of the Yak-41 type. This is the third aircraft carrier of project 1143 - 1143.3. It was laid down in 1975, adopted in 1982, decommissioned in 1993;
- project 1143A - an aircraft carrier of project 1143M with an increased displacement. Fourth aircraft-carrying cruiser built. Laid down in 1978, adopted in 1982. Since 2004, the ship has been modernized for the Indian Navy. Admitted to the Indian Navy in 2012;
— heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of project 1143.5 is the next fifth modification of project 1143 and the fifth built aircraft-carrying cruiser.
In October 1978, by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the Ministry of Defense was instructed to develop a tactical and technical assignment for the ship project 1143.5, the Ministry of the shipbuilding industry to issue a draft design and technical design by 1980. The estimated start of the serial construction of ships of project 1143.5 is 1981, the end is 1990. The laying and construction of ships is the slipway "O" of the Nikolaev shipbuilding plant.
The draft design was prepared for 1979, in the same year it was approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy S. Gorshkov. A few months later, in 1980, the head of the military department, D. Ustinov, signed a directive from the General Staff, which spoke of the need to change project 1143.5. Now the deadline for the completion of the technical project was postponed to 1982, construction to 1986-91. In April 1980, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy S. Gorshkov approves the tactical and technical assignment with the changes made to the project.
In the summer of 1980, all parties involved - the Ministry of the Shipbuilding Industry, the Ministry of the Aviation Industry, the Air Force and the Navy recognize the development of the ship project 1143.5 as fully completed.
However, changes to the project continue. The use of aviation weapons on the ship of project 1143.5 was worked out in accordance with the decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. At the end of 1980, the Central Research Institute of Military Shipbuilding corrected the tactical and technical specifications for the ship project 1143.5. At the same time, a decision was made to build a second ship of project 1143.4 (1143A) instead of the ship of project 1143.5. However, in the future, the project is being finalized again - technical project 1143.42.
In the early spring of 1981, a contract for the production of order 105 was received from the Main Directorate of the Navy at the Nikolaev shipbuilding plant. In the fall of 1981, changes were made to the ship's design - the displacement was increased by 10 thousand tons. The following changes are made to the project:
- installation on board the ship anti-ship missiles "Granite";
- increase in aircraft armament up to 50 units;
- springboard takeoff of aircraft without the use of a catapult.
The final technical design of 1143.5 was ready by March 1982. Adopted by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 392-10 dated May 7, 1982.
On September 1, 1982, the ship of project 1143.5 was laid down on the modernized slipway "O" of the Nikolaev shipbuilding plant and was given the name "Riga" with serial number 105. Two months later, the ship was renamed "Leonid Brezhnev". In December 1982, the installation of the 1st block of the hull structure began. By the way, it was the first ship consisting of 24 hull blocks. The blocks are hull wide, 32 meters long, 13 meters high, weighing up to 1.7 thousand tons. The superstructures of the ship were also installed in the form of a block.
All propulsion and power systems were ordered for 1983-84. Their installation and installation was carried out on an already partially assembled hull, which led to the opening of the decks and some bulkheads and greatly slowed down the entire construction process. The first photographs of the new ship, taken from the satellite, appeared in the French press in 1984, the readiness of the TAKR for this year was 20%.
The ship was launched from the slipway at the end of 1985, the weight of the ship did not exceed 32 thousand tons, the readiness of the ship was estimated at 35.8%. In 1986, P. Sokolov was appointed chief designer of project 1143.5. In mid-1987, the ship was renamed again - now it has become known as TAKR "Tbilisi", the readiness of the ship is estimated at 57%. There is a delay in the construction of the ship (by approximately 15 percent) due to a disruption in the supply of various equipment. At the end of 1988, the readiness of the TAKR is estimated at 70%.
The estimated cost of the ship for 1989 was about 720 million rubles, of which almost 200 million rubles were delayed in the supply of equipment and systems. In the same year, a new chief designer L. Belov was appointed, the readiness of the ship was estimated at 80%. About 50 percent of electronic equipment and systems are installed on the ship, most of the equipment arrived on the ship in 1989.
The first exit of the ship to the sea was made on 10/20/1989. It was officially allowed by all project participants. From ready-made solutions the air group was ready for use on the ship. The exit of the ship was completed on November 25, 1989. The tests of the air group begin on November 1, 1989 - the Su-27K was the first to land on the deck. Immediately after landing, he took off from the deck of the TAKR MiG-29K.
The completion of the ship with weapons and electronic equipment was completed by 1990, the complete readiness of the ship is estimated at 87%. Running factory tests were carried out in the spring and summer of 1990. In October 1990, the ship changed its name for the last time, which it still bears - TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov". During the 1st stage of the ongoing tests, the ship successfully covered more than 16 thousand miles, more than 450 times aircraft took off from the deck of the ship.
State tests of the first TAKR project 1143.5 were completed on 12/25/1990, after which it was accepted into the Navy. Further tests of the ship took place until 1992 on the Black Sea, after which it goes into the Northern Fleet.
Design development of the ship:
- improvement of the project 1143 - five options were proposed, the main units being worked out: a catapult, an emergency barrier, aerofinishers, KTU. Displacement up to 65.000 tons. Main armament: 12 launch anti-ship missiles "Granit";
- project 1143.2 - the next option for improving the ship. The main units being worked on: two catapults, an enlarged hangar, a flight deck. Displacement up to 60.000 tons. Main armament: an air group of 42 aircraft (some of which may be helicopters);
- draft version of project 1143.5 - the proposed version was worked out as far as possible by docking. Displacement up to 65,000 tons. Armament - an air group of 52 vehicles (30 aircraft and 22 helicopters) and 12 launchers of the Granit missile defense system;
- project 1143.5 (Ustinova-Amelko) - changes in the design of the ship to the requirements of the Ministry of Defense. Units under study: springboard, KTU or NPP of projects 1143.4/1144. Displacement up to 55.000 tons. Main armament: 12 launch anti-ship missiles "Granit" and an air group of 46 aircraft of the Yak-41 type;
- project 1143.5 (TsNIIVK) - a corrected project of the Central Research Institute of Military Shipbuilding. Displacement up to 55.000 tons. Units under development: reserve catapult added, hull structure reduced, aviation fuel supply reduced. Main armament: an air group consisting of 46 aircraft (short and vertical takeoff aircraft of the Yak-41 type).
- project 1143.42 - a revised project in favor of the second ship of project 1143.4. Displacement up to 55.000 tons. Worked out nodes: increase in the deck, catapult. Main armament: air group consisting of 40 aircraft (DRLO aircraft are present), anti-ship missiles "Basalt";
- project 1143.42 (adjustment of the Ministry of Defense) - a revised project by decision of the military department. Displacement - up to 65,000 tons. Worked nodes: springboard. Main armament: 12 launch anti-ship missiles "Granit", an air group consisting of 50 aircraft.
The device and design of TAKR project 1143.5
Structurally, the ship consists of 24 blocks, weighing about 1.7 thousand tons each. Welded hull with 7 decks and 2 platforms. During the construction of the ship, two Finnish-made Kane cranes were used, each with a lifting capacity of 900 tons. The hull of the ship is covered with a special radio-absorbing coating. If we conditionally divide the ship into floors, then their number will be 27 floors.
In total, 3857 rooms for various purposes were made inside the ship., of which we note: cabins of 4 classes - 387 rooms, cubicles - 134 rooms, dining rooms - 6 rooms, showers - 50 rooms. During the construction of the ship, more than 4 thousand kilometers of cable routes, 12 thousand kilometers of pipes for various purposes were used.
The ship received a through deck with an area of more than 14,000 m 2 with a springboard at an angle of 14.3 degrees in the bow of the ship. Profiled fairings are installed on the springboard and the edges of the deck corners. Aircraft are delivered to the takeoff deck by 40-ton lifts (right side) to the bow and stern of the ship. Deck width - 67 meters. A section of the landing strip 205 meters long and 26 meters wide is located at an angle of 7 degrees. The deck surface is covered with a special Omega anti-slip and heat-resistant coating, and the vertical take-off / landing areas are covered with AK-9FM heat-resistant plates.
On the left and right sides of the launchers there are two runways (the takeoff run is 90 meters), which converge at the upper end of the springboard. The third runway is 180 meters long (the left side is closer to the stern). Cooled deflectors are used on the deck to provide protection for the support personnel and aircraft from aircraft taking off. For landing the aircraft on the deck, arresters "Svetlana-2" and an emergency barrier "Nadezhda" are used.
The landing of the aircraft is carried out with the help of a radio system of short-range navigation and an optical landing system "Luna-3". The closed hangar, 153 meters long, 26 meters wide and 7.2 meters high, accommodates 70% of the regular air group. It also stores tractors, fire engines, a special set of tools for servicing the LAC. In the hangar, a chain semi-automatic system for transporting standard aircraft is made; aircraft are transported on deck using tractors. The hangar is divided into 4 compartments by folding fireproof curtains with electromechanical control to ensure fire safety.
Structural protection of the surface part of the shielded type ship, internal protective barriers - composite structures of the steel / fiberglass / steel type. High-strength steel was chosen as the main material (yield strength 60 kgf / mm 2). Aviation fuel, fuel and ammunition tanks are protected by local box armor. For the first time in the construction of domestic ships, underwater structural protection is used. The depth of the PKZ is about 5 meters. Of the 3 longitudinal partitions, the second was armored multilayer type. Unsinkability was ensured when 5 adjacent compartments were flooded, no more than 60 meters long.
The power plant is a boiler-turbine type, consisting of 8 new steam boilers, 4 main turbo-gear units TV-12-4, providing a total power of 200,000 hp. Propulsors - 4 fixed-pitch propellers. Energy - 9 turbogenerators with a total capacity of 13,500 kW, 6 diesel generators with a total capacity of 9,000 kW.
Armament and equipment of TAKR project 1143.5
12 underdeck launchers of the Granit shock anti-ship missiles are located at the very base of the springboard. The launchers are covered with armored covers flush with the deck. Jamming systems 4 launchers PK-10 and 8 launchers PK-2M with 400 rounds of ammunition (SU "Tertsia").
The anti-aircraft armament of the ship is 4 modules of the Kinzhal anti-aircraft missile system with an ammunition load of 192 missiles, 8 Kortik air defense missile systems with an ammunition supply of 256 missiles, 48,000 shells. The modules are installed side by side, providing a circular shelling of air targets.
The artillery armament of the ship is three AK-630M batteries with 48,000 rounds of ammunition.
The anti-torpedo armament of the ship is two RBU-12000 10-barrel mounts, installed side by side in the stern. Ammunition 60 RGB.
Air group - according to the project 50 LA. As of 2010, it included 18 Su-33s, 4 Su-25Ts, 15 Ka-27s and 2 Ka-31s.
Radio-technical armament and equipment of the ship - 58 systems and complexes, the main ones:
- BIUS "Lumberjack";
- SOI "Troinik";
— complex long-range target designation "Coral-BN";
- multifunctional radar "Mars-Passat" with a phased antenna array;
- three-coordinate radar "Fregat-MA";
- two-coordinate radar "Podkat" for detecting low-flying air targets;
- navigation complex "Beysur";
— communication equipment "Buran-2";
- active interference stations MP-207, MP-407, TK-D46RP;
- Flight control radar "Resistor";
- electronic warfare complex "Cantata-1143.5";
- hydroacoustic complex "Polynom-T";
- sonar stations "Zvezda-M1", "Amulet", "Altyn";
— navigational radar stations"Naiada-M", "Vaigach-U";
- Station of underwater communication "Shtil";
— system of space communication "Crystal-BK";
- the combat control system of the aircraft "Tur-434";
- television landing system "Otvedok-Emancipation";
— guidance station "Gazon";
— system of autocontrol "Control".
The antenna devices of most systems and complexes are located on the superstructure of the ship. Radio transceivers - more than 50 units. These are 80 paths for receiving and transmitting information and data, most of which can work simultaneously.
Auxiliary equipment has more than 170 items and consists of 450 individual items.
The ship's rescue equipment is a command boat of project 1404, two boats of project 1402-B, two 6-oared yawls (project YAL-P6), 240 PSN-10M (rescue rafts in containers).
The main characteristics of the TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov":
- length - 304.5 meters;
- width of the waterline / deck - 38/72 meters;
- draft - 10.5 meters;
- the height of the springboard above the water - 28 meters;
- displacement standard / full / max. – up to 46.000/59.000/67.000 tons;
- speed economy / max - 18/32 knots;
- economy / max range - 8000/3800 miles;
- autonomy of navigation - 1.5 months;
- personnel of the ship crew / flight crew - 1533/626 people.
This year, TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov":
- January 8 - as part of the shipborne aircraft carrier group of the Russian Navy, he entered from the Syrian port of Tartus on an official friendly visit;
- February 16 - as part of the shipborne aircraft carrier group of the Russian Navy, completed a campaign in the Mediterranean Sea and returned to the home base of Severomorsk;
— 2012-17 - the modernization of the ship should begin, the work will be carried out by the Sevmash production association.
The smoky trail of "Admiral Kuznetsov", which became the reason for active discussions in the press and social networks, has a long prehistory. Lenta.ru continues to talk about the only Russian aircraft carrier currently in operation, the creation of which was the result of many compromises and palliative decisions.
Attempt #3
On July 21, 1970, the lead ship of project 1143, an anti-submarine cruiser with aircraft armament, named "Kyiv", was laid down on the slipway of the largest in the USSR Chernomorsky shipbuilding plant in Nikolaev. It was supposed to be the first Soviet aircraft carrier, that is, a ship designed for basing, takeoffs and landings of aircraft directly from the deck. The characteristics of this project were the fruit of a difficult intra-Soviet compromise, expressed in everything, including classification. In hindsight, the definition of "anti-submarine cruiser with aircraft weapons", then changed to "heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser", will be explained, among other things, by the desire to avoid problems with the passage of the Black Sea straits, but these explanations are false: firstly, the Montreux Convention does not contain a direct ban on passage straits by aircraft carriers of the Black Sea states, and secondly, in the Western classification, which was used, among other things, by Turkey, which controls the straits, including in the classification used in the annexes to the Montreux Convention "Kyiv" and its heirs have always been clearly designated precisely as aircraft carriers - aircraft carriers.
The reason for the classification tricks was purely internal: it was impossible to directly announce the construction of ships, which were simultaneously branded by the press as "weapons of aggressive war", within the framework of Soviet ideological realities.
To a large extent, the same reasons determined the characteristics of the ship: through the slingshots of numerous opponents of aircraft carriers as a class of ships, a hybrid designed for basing and flying vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL) and helicopters, while with cruising missile weapons and completely "carrier" sizes, passed . 37 thousand tons of standard displacement and 273 meters of length with a boiler-turbine power plant with a capacity of 180 thousand horsepower located Kyiv approximately in the middle between the French aircraft carriers of the Foch and Clemenceau type, the standard displacement of which was about 30 thousand tons, and the length was 265 meters, and 45,000-ton American Midways.
Unlike the named ships, "Kyiv" did not have a continuous flight deck along the entire length of the ship - its bow was occupied by cruising armament, which limited its aircraft carrier capabilities to the operation of VTOL aircraft, just like the much smaller British ships of the "Invincible" type that were being designed at the time.
The greatest problems of Project 1143 were associated with the air group: the Yak-38 VTOL aircraft, a subsonic aircraft with weak weapons and a relatively short range, looked strange on a ship equipped with anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometers. In fact, the Yak-38, officially classified as an attack aircraft, could not perform any of the current tasks: as an attack aircraft in operations against the fleet, it was useless, without missile weapons that could attack ships, and as an air defense aircraft of the formation, it had little chance in confrontation with enemy attack vehicles operating under the cover of supersonic fighters.
The shortcomings of "Kyiv" were obvious, and alternatives continued to be considered.
1160-1153
The main alternative was the project, which received the number 1160. Also not without compromise solutions in the form of anti-ship missile launchers, it was nevertheless a full-fledged aircraft carrier project. A nuclear power plant, 72 thousand tons of standard and 80 - full displacement, a through flight deck, an aviation technical complex, including a corner deck, four steam catapults and an arrester made it a full-fledged functional analogue of American supercarriers.
As part of the air group, it was planned to use MiG-23A Molniya aircraft (a carrier-based version of the latest Soviet front-line fighter at that time), Su-24K bombers-missile carriers (a carrier-based version of a strike aircraft being developed at that time), anti-submarine defense aircraft specially designed for the aircraft carrier P- 42 Beriev Design Bureau, as well as "flying radars" at their base and helicopters. As aircraft technology developed, plans changed: in 1973, carrier-based versions of the Su-27 and MiG-29 being developed at that time were assumed as promising aircraft.
Image: Nevskoye Design Bureau
The creation of this ship required the solution of a number of technological problems, the main of which was the development of an arrester and steam catapults - devices that were not previously produced by the Soviet industry. There is no doubt about the possibility of creating these systems in the 1970s - by that time the USSR had all the necessary technologies.
However, the detailed development of the 1160 project was also not started. Instead of a new aircraft carrier, it was decided to continue the 1143 series, laying down the second ship of project 1143 in 1972 - the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Minsk, and in 1975 - Novorossiysk.
Attempt #4 and 5
Supporters of aircraft carriers, with the support of the Ministers of Defense and the shipbuilding industry, as well as the attention of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, continued to offer options. In 1973, based on the developments on project 1160, the Nevsky Design Bureau began developing project 1153, just like 1160, a nuclear aircraft carrier of the CATOBAR scheme (Catapult Take-off But Arrested Recovery) - with catapults and an arrester, but smaller in size and cheaper, with two catapults instead of four. This project, however, also had to carry anti-ship missiles, and the composition of the air group with a standard displacement of 60 thousand tons was supposed to reach 50 vehicles.
The construction of the ship was supposed to begin in 1978, but in 1976 the aircraft carrier lobby lost two main figures: on April 26, Defense Minister Andrei Grechko died, and on July 11, Shipbuilding Minister Boris Butoma. At the insistence of the new head of the military department, Dmitry Ustinov, the 1143 series was continued by the fourth ship - the Baku TAVKR.
Nevertheless, the fleet did not stop trying to get a ship capable of lifting conventional takeoff and landing aircraft. The Nevskoye Design Bureau began developing a new aircraft carrier project, as close as possible to Project 1143 in terms of general ship systems, in order to eliminate at least the barrier in the form of the cost of developing a new ship.
On September 1, 1982, the fifth ship of project 1143, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Riga, was laid down on the slipway of the Black Sea Shipyard. It was the result of a compromise between the desire to finally get a normal aircraft carrier and the pressure of the "anti-aircraft carrier" lobby, which agreed to a maximum of modifications to the 1143 project. Technically, the 1143.5 ship project was a hybrid of the developments under the 1153 project and the research work (R&D) "Order", which were implemented on the original base of the project 1143.
In terms of size, 1143.5 with a standard displacement of 55 thousand tons was not much inferior to 1153, being significantly larger than its predecessors. A large deck area and lifts made it possible to use heavy and large vehicles based on the Su-27, but the catapults were left from the project - instead, a springboard was to be used on the ship, which also allowed taking off with a shortened takeoff run.
The nuclear power plant also left - instead of it, "Riga", shortly after the laying was renamed "Leonid Brezhnev" in connection with the death of the Secretary General, received a boiler-turbine installation consisting of four turbo-gear units of the TV-12 family and eight KVG-4 steam boilers with a total capacity of 200 thousand horsepower. This version of the power plant determined the future of the TAVKR, after launching in 1985 it was renamed "Tbilisi", and in 1990, against the backdrop of the impending collapse of the USSR, it became "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov".
Fleet of times of decay
"Kuznetsov" could not but be a problem ship - its commissioning, which fell on the period of the collapse of the country, was fraught with serious organizational problems, not the least of which was the ambiguity of the fate of the ship: in the fall of 1991, the command of the Navy seriously considered the threat of the seizure of the ship in Sevastopol by Ukrainian separatists, who enjoyed a certain popularity, including in the Black Sea Fleet.
The result was the covert and hasty departure of Kuznetsov, at which work, including on the power plant, from the Black Sea to the Northern Fleet had not yet been fully completed.
The placement of the ship in the Kola Bay made it possible not to worry about her state affiliation, but did not contribute to normal commissioning: the vast majority of technical specialists remained on the Black Sea, without whom the maintenance of the aircraft carrier presented significant problems. In part, these problems were solved by the fact that the Northern Fleet included the TAVKR "Kyiv" and "Admiral Gorshkov" (until 1990 it was called "Baku"), which had almost identical "Kuznetsov" power plants, but a sharp reduction in military spending and the withdrawal of these ships from the first line to the reserve with the reduction of crews did not improve the situation.
In 1993, the first three ships of project 1143 - "Kyiv" and the Pacific Minsk and "Novorossiysk" were finally withdrawn from the Navy. In 1994, the fleet also lost the Admiral Gorshkov, which by that time had been put in for repairs after a fire in the aft engine and boiler room. In Nikolaev, work on the Kuznetsova sistership, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Varyag (laid down in 1985 under the name Riga and renamed in 1990), was stopped. The last ship of the 1143 family - 1143.7, named "Ulyanovsk", in 1993 was cut on a slipway in Nikolaev in 20 percent readiness. In the future, the fate of these ships will develop in different ways, and the fate of Gorshkov and Varyag will be the most interesting: the first, after a long restructuring in Severodvinsk, will be transferred to India in 2013 as the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier, the second in 1998 will be sold by Ukraine to China at the price of scrap metal, in order to become the Liaoning aircraft carrier a decade and a half later.
"Ulyanovsk", laid down in 1988, when ideological dogmas had already begun to leave Soviet military construction, is as close as possible to a full-fledged aircraft carrier - a combined scheme with the simultaneous use of a springboard in the bow of the ship and catapults on the corner deck, large dimensions and nuclear energy made it close in capabilities to the unrealized projects 1160 and 1153, as well as the nuclear aircraft carriers of the US Navy. However, he also had to carry anti-ship missiles.
In 1995, they decided to send the Admiral Kuznetsov to the Mediterranean Sea: the long trip was timed to coincide with the upcoming next year the tercentenary of the Russian fleet. The first campaign could be the last - the breakdown of the power plant almost led to the loss of the ship in a storm. The aircraft carrier successfully completed the cruise and returned to the Kola Bay, but the state of the technical means of the electromechanical warhead remains a headache today.
The lack of funds for a full-fledged repair in the 1990s and early 2000s, combined with a shortage of trained specialists, made the ship's problems chronic. In part, they were able to be solved by cannibalization, removing the necessary parts from the destroyers of the 956 project, which used similar main turbo-gear units and boilers, but this was not a systemic solution to the problem. Energy problems seriously reduce the ship's navigational capabilities, which affects the capabilities of its aircraft - in order to take off with a maximum take-off weight (that is, the largest fuel supply and combat load), it is necessary that the ship develop the highest speed possible. The existing operational restrictions lead to a reduction in the fuel supply and combat load, which affects the strike capabilities of the aircraft. Outwardly, problems with ship power are manifested, among other things, by excessive smoke in a number of modes - according to some experts, the direct cause of smoke may be a malfunction of the automatic control of the power plant, which does not allow the use of optimal fuel combustion modes.
Energy problems have become only part of the general shortcomings of Kuznetsov. The long-term degradation of the infrastructure, the understaffed air group and the general state of the fleet, which until the 2000s had no funds for full-fledged combat training, led to the loss of a significant part of the experience gained on previous ships in the operation of aircraft carriers. Now this experience, in fact, has to be obtained anew, but the only Russian aircraft carrier ship has by no means grown younger during this time.
The modernization and repair of the ship planned for the coming years should radically solve the problems of Kuznetsov, but this is not enough to preserve carrier-based aviation as a system. The Russian Navy still needs aircraft capable of covering its deployment away from the coast, primarily to protect its own maritime borders in the Arctic and the Pacific. But in order for the creation of a new generation of aircraft carriers to become possible, the fleet must preserve and repair the Admiral Kuznetsov. There is no other source of personnel and technologies in this area in Russia.
Armament
Ships of the same type
general information
The first Soviet aircraft carrier designed for conventional takeoff and landing aircraft (the previous types of TAKR were intended for vertical takeoff aircraft). Named after Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov. Built in the city of Nikolaev, at the Black Sea shipyard.
Currently, the ship accommodates Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th Separate Shipborne Fighter Aviation Regiment (OKIAP), as well as MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB of the 100th OKIAP (based airfield 279 and 100 OKIAP - Severomorsk-3 ), helicopters Ka-27 and Ka-29 of the 830th separate shipborne anti-submarine helicopter regiment (based airfield - Severomorsk-1).
History of creation
Prerequisites for creation
According to the plan for the development of the Navy approved by the government of the USSR in 1945, the construction of aircraft carriers in the USSR was not supposed. N. G. Kuznetsov, who at that time held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, managed to achieve the inclusion of ships of this class only in the design plan. In 1953, Kuznetsov approved a project to create a light aircraft carrier (project 85) for the air defense of the fleet on the high seas. It was planned to build at least eight such ships, and the first of them was supposed to enter service as early as 1960. But in 1955, N. G. Kuznetsov fell into disgrace and was removed from the post of commander-in-chief of the navy. Instead, the chair of the commander-in-chief was taken by S. G. Gorshkov, who in many respects did not share the ideas of his predecessor regarding the development of the Navy.
Although aircraft carriers performed admirably in the naval battles of World War II, since then there has been great progress in both anti-ship and ship-based anti-aircraft weapons. The relatively successful operations of the American carrier formations in Korea and Vietnam took place in range conditions, without enemy opposition from the sea. In fact, aircraft carriers in these conflicts served as mobile air bases for attacks on ground targets, which in no way proved their possible usefulness in a naval battle. This gave the Soviet leadership grounds in the development of the fleet to rely on cruisers and submarines armed with missiles, declaring aircraft carriers "weapons of Western imperialism."
The "first signs" of the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet were project 1123 anti-submarine cruisers, which had an air group of fourteen Ka-25 helicopters on board. However, the capabilities of helicopters did not allow them to organize full-fledged support for naval operations from the air, so it was decided to develop new ships designed for the use of vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Such ships were heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of project 1143 (of the Kyiv type). Having received powerful missile weapons, these cruisers carried a small air group, whose tasks remained rather auxiliary. In addition, the Yak-38 carrier-based aircraft, being the first serial VTOL aircraft of the Soviet Union, was distinguished by low flight data, and due to its small dimension and weight, it was severely limited in combat load and range. In addition, being intended as an attack aircraft, the Yak-38 was poorly adapted for air defense tasks. Thus, the three ships of the "Kyiv" type, together with the TAKR "Baku", which was their development, continued to be more cruisers than aircraft carriers. The shortcomings of the Yak-38 were supposed to be eliminated on a new-generation carrier-based VTOL aircraft - the Yak-41 multi-role fighter - but this aircraft was created for a long and difficult time, so the timing of its adoption into service was constantly pushed back.
Design
Realizing the limited aircraft carrier capabilities of Project 1143 ships, the Navy leadership decided to build a full-fledged aircraft carrier capable of using conventional takeoff and landing aircraft in addition to VTOL aircraft. The development of the project was entrusted to the Nevsky Design Bureau in 1977. Sketch work went on for almost three years and was completed only in 1980. In total, ten options were prepared, among which were ships with a nuclear power plant. As a result, after several years of approvals, project 11435 was approved. In addition to the significantly larger size, the main difference between the new project and the previous ones (1143 and 11434) was a different placement of the main missile system, which now had to be inside the hull. In addition, the superstructure of the ship was shifted to the right, to the sponson (speaking for the contours of the starboard side). Both of these factors made it possible to increase the area of the flight deck to a size suitable for carrier-based aircraft with horizontal takeoff. Initially, the ship was planned to be equipped with two steam catapults, but their placement led to a noticeable increase in the displacement and cost of the cruiser; attempts to meet the given dimension while maintaining the catapults would lead to a deterioration in the combat capabilities of the future ship. The high performance of the 4th generation Soviet fighters, which were supposed to be based on a new ship, made it possible to take off from a springboard without the help of catapults, so it was decided to abandon the latter.
The final project was approved in May 1982, and in September of the same year the lead ship of the new project was laid down at the Black Sea Shipyard No. 444 in the city of Nikolaev (Ukrainian SSR).
Construction and testing
TAKR "Leonid Brezhnev" at the outfitting wall, illustration from the magazine Soviet Military Power 1987
Su-33 fighter on the deck of an aircraft carrier, 1996
In continuation of the campaign, on October 18, 2004, an accident occurred with a training Su-25UTG. The aircraft made a too hard touch, as a result of which the right landing gear broke. Destruction on the ship was avoided, since the emergency Su-25UTG caught on the landing hook on the arrester cable and stopped the run.
On September 5, 2005, two emergency landings of Su-33 fighters took place in the North Atlantic on the TAKR due to a break in the arrester cable. The first fighter fell into the ocean and sank at a depth of 1100 meters (the pilot - Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Korneev - managed to eject), the second plane stayed on the deck. It was planned to destroy the sunken plane with depth charges due to the presence of secret equipment (for example, the “friend or foe” identification system), but it turned out that this was impossible to do because of the great depth. The command of the Navy expects that the sunken Su-33 will collapse on its own.
December 5, 2007"Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" as part of a naval strike group, including the BOD "Admiral Chabanenko" and "Admiral Levchenko", went on his second campaign for military service in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. During the military service, visits were made to the ports of Italy, France and Algeria, as well as to the island of Malta. When returning across the North Atlantic, the carrier-based formation took part in exercises together with coastal-based naval aviation, as well as aircraft of the Russian Air Force. Combat service continued until February 3, 2008.
From May 2008 to December 8, 2008, the cruiser underwent a seven-month scheduled repair at the facilities of the Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center. During the repair, the main power plant was updated, work was carried out to repair the air conditioning system, boiler equipment, mechanisms for lifting aircraft to the flight deck.
TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" passes the Strait of Gibraltar in December 2007
In the winter of 2008/2009 - starting from December 2008- the aircraft carrier cruiser again passed military service in the Mediterranean Sea. In this campaign, on January 6, 2009, an accident occurred: during a stop in the roadstead as part of military exercises in the Turkish port of Akzas-Karagach, a fire broke out on board an aircraft carrier cruiser in one of the bow rooms. It was possible to eliminate the fire by the ship's crew, but during the fight against fire from carbon monoxide poisoning, sailor Dmitry Sychev died. According to experts, the aircraft carrier did not receive serious damage and on January 11, 2009, took part in joint exercises with Greece. The hike has been completed February 27, 2009.
December 6, 2011 A heavy aircraft carrier cruiser at the head of a detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet again entered the Mediterranean Sea, to the coast of Syria. In connection with the unrest and coup attempts in this friendly country of Russia, a show of force was needed near its shores, at least in part balancing the constant presence of warships of the US 6th Fleet in that area.
On December 12, 2011, the connection anchored in the Moray Firth (UK) to replenish water and food supplies. On December 15, due to the worsening weather in the parking area, a detachment of warships weighed anchor and continued the campaign.
On December 23, 2011, a detachment of warships led by the TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" passed the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.
From January 8 to January 10, 2012, the Russian formation paid a business visit to the port of Tartus (Syria), where it replenished supplies at the material and technical base of the Russian Navy. During the visit, the delegation of Russian sailors met with the governor of Tartus province, Atef Naddaf.
February 16, 2012 TAKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" completed military service, returning to Severomorsk.
After the completion of military service, the refurbishment of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier was carried out at the Murmansk branch of Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center OJSC. By August 23, 2012, the repair was completed.
In September 2013, the cruiser took part in the exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea area.
Helicopter Ka-29 over the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" during combat service, Mediterranean Sea, November 24, 2016
With December 17, 2013 to May 17, 2014 TAKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" made a new campaign for military service in the Mediterranean Sea with a call at the material and technical base of the Russian Navy in the port of Tartus (Syria). Rear Admiral Viktor Sokolov, deputy commander of the Northern Fleet, raised his flag on the cruiser. While in the Mediterranean, the aircraft carrier operated in conjunction with the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great. During this trip, the pilots of the 279th Naval Aviation Regiment gained significant practical experience in flying from the deck of an aircraft-carrying cruiser on the high seas, having made more than 350 sorties with a total stay in the air of about 300 hours.
On August 19, 2015, a three-month repair was completed on the cruiser at the dock of the 82nd shipyard (Roslyakovo village, Murmansk region). In the course of the work, the electromechanical part of the ship was put in order, and the underwater part of the hull was cleaned and painted.
October 15, 2016 The cruiser left Severomorsk for military service in the Mediterranean Sea. The detachment of warships, in addition to Admiral Kuznetsov, also included the nuclear heavy missile cruiser Peter the Great, the BOD Vice-Admiral Kulakov and Severomorsk, as well as a number of auxiliary ships and vessels. On board the aircraft carrier was an air group consisting of 10 Su-33 fighters, 4 MiG-29K / KUB fighters, 5 Ka-27 helicopters (including anti-submarine Ka-27PL and rescue Ka-27PS), 2 transport-combat Ka-29 and one Ka-52K combat helicopter, as well as one Ka-31 AWACS helicopter.
From October 19 to 21, training flights of carrier-based aviation were carried out in the Norwegian Sea from the deck of the TAKR. On October 21, the connection passed through the English Channel.
On October 26, 2016, a detachment of warships led by the TAKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea; refueling at sea with fuel and drinking water was carried out off the coast of Morocco.
Replenishment of aviation ammunition "Admiral Kuznetsov" from a floating crane on the roads of Tartus, December 2016
On November 1, a Russian carrier formation passed Sicily on its way to the eastern Mediterranean and began flight operations. On November 5, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich from the Russian Black Sea Fleet joined the detachment.
On November 13, 2016, due to an accident with arresters, one of the MiG-29K fighters of the cruiser air group could not be taken on deck in time and lost after running out of fuel; The pilot successfully ejected and was rescued.
November 15, 2016 carrier-based aviation aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" began combat work against Islamist militants in Syria (in agreement with the government of the Syrian Arab Republic).
On December 3, 2016, when landing on the deck of the ship, one of the Su-33 fighters of the air group was lost due to a break in the arrester cable; The pilot managed to eject and was not injured.
MiG-29KUB fighter takes off from the Admiral Kuznetsov springboard during combat service, January 10, 2017
On January 6, 2017, a reduction in the grouping of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria was announced, including the withdrawal of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier from the conflict zone.
On January 8, 2017, a detachment of warships led by an aircraft carrier cruiser moved to the central Mediterranean off the Libyan coast (Benghazi-Tobruk area); in coordination with the Libyan National Army group that controls this area, a series of daily exercises at sea was conducted. On January 11, the board of the Admiral Kuznetsov was visited by the head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalif Haftar.
On January 20, the shipborne aircraft carrier group passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
On January 24-25, 2017, a detachment of warships consisting of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, Peter the Great aircraft carrier, Alexander Shabalin large landing craft and support vessels passed through the English Channel on the way to Severomorsk.
On February 3, an air group from an aircraft carrier cruiser located in the Barents Sea flew to the Severomorsk-3 base airfield.
Vice Admiral Sokolov, cruiser commander Captain 1st Rank Artamonov and Libyan General Haftar with escorts on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, January 11, 2017
February 8, 2017 TAKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" stood on the roads of Severomorsk, completing its military service. During it, for almost four months, the ship traveled about 18,000 miles. Upon their return, the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky and the heavy aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov fired a festive salute of 15 artillery rounds. The return salute was performed by the destroyer of the Northern Fleet "Admiral Ushakov", moored at the pier of the main naval base of the Northern Fleet.
According to information published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, during the combat service, aircraft and helicopters of the Admiral Kuznetsov air group performed 1,170 flights, including 420 combat flights, of which 117 were at night; the remaining 750 sorties were carried out in the course of solving the tasks of search and rescue and transport support. It is known that in the course of military service, part of the carrier-based aircraft was temporarily relocated from the TAKR to the Khmeimim airbase, so a number of the mentioned sorties could be made from it. During the bombing, more than 1,000 militant facilities in Syria were destroyed - including headquarters and command posts, firing positions, as well as accumulations of manpower and equipment. Despite the difficulties with supplying the ship with aviation ammunition at sea - due to the fact that after the decommissioning of the Berezina complex supply ship in the Russian Navy there are no more such ships, this operation had to be carried out on the Tartus road using the SPK-46150 floating crane - delivered to the aircraft carrier the cruiser to combat service, the tasks were successfully completed.
According to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, by now the cruiser requires a major overhaul with modernization, which were scheduled to be carried out at the Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise in the period from 2012 to 2017. However, due to a lack of funding, the ship's overhaul was delayed; in 2016 it was reported that the start of the overhaul of the cruiser is scheduled for the first quarter of 2017 - immediately after the ship returns from combat service in the Mediterranean. The work is designed for 2-3 years and will have to include the replacement of the deck flooring and the brake machines of arresters.
commanders
During his service, the heavy aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov was in command.
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