Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier
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The Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carriers (also known as Project 1143.5, the Brezhnev class, or the Kreml class[1]) has only one functional unit, Admiral Kuznetsov. The only other ship in her class, Varyag, has never been commissioned and was sold to the People's Republic of China by Ukraine under the condition that she would never be refitted for combat.
RoleWhile designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov class implies a mission different from that of either the United States Navy’s carriers or those of the French Navy. The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet. This designation allows the Soviet/Russian Navy to circumvent the refusal by Turkey to let aircraft carriers pass the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Fixed-wing aircraft on Admiral Kuznetsov are essentially constrained to air superiority operations. The carrier also carries numerous helicopters for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, as well as anti-ship missiles. DesignHull and flight deckThe hull design is based on the earlier Kiev Class,[citation needed] launched in 1982, but is larger. The flight deck, with an area of 14,700 m², is of a conventional angled-deck configuration, but fitted with a 12° ski jump instead of bow catapults, resulting in a configuration similar to the current British Invincible class carriers. The shape of the deck is loosely patterned after the ship's American counterparts. Admiral Kuznetsov has a STOBAR configuration; the flight deck is equipped with arrester wires but has no catapults. The lack of catapults on Admiral Kuznetsov precludes launching strike aircraft with heavy loads, which makes it essentially impossible for aircraft with large payloads to attack land or naval targets, although Su-33 'Flanker-D' fighters with maximum payload are able to take off through the landing deck. Two starboard aircraft elevators, ahead and abaft the island, carry aircraft back and forth between the hangar deck and the flight deck. Air wingThe ship has the capacity to support twelve Su-33s and five Su-25UTG 'Frogfoot' fixed-wing aircraft[2]; and a range of helicopters including four Kamov Ka-27-LD 'Helix', AEW variant), 18 Ka-27 PLO (ASW variant) or Ka-29, and two Ka-27PS (SAR variant). According to the project, up to 26 fixed-wing fighters could be carried, apart from 24 helicopters. ArmamentUnlike Western aircraft carriers which carry little organic armament, Admiral Kuznetsov has a SS-N-19 Shipwreck antiship missile system equipped with twelve surface-to-surface missile launchers. The Klinok air defense missile system, with 24 vertical launchers and 192 missiles, defends the ship and her task force against anti-ship missiles, aircraft, and surface ships. This heavy surface-to-surface armament is necessitated by the ship's lack of catapults, which makes launching fully loaded strike craft difficult. The Kashtan Air Defence Gun and Missile System, supplied by the Instrument Design Bureau and Tulamashzavod JSC in Tula, provides defense against precision weapons including anti-ship and anti-radar missiles, aircraft, and small sea targets. Eight systems are fitted, combining a missile launcher, 30 mm twin guns, and radar/optronic director. The range of the laser beam-riding missiles is from 1.5 to 8 km. The guns can fire up to 10,000 rounds per minute at a range of 0.5 to 1.5 km. Six AK630 30 mm air defence guns are also fitted. The ship is also equipped with an Udav-1 anti-submarine system with 60 anti-submarine rockets. Udav-1, supplied by the Splav Research and Production Association in Moscow, protects surface ships by diverting and destroying incoming torpedoes. The system also provides defense against submarines and saboteur systems such as underwater vehicles. The system has ten barrels and is capable of firing 111SG depth charge projectiles, 111SZ mine laying projectiles, and 111SO diverting projectiles. The range of the system is 3000 m and the submarine engagement depth is to 600 m. ElectronicsImage:Su27K (Su33) DD-SD-99-06153.jpg
Su-33 'Flanker-D' on board Admiral Kuznetsov
The ship's radars include a D/E band air and surface target acquisition radar, an F band surface search radar, G/H band flight control radar, I band navigation radar, and four K band fire control radars for the Kashtan Air Defence System. The ship's hull-mounted search and attack sonar, operating in the medium- and low-frequency bands, is capable of detecting torpedoes and submarines. The anti-submarine warfare aircraft are equipped with surface search radar, dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and magnetic anomaly detectors (MAD). Propulsion and performanceInitially Western analysts anticipated that Admiral Kuznetsov would have a Combined Nuclear And Steam (CONAS) propulsion plant similar to the Kirov class battlecruisers and the SSV-33 command ship. However, Admiral Kuznetsov as completed is conventionally-powered by eight boilers and four steam turbines, each producing 50,000 hp (37 MW), driving four shafts with fixed-pitch propellers. Her maximum speed is 29 knots (54 km/h), and the range at maximum speed is 3,800 miles (6,100 km). At 18 knots (33 km/h), her maximum range is 8,500 miles (13,700 km). List of shipsAdmiral KuznetsovAdmiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov was launched in 1985 and the ship became fully operational in 1995. The vessel was briefly named Kremlin, Tblisi, and Leonid Brezhnev.[1] In the autumn of 2000, Admiral Kuznetsov went to sea for operations related to the rescue and salvage operations of the submarine Kursk. Although cash shortages and technical problems have resulted in limited operations, it is expected that Admiral Kuznetsov will remain in active duty until at least 2025-2035.[citation needed] VaryagVaryag, briefly named Riga,[1] was also constructed at the Nikolayev South Shipyard in the Black Sea in Ukraine. The vessel was launched in 1988, but was never commissioned into the Soviet Navy. She was given to the Ukraine, and eventually sold to the People's Republic of China. In October 2006, the Kommersant online newspaper in Moscow announced a deal between Russia and China where the Russians sell up to 50 Su-33 fighters to China for $2.5 billion. Details seem to indicate that China will spend $100 million to buy two Su-33 fighters from Komsomolsk-on-Amur Production Association for evaluation, with delivery expected in 2007. There appears to also be a fairly firm option for 12 more Su-33 fighters, with the potential for the deal to add another 36 SU-33s. In that event, the deal would total the $2.5 billion. The Su-33 fighter is the navalized version of the SU-27 fighter that China has purchased in large numbers from the Russians and now license builds themselves. It is the same fighter that the Russians use on their carrier, the Kuznetsov, which is the older sister ship to the Varyag. In addition, over the last two years, the Chinese have been negotiating with the Russians regarding the KA-31 helicopter, which is the helicopter the Russians use on their carrier for AEW duties. The Chinese have also introduced designs for prop-driven AEW aircraft of their own similar to the United States E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. The continuing efforts by the PLAN to obtain navalized, carrier fighters and AEW aircraft from Russia (or design their own), coupled with the recent completion of a non-skid surface on the flight deck of the Varyag, and its painting in official PLAN colors, make it possible that this vessel, at some future date, will be China's first aircraft carrier.[3] Specifications
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