It has symbolized the falling naval fortunes of Russia: its only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, is troubled on every count, not having been to sea for years.
Originally intended to be renovated between 2018 and 2021, the modernization project has become highly susceptible to enormous delays. First, an accident in the dry dock back in 2018, along with several fires, postponed the return of the carrier back to active service. With Russia’s resources increasingly stretched thin due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, returning Kuznetsov to service falls low in priorities. Its return, nominally set for 2024, is looking increasingly unlikely.
Aircraft carriers are complex and expensive to build and operate; they tend to become a proxy indicator of overall good fortune for a country. The United States world’s most powerful nation operates eleven supercarriers. Russia, in contrast, operates just one carrier, the obsolete and problem-plagued Admiral Kuznetsov, powered by Mazut fuel that spews a noxious black-smoke byproduct when combusted. That outdated fuel limits Kuznetsov’s operational range to a mere 45 days at a time.
The Kuznetsov has a troubled history of several incidents that indicate the unreliability of this ship. According to Robert Beckhusen, “One seaman died when the carrier caught fire during a 2009 deployment to the Mediterranean,” During the same cruise, the ship poured hundreds of tons of fuel into the sea while re-supplying at sea. Its steam turbines are so unreliable that the ship often is escorted by tugs during cruises in case of breakdowns.
It’s also not very good at sending up fighters. Because it lacks steam catapults, relying on a bow ramp instead, its planes have to take off with reduced weights and shorter patrol times. This limits the ordnance and fuel a jet can carry, reducing its offensive punch and reach.
At 1,000 feet long, with a beam of 236 feet and a draft of 23 feet, the Kuznetsov displaces about 58,000 tons fully loaded. Equipped with steam turbines, eight turbo-pressurized boilers, four shafts, and four fixed-pitch propellers, the carrier is propelled to 2,011 horsepower, bringing it up to 29 knots. The carrier sails with 1,690 crew members and embarks on 18 Su-33s, six MiG-29Ks, four Ka-31s, and two Ka-27s. It is armed with six AK-630 AA guns, eight CADS-N-1 Kashtan CIWS, 12 P-700 Granit SSM, and twenty-four 8-cell 3K95 Kinzhal SAM VLS RBU-12000 USAV-1 ASW rocket launchers.
The official word is that the Kuznetsov is in a modernization program to extend its life by another quarter of a century, but thus far, the overhaul has been invariably blighted by delays. In October 2018, it became clear that this turnaround was not proceeding very smoothly when the drydock in which the PD-50 was sitting sank and a 70-ton crane broke through the Kuznetsov’s deck, creating a 200-square-foot hole. A fire swept through the ship in 2019, killing two workers and injuring fourteen others. Yet another fire occurred in 2022. In early 2023, repair work was suspended until heavy fog in Murmansk lifted.
This present Russian war with Ukraine is draining its military resources, and there is little to no probability that the Kuznetsov will ever sail. Then, the real question of the carrier’s future remains in doubt, and it may never attain operational status again.