Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov. Where is Admiral Kuznetsov now? Location of the aircraft carrier on the map

Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" on the Severomorsk roadstead. Early 1990s.

The design name of this ship is “Soviet Union”. The mortgage name of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser was changed and it was laid down on April 1, 1982 under the name “Riga” (assigned the name of the capital of the Latvian SSR, serial number 0-105). The embedded bottom sections of the ship's hull were installed on the slipway of the Black Sea Shipyard No. 444 in Nikolaev. It was conceived as the first ship of the transition class from heavy cruisers to aircraft carriers.

Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov."

On November 26 of the same year, it was renamed on the slipway to “Leonid Brezhnev”, and in December, the installation of the first block with a new embedded board (from volumetric and flat sections manufactured in the hull assembly shop of the plant) began at the site near the slipway. This block was lifted onto the slipway by two gantry cranes on February 22, 1983. According to the progressive technology of forming a hull from large blocks adopted for the construction of the TAKR (in the Russian Navy - TAVKR) Project 1143.5 (which was first introduced during the construction of such a large ship in the practice of domestic shipbuilding), the main hull was divided into 21 blocks.

Progressive block-by-block technology for ship assembly. Black Sea Shipyard No. 444 (Nikolaev, 1983)

In height it was divided into two tiers; the border between the lower and upper tiers was the 6th deck. The length of the blocks reached 32 m, the width corresponded to the full width of the hull, the height was about 13 m, and the weight was 1400 tons. All structures of the ship’s superstructure were combined into the 22nd block, sponsons were also formed from blocks.
When issuing working design documentation according to a strict block-by-block schedule (where the plant required a month to complete the design documentation for each block), the NPKB widely used modern computer technology (the level of automation of design work in general reached 55%, calculations - 75%), volumetric design in the most intensive premises of the ship and aggregation of equipment. The adopted technology significantly reduced the duration of the slipway period of ship construction. This reduction was ensured by expanding the scope of work with a significant volume of work being performed outside the slipway, in workshop conditions, which significantly increased the quality of execution. The formation of the hull from the blocks of the lower tier continued simultaneously in two directions - forward and aft of the embedded block; similarly, work was carried out on the formation of the upper tier. On the slipway, the main boilers and GTZA, other equipment of the machine boiler rooms, power compartments and departments of refrigeration machines, and system mechanisms were loaded into the blocks of the lower tier before the 6th deck was closed. Loading of equipment and devices into the upper tier blocks was also underway.
Loading and installation of weapons (except for the zonal block of launchers of the Granit anti-ship missile complex), aviation equipment, electrical equipment, ventilation and air conditioning systems, as well as equipment of the premises were to be carried out afloat, during the completion of the ship at the Northern embankment of the Big Bucket ChSZ.
S. N. Astremsky was appointed senior builder of the ship, who in 1972 - 1978. led the construction of the Minsk aircraft carrier, project 1143.2. From the beginning of the construction of the ship, the plant organized a design supervision group of the NPKB, headed in shifts by the deputy chief designer of the project. Comprehensive marking of pre-insulation saturation of premises and adjustment of design documentation based on construction experience were carried out with the participation of the technical assistance department of the NPKB, organized from Nikolaev designers.
The construction of the aircraft carrier is not going entirely smoothly. Despite the fact that a progressive technology for assembling the ship has been developed, the irregular work of the subcontractors brings all progressive initiatives to naught.
To install late equipment, openings have to be cut through 7 to 10 decks in the almost completed ship hull and then welded. Due to the replacement of some complexes, shipbuilders have to remodel and redesign hundreds of premises.
The launching of the Leonid Brezhnev aircraft carrier, unique in the practice of domestic shipbuilding in terms of launching weight (32,000 tons), took place in a solemn atmosphere on December 4, 1985.

Launching of the aircraft-carrying cruiser "Leonid Brezhnev" (Nikolaev, 1985).

On August 11, 1987, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser “Leonid Brezhnev” was given the name “Tbilisi” (for the third time in the process of its construction). Before the start of the mooring tests of the Tbilisi, in the spring of 1989, L. V. Belov became the chief designer of the ship (before that - deputy chief designers of anti-ship missiles, aircraft carriers and chief designer of project 1143.7). Mooring tests were carried out from June 8, 1989 to May 25, 1990.
In its appearance, the ship corresponded to a classic aircraft carrier with a solid flight deck, a superstructure (island) shifted to the starboard side and an angled landing deck with a four-cable arresting device S-2N.
The Tbilisi TAKR is distinguished from its predecessors by its enlarged flight deck, and also, unlike most foreign ships of this class that have steam catapults, this ship is equipped with a bow springboard (descent angle 14°), towards which two converging take-off lines are directed. The hull is high-sided, made of steel using a longitudinal frame system. The bottom is double along the entire length. The hull has 9 decks.

The first commander V.S. Yarygin commanded the ship (with the rank of captain 1st rank) from 1987 to 1992.

The first commander of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser “Tbilisi” (“Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov”) VIKTOR YARYGIN: “This is a serious ship! We call it a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, but actually, this is our first Soviet, and now Russian, aircraft carrier. And I don’t know why we are embarrassed to talk about it out loud.
...I remember the first formation and the first lunch, which they started preparing at 10 o’clock in the morning. We only had lunch the next day at 4 am! The crew lined up for the first time after lunch - it was necessary to let the sailors sleep. They were building for about two hours - they came running, so frightened, saying that they were lost!”

It's really very easy to get lost. The total length of corridors at “Tbilisi” (“Kuznetsov”) is almost 20 kilometers, and the number of rooms reaches 3.5 thousand! Ship crew members may not even meet each other during their entire service. A common occurrence is that a sailor, although he has served for a year, still does not know where the command communications post is. In the hangar, below the flight deck, where aircraft are usually located, the ship's crew is being assembled. That's almost 2,000 people. And there is still enough free space. The aircraft carrier has a bakery, a library and even its own gym.
Despite the fact that the aircraft carrier turned out completely different from what it was in the original design, the scale of this structure is still impressive. The ship rises above the water by as much as 64 meters! This is the height of a standard 20-story building. Power plant power 200,000 liters. With. - four times more than the legendary Titanic. The weight of just one anchor exceeds the weight of 17 Zhiguli cars of the 9th model. A ship of this class is a complex multi-level system with its own infrastructure. The structure where the sea and sky merge into one can safely be called a floating city!

The fourth commander of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov” (2002), captain 1st rank ALEXANDER TURILIN: “We call the ship with the entire prefecture a “town” - more than 300 meters long, more than 70 meters wide, with a displacement of more than 60,000 tons, crew of more than 2,000 people. A completely autonomous economy - its own five power plants, four machine-boiler installations, six galleys and canteens, two bakeries, about four thousand premises, and so on.”

Commander of the Pacific operational squadron of surface ships (1981 - 1989) ROSTISLAV DYMOV:
“Of course, it’s amazing, when you enter the ship, there’s an elevator six floors up and the same number down. Can you imagine how big it is! The take-off area, the so-called flight deck, could easily accommodate two football fields there. The sailors played football there. And the ball very rarely ever went overboard. You had to be too good a football player to finish it to the edge.”

Post of the Luna-3 optical landing system, located on the left side.

In the aft part of the hull, on the outer platform of the left side in the area of ​​the midship frame, a stabilized optical landing system “Luna-3” is mounted, the lights of which can be observed during the day from about three kilometers away. The power plant is similar to the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, but has an increased fuel capacity.
On board can be based 26 aircraft (Su-33 and MiG-29K) and 24 helicopters (18 - Ka-27 and Ka-29, 2 - Ka-27PS, 4 - Ka-31). As of March 1996, there were on board: 15 Su-33, 1 Su-25UTG, 11 Ka-27, 1 Ka-31. There is a hangar (153x26x7.2 m) under the main deck to accommodate aircraft.

TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov". Hangar for aircraft.

For fire safety purposes, the hangar can be divided into 4 compartments by fire-resistant folding curtains. To move the aircraft around the hangar, a semi-automatic chain transportation system is used (tractors are used only to transport the aircraft to the elevator platforms). To deliver aircraft to the flight deck, Tbilisi, for the first time in domestic practice, was equipped with onboard lifts for two aircraft each, and the hangar gate opening had a sliding hermetically sealed closure. Fuel tanks and ammunition magazines have box-shaped armor protection.
Anti-torpedo protection, 4.5 m wide, consists of 3 longitudinal bulkheads (the second is multi-layer armored).
Starting position No. 1 is located on the starboard side in front of the bow lift, symmetrically on the left side is position No. 2. The takeoff distance from these two positions is 110 meters; for takeoff with a maximum weight along the left take-off axis, starting position No. is located 182 meters from the bow. 3, from which the Yak-141 type aircraft can also take off with a short run along the axis of the corner deck. All launch positions are equipped with lifting gas shields, which are internally cooled by sea water and prevent damage to aircraft standing at the executive launch by the exhaust jets of the take-off vehicle. At starting position No. 1, in addition, the shield protects equipment and personnel at technical positions located along the superstructure.
To accommodate Ka-27 helicopters, there are nine take-off and landing pads on deck with wells for electrical cables, since the engines start at the start.
Rescue equipment included: one large ship's command boat, Project 1404, two work boats, Project 1402B, two six-oar yawls, Project YAL-P6, and 240 PSN-10M rafts in containers.
The ship's armament consists of 12 launchers 4K-80 of the Granit anti-aircraft missile system, 4 six-barrel launchers of the Kinzhal air defense missile system (192 missiles), 8 launchers "Kortik" (256 missiles), 6 six-barreled 30 -mm AK-630M artillery mounts (48,000 shells), 2 RBU-12000 “Boa constrictor” mounts.
The radio-electronic equipment includes: BIUS "Lesorub", multifunctional complex "Mars-Passat", three-dimensional radar "Fregat-MA", radar for detecting low-flying targets "Podkat", navigation complex "Beysur", communication complex "Buran-2", radar flight control "Resistor", electronic warfare equipment "Sozvezdie-BR", sonar "Zvezda-M1" and others (58 items in total).

TAVKR "Tbilisi" departs from the factory berth for the first time to participate in testing carrier-based aircraft. October 21, 1989.

In the fall of 1989, joint flight and design tests of its aircraft weapons began at Tbilisi. On November 1, 1989, for the first time in the history of domestic aviation and the USSR Navy, the Su-27K fighter piloted by test pilot V.G. made its first airplane landing on the deck of the Tbilisi. Pugachev, hooking the brake hook onto the second cable and running along the deck for about 90 meters.
November 1989 actually becomes the birthday of the first domestic aircraft carrier, completely different from the American one, but still an aircraft carrier. Unlike its predecessors, aircraft appearing on the deck of the Tbilisi are capable of performing a much wider range of combat missions.

Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union V.G. Pugachev.

Soon, test pilot T.O. Aubakirov made the same precise landing on the MiG-29K, and then the Su-25UTG training aircraft, piloted by test pilots from the OKB and LII I.V., boarded the TAKR. Votintsev and A.V. Krutov.

Aubakirov did not bring the matter to the point of touching the deck for a long time, but flew above it at an altitude of no more than a meter.

Test pilot T.O. Aubakirov after the first landing of the MiG-29K on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The disgraced former Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov never saw the first landing of a plane on the deck of a Soviet aircraft carrier - he died in 1974, and his former “deputy” - Commander-in-Chief Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov - did not live only a year before the event that he had been striving for all his life both admirals. In May 1990, the ship was temporarily included in the 30th division of surface ships of the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet. On August 1, 1990, under the leadership of the Government Commission headed by Vice Admiral A. M. Ustyantsev, state tests of the Tbilisi aircraft carrier began.

During state tests, 1990.

TAVKR "Kuznetsov", summer 1990. In the first row from left to right: test pilot V. Pugachev, head of visual landing N. Alferov, test pilot V. Averianov, chief designer K. Marbashev, deputy head of LIiDB A. Sobov, leading engineers A. Sorokin and V. Zenin.

On October 4, 1990, the ship was once again renamed - it was given a new name “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov.” This, albeit belated, decision reflects the outstanding role of N.G. Kuznetsov in the development and combat activities of the Navy - the founder of the creation of an ocean-going nuclear missile fleet, in which aircraft carriers were to take their rightful place.
For sixteen years he persistently and persistently sought the creation of domestic aircraft carriers. 16 years after his death, his name was deservedly assigned to the largest warship of our fleet.

State tests of the Su-27K (T10K-4) on the deck of the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, October 1990.

On December 25, 1990, after the completion of state tests, the aircraft-carrying cruiser entered service. During the state tests of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" 16,200 miles were covered and 454 aircraft flights were performed.
Despite the fact that three experimental Su-27K aircraft, two MiG-29K and one Su-25UTG, Ka-27, Ka-29 and Ka-31 helicopters were already involved in testing aircraft, during the time the Kuznetsov TAVKR was at sea It was not possible to fully implement the program and the group use of fighters was practically not worked out, and their weapons were not tested.

Unfortunately, despite the intensive work of test pilots S.N. Melnikova, V.Yu. Averyanova, R.P. Taskaev (who replaced T.O. Aubakirov, who was preparing for space flight), the political situation in the country had a fatal impact on the implementation of this work. Aircraft testing continued in the Black Sea until the end of 1991. At the same time, development work on the aircraft-carrying cruiser continued until May 6, 1991.

Commander of the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" (2002) ALEXANDER TURILIN:
“Yes, 1991 speaks for itself. Unfortunately, not everything that was planned for this ship was then completed and completed. Some work was carried out at an accelerated pace, and much of it is still being completed by the crew.”

The second half of the 20th century marked a change in leadership in the vast oceans. The battleships left the front stage. These steel and armored leviathans had dominated the seas for the previous 100 years. After the end of World War II, battleships were forced to fade into history, giving way to ships of a different class. Gone are the days when armored ships with powerful artillery were perfect for demonstrating military power at sea. In the 20th century, aviation entered the scene and became one of the decisive weapons at sea. The era of aircraft carriers has arrived.

Floating airfields are becoming a convenient tool for the manifestation of international politics. Aviation—the main armament of an aircraft carrier—together with missile weapons now constitutes the main striking force at sea.

The place of the aircraft carrier in naval strategy

The end of the Second World War clearly showed with what weapons it is possible to achieve supremacy at sea. The geopolitical picture in the world has also changed. Britain, due to large military losses at sea and the difficult post-war economic situation, lost its status as the Mistress of the seas and oceans. The Royal Navy, the navies of France, Italy and Japan ceased to be a serious naval force in the post-war period. The leading naval power, which managed not only to preserve, but also to increase its naval forces during hostilities, became the United States of America. By the end of the war, the US Navy consisted of 1,500 ships of all classes, of which there were 99 aircraft carriers alone.

It should be noted that the US military was the first to come to the conclusion that the future of the navy belonged to aircraft carriers. It is much more convenient to carry out your own policy in the world not with battleships and cruisers, but with the help of aircraft carriers. The gunboat policy was replaced by an aircraft carrier strategy. Naval forces possessing ships of this class become a convenient and flexible military instrument, capable of solving tactical and strategic problems in the zone of free access to the coast.

For reference: TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" is the only aircraft-carrying ship in the world that can freely operate in the Black Sea, enter and exit through the Black Sea straits of the Bosporus and Dardanelles. The Montreux Convention prohibits the passage of aircraft carriers into the Black Sea. Soviet aircraft-carrying cruisers became a successful military-technical solution that allowed the Soviet Union to have ships of this class in this area.

Subsequent military conflicts, the Korean War, and military operations in Indochina demonstrated the leading role and place of aircraft carriers in naval strategy. This was well known not only in Washington and London, where the construction of aircraft carriers did not stop. The need to have aircraft carriers in their fleet was quickly realized by the governments of France and Italy, where after the war they began building their own ships of this class. Following the leading world powers, third world countries joined this process. Aircraft carriers, although of old construction, appear in the fleets of Brazil, Argentina and India.

The Soviet Union also considered the idea of ​​building aircraft-carrying ships with particular interest. The naval confrontation between the USA and the USSR that emerged in the post-war years only accelerated the work of domestic design bureaus in this direction. However, the first Soviet full-fledged aircraft carrier, the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov or TAKR, entered service only in the winter of 1991, when the USSR had already disappeared from the political map of the world. The main reasons for such a protracted start were the policies of the Soviet leadership, which initially relied on the creation of a nuclear missile submarine fleet, and the lack of experience in building ships of this class in the Soviet Union.

The first signs in the Soviet navy were aircraft-carrying ships of Project 1123.1-3 class anti-ship missiles. These were helicopter-carrying cruisers, which received the code “Condor” according to NATO classification. The main means of combat of these ships was a dozen Ka-25 helicopters. The main function of ships of this class is to search for and destroy enemy submarines on ocean communications.

Further development of the aircraft-carrying component in the Soviet Navy was the Project 1143.1-4 aircraft-carrying cruiser of the “Kyiv” class. These were already ships that vaguely resembled aircraft carriers, both in terms of tactical and technical characteristics and functionality. The lead ship of this project, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Kiev, entered service in December 1975. On this ship, the main weapon was the air wing, consisting of 12 Yak-38 aircraft and 12 Ka-25 helicopters. In terms of displacement and size, these were large military vessels in the ocean zone, capable of operating as part of large formations of ships at a considerable distance from fleet bases. In total, 4 heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of the Kyiv class were commissioned in the USSR. These warships for the first time demonstrated to the world the capabilities of Soviet shipyards to build aircraft-carrying ships.

It should be noted: In terms of the number of aircraft carriers launched and put into operation, the USSR was second only to the United States. Great Britain, which for a long time used aircraft carriers built during the Second World War, managed to build and commission only 4 ships of this class in the post-war period. In France, the construction of ships of the same type was limited to the construction of 3 units. Italy commissioned two aircraft carriers into its fleet, and Japan generally switched to building combined ships, aircraft-carrying destroyers and large landing ships.

In the USSR, after the commissioning of heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of the Kyiv class, there was a tendency towards the transition to a full-fledged warship capable of providing a base for aircraft with horizontal take-off and landing. The aircraft carrier cruisers of Project 1143.1-4 served as a technological platform for the subsequent development of the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet. In this regard, the country's top military leadership had grandiose plans. It was planned to build larger and more powerful aircraft-carrying ships for the USSR Navy. An improved version of the project was the heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of Project 1143.5-6, of which only the Admiral Kuznetsov TAVKR was launched and put into operation.

The first ship of the improved project 1143.5 was laid down on September 1, 1982, receiving the name “Riga” in 1983. New Soviet aircraft carriers were to bear names that were consistent with the names of Soviet cities. Subsequently, the political situation influenced the fate of the ship. Already in the process of launching the ship received the name “Leonid Brezhnev”, in honor of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee L.I. Brezhnev. After launching in August 1987, the ship received the name "Tbilisi".

Mooring tests began on the ship only two years later, in 1989. At the same time, the ship received its crew, and the process of equipping the ship's systems with the main means of detection, tracking and weapons began. Over the next period of time, the take-off and landing of deck-based Su-27 and Mig-29 aircraft were practiced on the ship for test purposes. After short trips to sea, the ship returned to the factory wall for modifications. In October 1990, after the collapse of the Soviet Union began, the ship received its next and last name - “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov.” In January 1991, the Admiral Kuznetsov TAVKR, the first full-fledged aircraft carrier, was assigned to the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation. The name of the new ship was not given by chance. It was in those years that the real facts of Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov’s enormous contribution to the process of increasing the defense capability of the Russian Navy during the Great Patriotic War were first revealed.

It is important to note that no less than 12 years passed from the time the project was developed until the ship was put into operation. During this time, the vision of the place and role of the aircraft carrier in the fleet has changed significantly. The United States has completely switched to the construction of aircraft-carrying ships with a nuclear power plant. In France and Great Britain, work was actively underway to create conceptually new aircraft carriers capable of carrying a large number of aircraft for various purposes. In Russia, which at the beginning of the 90s entered a period of protracted political and economic crisis, there was no understanding of the concept of the role of the aircraft carrier fleet in modern conditions.

The USSR disappeared from the political map of the world, resulting in the end of the Cold War. The huge naval economy inherited from the Soviet Union required colossal forces and resources. In such conditions, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov began its combat service.

What is the first domestic aircraft carrier?

The ship is an aircraft-carrying self-propelled platform capable of receiving and sending aircraft with a traditional takeoff and landing pattern. Unlike previous aircraft-carrying vessels of the Kyiv class, the aircraft carrier Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov had an extended runway deck instead of an upper deck. There was a springboard in the forward part of the flight deck, which increased the lifting force of the taking off aircraft. This scheme replaced the usual steam catapults for ships of this class, which act as a starting accelerator.

The ship was designed to operate Soviet 3rd generation Mig-29 fighters and Su-27 fighter-bombers in the naval version.

The main tactical and technical characteristics of the ship were as follows:

• standard displacement - 45 thousand. tons (full displacement 60 thousand tons);
• the length of the ship along the flight deck is 305 m;
• the width of the ship along the flight deck is over 70 m;
• power of the propulsion gas turbine unit is 200 thousand l/s;
• speed – maximum 29 knots, with economical speed – 14 knots;
• economical cruising range 8400 miles;
• autonomy is 45 days.

It should be noted that the ship has a combined reservation system. Inside the ship there are “dry compartments” and layered anti-torpedo protection. Up to 50 aircraft should be based on the ship. The main attack wing is represented by 26 MiG-29K or Su-27K aircraft. The helicopter group consisted of 18 Ka-27, Ka-29 anti-submarine helicopters, four electronic reconnaissance vehicles and 2 rescue helicopters. In addition to combat aircraft, the TAVKR aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov had powerful anti-ship weapons represented by 12 Granit anti-ship missiles. The Kortik anti-aircraft missile artillery system, together with the Kinzhal launchers, provided air defense.

The composition of the weapons suggests that the ship is quite comparable in combat power to a missile cruiser. In terms of the aviation component, the Russian aircraft carrier performs rather auxiliary functions. The presence of a springboard significantly limits the throughput of the take-off deck, which does not allow the rapid launch and reception of aircraft in combat conditions.

To this day, the Project 1143.5 aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov remains the only operational aircraft carrier. Even despite the presence of serious shortcomings in its design, the ship continues to carry out combat service as part of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation. The small size of the aviation group affects the combat effectiveness of the ship. Anti-ship missiles "Granit" can be called an anachronism for ships of this class, deliberately making the ship's design heavier and limiting its technological space.

At the moment, the main combat load on the ship fell during the Syrian crisis. An aircraft-carrying cruiser from November 2016 to January 2017 as part of an operational-tactical group of ships of the Russian Navy in operations on the territory of the Syrian Republic. After a long voyage, the Russian aircraft carrier returned to Severomorsk, where it is preparing to undergo another scheduled repair.

New generation aircraft carriers in Russia are only at the design stage. Painstaking work is being done to find the optimal design of an aircraft-carrying ship that could go into production and be a universal and modern combat ship.

An aircraft carrier is a type of warship that includes a certain amount of combat aircraft, which also represents the main strike force. On board there is a runway of the required length for aircraft take-off, hangars, facilities for refueling, maintenance and flight control. Despite its large dimensions, the aircraft carrier is a highly maneuverable ship and responds quite quickly to deployment signals. One of the representatives of such military equipment is the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov. More on this below.

Such ships are used by many countries to perform duty services along the water borders of a particular state. They are also intended to assist in the event of enemy forces invading territory. They are used to destroy various enemy boats, as well as to destroy airborne equipment located above the water and in the coastal zone.

An aircraft carrier must have a powerful power plant and a large supply of fuel in order to remain at a distance from the shore for a long period.

Historical path

The first steps towards the construction of the above-mentioned cruiser were taken in 1982. It changed its name several times due to historical events. Finally, in 1990, after lengthy sea trials, his final name appeared on board - “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov.” And a year later, the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser was in Russian naval service. This is a reliable fact.

At the time of the start of construction, aircraft carriers were already in service. Each of them performed specific functions. However, the ship "Admiral Kuznetsov" had a significant difference. That is, it has elongated deck dimensions. This allowed aircraft to perform the traditional type of takeoff and landing.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s, the Russian Navy became quite concerned that the Ukrainian authorities might lay claim to ownership of the cruiser. Therefore, at the end of 1991, he was secretly transported to the city of Severomorsk, which was the new home base of the aircraft carrier Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov. Since that time, he has undergone many tests of various kinds. It is also being replenished with a new combat unit - SU-33 serial fighters.

In 1995, in honor of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy, the aircraft carrier-cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov set out on a cruise to the Mediterranean Sea. After passing, he stopped off the coast of Tunisia. At the same time, an American ship was also present there. This allowed some training trials to be completed jointly. According to eyewitnesses, during the joint mooring of the two aircraft carriers, there were corresponding takeoffs and landings of aircraft from both the Russian and American fleets. Some Russian military personnel were even able to ride on US aircraft. The aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" did not disappoint and the command was satisfied with further exercises. But it was not without its negative sides. Throughout the entire sea voyage, there was a constant failure of the power plant, and there were problems with other ship systems. This indicated his incomplete combat readiness. And already a short period of time after arriving home, after a thorough repair, the cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" again set off on another journey. It was not without his participation that Operation Kursk took place in 2000.

In 2004, the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov sailed into the North Atlantic together with nine ships of the Northern Fleet. The main purpose of the trip was to test the takeoff and landing of the new SU-25KUB fighter. This was followed by regular trips on duty (2005-2007). And in 2007, the cruiser set off on another voyage to the Mediterranean Sea, where everything went well.

Of course, in addition to successful voyages, emergency situations also occurred on board the aircraft carrier, from which not a single ultra-modern warship in the world is immune:

1. The first incident happened at the end of 2004. As a result of the next trip, a minor accident occurred on board the cruiser while landing on the deck of the SU-25UTG. But, fortunately, everything ended with only damage to the plane’s landing gear, and the ship did not suffer significant losses.
2. Misfortune also befell the aircraft carrier in the early fall of 2005 in the North Atlantic. Here the cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov suffered more significant losses. When two SU-33 fighters were landing, one lost control and fell into the water. The pilot ejected already at great depth. The second device was saved through the joint efforts of the crew. They tried to destroy the sunken car, which contained secret technological developments, using water bombs. However, this could not be done. The cause of the emergency turned out to be a break in the arrester cable.
3. The next emergency occurred in January 2009. While staying in the Turkish port of Akzas-Karagach, there was a sudden fire in the bow of the deck. The crew managed to cope with this situation on their own, but the sailor died in the process. The aircraft carrier itself did not suffer significant damage.

Today, the ship "Admiral Kuznetsov" is one of the representatives of heavy naval artillery. Its main tasks are to defeat targets of a certain nature that pose a threat to the state. The heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov looks worthy alongside similar combat units from various countries. How can you not be impressed by a huge twenty-story building that moves unhindered through the water element? There are 8 boilers on board the aircraft carrier and 4. With their help, it can accelerate to a maximum speed of 29 knots. At this pace, it covers up to 3,800 miles, and at a speed of 18 knots - 8,500 miles. In order to be convinced of its power, you can at least look at the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, a photo of which is presented in this text.

Design Features

There is a lot of interesting things here. The Admiral Kuznetsov model has the following decks: smooth and additional take-off. These are important design elements. There is a take-off ramp at the rear of the ship, which means that the architecture of this ship is smooth-deck. This is an essential design feature. There is also a corner flight deck with an area of ​​14,700 m², and a developed superstructure on the starboard side. The existing springboard, which is located in the bow, has a descent angle of 14 degrees. Its implementation is integral with the hull of this aircraft carrier, which has 7 decks in height and two necessary platforms.

Chassis

As already mentioned, this aircraft-carrying cruiser has an improved power plant. It consists of 8 steam boilers and 4 turbines, each with a capacity of 50,000 liters. With. As a result, this system is capable of accelerating a huge machine to 29 knots and maintaining this speed for a long time. Also, the specified power plant has additional containers for fuel. With the help of such a system, this heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser is capable of staying on the water for a long time. The maximum range at a speed of 18 knots is approximately 8,500 miles.

Armament

In this regard, the appropriate equipment has been determined. The armament on the ship "Admiral Kuznetsov" is represented by aviation equipment and missile launchers. This is an important fact. The first type includes all kinds of Russian military aviation. This includes about 28 aircraft (SU-33, MiG-27K, YAK-141 series fighters) and 24 combat helicopters.

In addition, the aircraft carrier includes a number of short-, medium- and long-range missile launchers. These devices can at any time either deliver a targeted strike to the enemy or prevent a torpedo or missile from being hit. In all likelihood, they will be improved in the near future as a result of a complete modernization of the said ship.

Electronic equipment

This is also an important piece of equipment. Electronic equipment on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov allows you to constantly have a picture of the exact location of similar equipment nearby. It includes the Lumberjack system and the Mars-Passat multifunctional device. This also includes devices such as Fregat-2M, which allows you to detect targets in three-dimensional space, and Podkat, for detecting aircraft at low altitudes. This ship also has certain communication and flight control systems. All this allows you to accurately determine the enemy’s position and deliver effective strikes, as well as have constant communication with your allies.

Technical characteristics of this cruiser

The following is taken into account:

• The main manufacturer of the aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is the Black Sea company for the construction of warships in the city of Nikolaev.
• Developer: Nevskoye PKB OJSC.
• The maximum speed of the ship is 29-30 knots. The usual chassis is 18.
• The maximum range in optimal driving is 18,000 miles.
• In offline mode it can work for about 45 days.
• It has a displacement of 58,500 tons.

Crew

Of course, to keep the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov afloat, a significant number of qualified crew is needed. It consists of 1960 people, of which 200 are officers. Due to the fact that the main combat power is represented by aviation equipment, there are 626 pilots on board. Of these, the command staff consists of 40 people. Also on the said ship there are 3857 necessary rooms. This includes 387 cabins, 50 showers and 6 dining rooms, 120 storage rooms.

Improvement

Although the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov has been proving its full combat readiness for many years and quite effectively fulfills its assigned tasks, like all equipment, it requires appropriate modern modernization. The designers and developers of the ship are not going to stop there and in the near future they plan to improve this combat vehicle, giving it additional power and installing additional modern weapons.

First of all, modernization will affect the power plant, since this is the most problematic place and often leads to minor breakdowns. It is planned to replace the existing boiler-turbine installation. In this regard, several options are being considered, that is, they are going to replace it with a gas or nuclear turbine unit. This will limit the number of breakdowns and also add additional load-bearing capacity to the ship.

Weapons will also undergo some changes. In the future, it is possible that the Granit missile launchers will be eliminated. As a result, the area of ​​aircraft parking spaces will increase, and, accordingly, the number of aircraft units themselves will increase. Kinzhal missile launchers are also subject to replacement with improved medium-range anti-aircraft devices. This is important. For short-range installations, it is planned to replace the existing ones with the Pantsir-S1 complex. It will include 4-6 anti-aircraft artillery devices. With all this, it is planned to install a modern system of radio-electronic equipment on the specified aircraft-carrying cruiser. With its help, interactions with other warships will be monitored in the future.

It is planned to equip the aircraft carrier with catapults as a launch system. Since no one is going to give up the runway and jumps in the future, then, accordingly, they will be located on the corner deck. To ensure launch using steam catapults, it is necessary to have a nuclear power plant. This is what the developers strive for. But if the ship has a gas turbine installation, then the steam catapults will be replaced by electromagnetic ones. This device is not an innovation in combat shipbuilding. Many foreign aircraft carriers already have a similar system in use. It was also tested by our developers even during the existence of the Soviet Union. Therefore, it is worthwhile to correctly fit it into the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov ship.

The number will include 26 MiG-29K fighters and helicopters (from 18 to 28 units). In general, the release of the updated cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov is planned for 2020. By this time, the release of the new generation T-50 fighters is already expected, which will undoubtedly appear on board the ship.

It’s even scary to imagine the capabilities of the updated cruiser, including the existing ones!

Current condition of the ship

Today, this heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser protects the interests of Russia. In general, he copes well with the assigned tasks. It has advanced weapons and is capable of preventing almost any enemy invasion. And it was his campaign in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic that renewed the presence of the Russian navy in the World Ocean. Such types of warships as the indicated cruiser are in service with most countries. Therefore, Russian developers are making every effort to modernize it.

Conclusion

Having read the above, everyone can imagine what the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov is, what functions it performs, and what kind of military equipment it has. Overall, this ship is definitely an impressive combat unit of the Russian Federation army.

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Even those who have little interest in the fleet have probably thought about how many and what kind of aircraft a Russian aircraft carrier can take on board. For quite a long time, the author of the blog believed that he knew the answer to this question, but his doubts were still unclear. did not shake his picture of the world. giving rise to this material.

Ill. 1. TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" with 16 (! ) Aircraft on the flight deck: 9 Su-33, 2 Su-25UTG, 5 Ka-27/29 - Atlantic, 01/18/2008 (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru, 3190 pix.)

Theory

The most authoritative sources (*) agree that the strength of the Kuznetsov air group according to the project is 50 (fifty) aircraft, namely : 26 Su-27K (Su-33), 4 Ka-252 RLD(Ka-31), 18 Ka-27(PL), 2 Ka-27PS. The project developer (Nevskoye PKB) gives 40 LA ( link 1 ), Defense Department - 36 (12 Su-33 and 24- ! Ka-27, link 2 ). The spread of values ​​is most likely caused by the accounting/non-accounting of aircraft on the flight deck (about 30% , more specifically - 14/36 ). On the other hand, according to (conditional) design standards (one aircraft per 1000 tons standard - A.Sh. displacement, link 3 ) it turns out 46-47 airplanes and helicopters, according to the blog author (D Poln /1250) - 47 (**).

(*) In addition to the direct participation of V. Zablotsky in the construction and testing of aircraft-carrying cruisers, confidence in his data is due to the fact that the author provides not only standard, normal and total displacement (which in itself is impressive), but also the corresponding average drafts with accurate to the centimeter ( ! ), . thereby demonstrating aerobatics in the field of technical literary marine painting.
(**) Standard displacement TAVKR pr. 11435 - 46 540 t, full - 59 100 T .

Practice

For 25 years (less 13 days) as part of the Navy of the USSR and the Russian Federation, "Admiral Kuznetsov" recorded seven combat services: five in the Mediterranean and two in the northeast Atlantic. With the exception of the very first BS, the exact number of aircraft on board is unknown, but there are observations from a colleague Polikarpoff(a member of forums.airforce.ru), who recorded the tail numbers of all Su-33s that were captured in the video and photo reports ( link 4 ) (the author of the blog is ready to confirm the accuracy of the information on the BS 2013-2014). Below is all the available data on the TAVKR air group in all its long-distance campaigns:

1 ) 23.12.1995-22.03.1996 , Mediterranean Sea -26 LA: 13 Su-33 (w/n61, 64, 65, 67, 76, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88 and experienced109 blue),2 Su-25UTG,11 Ka-27/27PS/29 (* ) ;
2 ) 27.09-24.10.2004 , North Atlantic - minimum7 Su-33 (60, 67, 68, 80, 82, 85, 88 ) And2 Su-25UTG (07, 14 ) ;
3 ) 23.08-14.09.2005 , North Atlantic - due to a broken arrestor cable, a Su-33 b/n was lost82 , on other sides- n/a ;
4 ) 05.12.2007-03.02.2008 , Mediterranean Sea - minimum10 Su-33 (60, 61, 66, 72, 79, 80, 81, 86, 87, 88 ) And2 Su-25UTG (08, 11 ) ;
5 ) 05.12.2008-27.02.2009 , Mediterranean Sea - minimum_ 8 Su-33 (60, 61, 64, 68, 72, 76, 81, 88 ) And1 Su-25UTG (08 ) ;
6 ) 06.12.2011-17.02.2012 , Mediterranean Sea - minimum10 Su-33 (62, 66, 68, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 86, 87 ) ;
7 ) 17.12.2013-17.05.2014 , Mediterranean Sea - minimum_ 6 Su-33 (62, 66, 68, 76, 77, 78 ) (BS 2-7 - only spotted vehicles).

( * ) During the passage from Ireland to Gibraltar, the SF naval group was caught in a storm, which is why it was decided to postpone the planned flights until arrival in the Mediterranean Sea.. This fact is interesting because it allows us to indirectly estimate the hangar’s capacity, since in stormy conditions all 26 aircraft were most likely removed from the flight deck.

It is clear that the above census of the aircraft (most likely incomplete) does not reflect the real “aircraft capacity” of the aircraft carrier, but only states the lack of Su-33 in airworthiness and, possibly, trained flight personnel. At the same time, the chronic understaffing of the air group not only gets on the nerves, but also significantly diminishes the combat capabilities of the Kuznetsov in the eyes of potential opponents and potential allies.

Ill. 2. TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov", Atlantic, 01/18/2008 (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru, 3160 pix.)

Hangar geometry

The aircraft hangar TAVKR pr. 11435 has dimensions 153 X 26,0 X 7,2 m, area 3,980 m2 and volume 28,640 m3, it occupies 57 % length and 74 % of the width of the ship according to the vertical line (for the Nimitz - 66 % And 82 %). There are two aircraft lifts (16x14 m): in front of the “island” and behind it, both on the starboard side. The aircraft transportation system in the hangar is a semi-automatic chain system, from the hangar to the lift platforms using tractors.. There are turntables in front of the lifts for quick orientation of the aircraft with the keel to the side.

To date, the greatest contribution to understanding the hangar’s capacity has, without a doubt, been made by a colleagueparalay - author of the diagram below (Fig. 3). A thorough check :) showed a good correspondence of its elements to the available data: hangar dimensions, location and length of lifts, proportions of the Su-33 with folded wings, stabilizers and VTG boom and Ka-27 with folded blades ( 20,7 X 7,4 And 12,25 X 4,0 m). The apparent implausibility of a very dense placement of aircraft - “jack” (*) of four in a row, is refuted by the photograph following the diagram (Fig. 4). The only remark concerns the scattering of helicopters in free “spots” - in practice, they are most likely also moored in orderly rows ( ill.. 1 2 ). In addition, we should not forget that, in addition to the aircraft, some part of the hangar area is occupied by machines for their maintenance (fire engines, gas jets, tractors - Fig. 13).

(*) “Valet” was born exactly 40 years ago: “The design capacity of the hangar [TAVKR pr. 1143] was 22 aircraft, but after a visit to “Kyiv” in 1975 by the Minister of Defense Marshal A. Grechko, who demanded to increase the number of aircraft by one and a half times, the layout of the aircraft in the hangar was revised after the minister lifted the ban on the mandatory gap between them of 0.75 m and permission to park aircraft “jack” . The hangar capacity was increased to 36 LAC".

Ill. 3. Layout of the Su-33 and Ka-27 in the hangar of TAVKR pr. 11435 withparalay.iboards.ru (original - click on it)

Ill. 4. Dense deployment of Su-33 in combat service in 1995-96.- "Jack" four in a row (in the near row)

Flight deck geometry

On the continuous flight deck of an aircraft carrier 305 m, width 70 m and an area of ​​14,800 m2, there are three starting positions: No. 1 and No. 2 - in front of the springboard (run-up 105 m), No. 3 - in the middle part of the corner deck (run 195 m), and nine technical ones - along the “island” and behind the stern lift. The same number of runways for ship-based helicopters (plus one “overlapping” runway for the basic Mi-8) are marked at the ski jump and on the corner deck, for which reason they cannot be used for mooring helicopters during takeoff and landing operations of aircraft squadrons. In this case, the duty officers of the Ka-31 and Ka-27PS, the need for which may arise at any moment, can wait their turn on a free section of the deck, in the very stern on the starboard side - where the Yak is shown in the diagram (Fig. 5). 41M and further forward. (similar to how the leftmost Ka-29 stands in Fig. 14).

Ill. 5. Plan of the flight deck of TAVKR pr. 11435 (the gap in the center is due to a scanning defect). Some designations: 6 - runway for Ka-27/29/31 helicopters; 9, 10, 20 - Su-33, respectively, at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd starting positions; 26 - calculated point of contact of the deck with the aircraft hook; 27 - runway for a Mi-8 helicopter; 31 - Su-33 in a technical position; 32 - Yak-41M VTOL aircraft at a technical position

Outdoor mooring

Even after a quick preliminary acquaintance with the features of the TAVKR hangar, it becomes clear that one cannot hope for a comfortable basing in a heated, splash-proof room of a full-fledged air group corresponding to the ship’s displacement. There is no other way to increase the number of aircraft on board,. except to carry them on the flight deck during the entire combat service - both in storms and in cold. Regarding negative temperatures and the icing they cause, we can say right away : Kuznetsov is not allowed to travel to the Arctic and winter North Atlantic with an air group reinforced by “deck” aircraft.. We can only talk about several duty planes and helicopters. (for example, 2 Su-33, Ka-31 and Ka-27PS), heated in the hangar on a rotational basis.

Regarding the storm (rolling, flooding and heavy winds), things are somewhat better. They say that the aircraft carriers of the US Navy, with their 20-meter freeboard height, have no problems at all in fresh weather - the waves simply do not reach the deck, and mooring the aircraft in a storm allows you not to worry about non-combat losses of valuable combat units (although this, of course, , no one is insured) (*). The almost 17-meter height of the side of 11435 (versus 13.5 m for the other 1143) allows us to think that its floodability is more or less fine, and half a century of experience in operating deck-based aircraft allows us to hope that our today’s “moorings” (lashings) ) no worse than American ones (**).

(*) An American technician who served on "Coral-Sea" vividly talks about . how once he almost flew overboard on his Skyhawk, and our compatriot, who was servicing the Yak-38 on the Minsk, spoke about the loss, thank God, of an empty car at one of the BS in equatorial latitudes: link 5 . It is worth paying attention to the following facts from the memoirs of an American: each Skyhawk was secured with nine chains - three for each landing gear, and when a warning was received about a possible meeting with a typhoon. (this is no longer a storm, this is - Hurricane), . The flight director ordered the vehicles to be additionally secured with storm ends - three steel cables. Airplanes in hangar didn't clean.

(**) “All aircraft fastening units are designed for a roll of up to 40 degrees, while forces of up to 10 tons can occur on one unit, and we calculated and tested them with a double load of 20 tons and there were four such units for each aircraft. The helicopters were fastened six chains. In 1988, on the Baku in the North Atlantic, we found ourselves in a severe storm that lasted a week and the roll reached 25 degrees with the stabilizers turned on... there was not a single plane on the deck (streams of water rushed across it), everything is in the hangar, but not a single plane was torn from its fastenings, which are similar to those on the flight deck" (V. Babich - link 6 ).

The deceptively small size of the MiG

At one time, the Su-33 (Su-27K) almost lost its place on the deck of an aircraft carrier due to the fact that its overall width was significantly larger than that of the MiG-29K of the 1988 model (9.8 versus 7. 8 m), did not allow placing a sufficient number of vehicles on board. As a result, the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau created a small miracle by folding the wing not at half the length of the console, but at 1/4 of the center section (and with it also the stabilizer), as a result. why the Sukhoi became 40 cm more compact than the MiG! Today the situation is repeating exactly the opposite. - in the sense that now the MiG-29K with a wing folding in the middle of the console is holding back the build-up of the TAVKR air group (more on this a little later).

Ill. 6 . Signature is in the illustration. Note: "The overall width of the aircraft with the wing folded (without suspension devices - beam holders, aircraft catapults and automatic launchers - A.Sh.) - 7.46 m. ​​Stabilizer span - 7.695 m".

On illus. 6 shows the MiG-29KUB for the Indian Navy, however, the hope that during the “Russification” of the ship’s MiG its wing was optimized for hangar 11435 collapses after viewing photographs of the first batch of aircraft (b/n 31 and 50), which clearly show that the folding line of the console is in the same place as that of the Indian “prototype” (Fig. 15, 16). Hope that the side wing is manufactured in 2014-2015. to do otherwise would be naive. It is unlikely that the issue of reducing the dimensions of the MiG was not raised at all - most likely, at one of the interdepartmental meetings_ it was decided not to include wing modifications in the design and development work, so as not to delay the adoption of the new aircraft for service with the Navy MA.

Let's play airplanes

To solve the task - assessing the real (achievable in practice) composition of the updated Kuznetsov air group - based on the layoutparalay To the best of the author's modest capabilities, a new layout of the aircraft in the aircraft carrier hangar was drawn. The result did not exactly live up to expectations, but did not disappoint either - the hangar accommodates three two-flight aircraft squadrons (one Su-33 and two MiG-29K) and one helicopter squadron, in total32 aircraft (ill. 7).

Much greater effect from the introduction of MiGs into the air group (compared to the original versionparalay ) could be observed when modifying the MiG-29K wing in order to reduce the overall width. As can be seen in Fig. 8, in this case, four more aircraft could be placed in the hangar, making one attack (fighter-bomber) squadron a three-link one and bringing the total number of aircraft to36 .

Ill. 7. Option for placing the aircraft in the hangar of TAVKR pr. 11435 with the standard wing folding of the MiG-29K(UB)

Ill. 8.Option for placing an aircraft in the hangar of TAVKR pr. 11435 with “space-saving” folding of the MiG-29K(UB) wing

On the flight deck, in conditions of a not too harsh climate, 12 aircraft can be additionally placed (moored) (three Su-33s at launch positions and another Su and 8 MiGs at technical ones) and at least two helicopters. Upon combat alert, it will be possible to quickly scramble a flight of heavy fighters into the air, thereby ensuring long-range reconnaissance and air defense in the threatened direction. Further - depending on the circumstances: either saturate the air security with Sukhoi, or raise the first wave of MiGs to attack coastal targets or an enemy naval group. With an empty deck (in the “everything in the hangar” option), the procedure is approximately the same: first, 4 Su-33s “leave out of the garage” on the stern lift, Ka-31 and Ka-27PS on the bow, then the rest of the Sukhoi or MiGs.

Conclusion

In the author’s opinion, the above quite convincingly demonstrates the possibility of basing a full-fledged air group on 11435, significantly expanding the scope of combat use not only of an individual ship, but also of the Russian Navy as a whole. Of course, it will be possible to talk about true “full-value” only when the landing gear wheels of the long-awaited RLD aircraft touch the flight deck, and if Russian aircraft designers manage to create a Hawkeye capable of taking off without a catapult (from the 3rd launch position),. such a car can already be seen at Kuznetsov. In the meantime, the Russian aircraft carrier will have an air group of approximately the same composition:

46 aircraft, approx.80% which are first-class fighters and fighter-bombers, and 70% can be based in a hangar - not a bad result at all. We can only wish that RSK MiG would finalize the wing of its aircraft in order to bring the number of the air group to the coveted 50 aircraft. Another wish concerns the officers of the Navy's Shipbuilding and Weapons Directorate, scientists from the Krylov Scientific Center and designers from the Nevsky Design Bureau working on the appearance of a new aircraft-carrying ship : To minimize the impact of stormy weather and negative (Arctic and subarctic) temperatures on the combat potential of the Northern Fleet and Pacific Fleet, the fleet needs aircraft carriers with large hangars - as large as technically possible.■

Sources (the page number may be indicated through a hyphen).

1. Yu. Apalkov “Strike ships”, M., Morkniga, 2010.
2. V. Zablotsky "Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov", "Maritime Collection" No. 7/2005, supplement to the magazine "Model Designer".
3. A. Fomin "Su-33. Ship epic", M., RA Intervestnik, 2003.
4. S. Shumilin, N. Okolelov, A. Chechin, “Nuclear aircraft carrierUSS Nimitz", "Marine Collection" No. 7/2008, supplement to the magazine "Modeler-Constructor".
5. G. Belov "Atlantic squadron. 1968-2005", M., Horizon, 2015.
6. A. Fomin "MiG-29K: the main weapon of the new Indian aircraft carriers", magazine "Vzlyot" No. 2/2005.

Ill. 10. Hangar "Kuznetsov": close to the right - the stern lift, in the distance - the bow, straight ahead - the turntable, "nuts" in the foreground (at a distance they look like rivets) - mooring knots (photo from sam7 from forums.airbase.ru, 2650 pix.)

Ill. eleven . Relatively free placement of the Su-33 in the hangar; mooring units (with slots like keyholes) and chain “moorings” are clearly visible (especially when zoomed in) - mooring devices, lashings(date and author - n/a)

Ill. 12 . Placing Ka-27 helicopters in “orderly rows” in a half-empty hangar - with large gaps between the machines (apparently, if necessary, the gap can be significantly reduced)(12/17/07, no information about the author)

Ill. 13. “Convoy No. 063”: few category C drivers can boast of driving skills on the high seas :) (photo from Slava2014, forums.airbase.ru)

Ill. 14. The aft section of the flight deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov during the 1995-96 BS. .. The Ka-29 is of interest. moored like this. so as not to interfere. aircraft passages above the deck with touch. and landing on aerofinishers

Ill. 15. MiG-29K b/n 31 “blue” from the first batch (4 cars, end of 2013) with folded wing consoles, 08/26/2015 (photo by vechernin from russianplanes.net)

Ill. 16. MiG-29KUB b/n 50 “blue” from the first batch (4 cars, end of 2013) with folded wing consoles, 09/26/2015 (photo by Anton Gromov from russianplanes.net)

Armament

Same type ships

general information

The first Soviet aircraft carrier designed for conventional take-off and landing aircraft (previous types of TAKR were intended for vertical take-off aircraft). Named after Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov. Built in the city of Nikolaev, at the Black Sea Shipyard.

Currently, the ship hosts Su-25UTG and Su-33 aircraft of the 279th separate naval fighter aviation regiment (OKIAP), as well as MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB of the 100th OKIAP (airfield based 279 and 100 OKIAP - Severomorsk-3 ), Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters of the 830th separate naval anti-submarine helicopter regiment (based airfield - Severomorsk-1).

History of creation

Prerequisites for creation

According to the Navy development plan approved by the USSR government in 1945, the construction of aircraft carriers in the USSR was not planned. 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 air defense of the fleet on the high seas. It was planned to build at least eight such ships, with the first of them supposed to enter service in 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 commander-in-chief was taken by S.G. Gorshkov, who in many ways 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, much progress has been made in both anti-ship and ship-based anti-aircraft weapons since then. The relatively successful operations of American aircraft carrier formations in Korea and Vietnam took place in testing conditions, without enemy opposition from the sea. In fact, aircraft carriers in these conflicts served as mobile air bases for attacking ground targets, which did not prove their possible usefulness in a naval battle. This gave the Soviet leadership grounds to rely on cruisers and submarines armed with missiles in the development of the fleet, declaring aircraft carriers “weapons of Western imperialism.”

The “first swallows” of the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet were the anti-submarine cruisers of Project 1123, which had on board an air group of fourteen Ka-25 helicopters. However, the capabilities of helicopters did not allow them to organize full 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. Heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of Project 1143 (Kyiv type) became such ships. 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 production VTOL aircraft of the Soviet Union, was distinguished by low flight performance, and due to its small size and weight it was severely limited in combat load and range. In addition, being an attack aircraft by design, the Yak-38 was poorly suited for air defense missions. Thus, the three ships of the Kyiv class, together with the Baku aircraft carrier, which was their development, continued to remain more cruisers than aircraft carriers. The shortcomings of the Yak-38 were supposed to be eliminated on a carrier-based VTOL aircraft of a new generation - the multi-role fighter Yak-41 - but this aircraft was created long and hard, so the deadline for its adoption 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 aircraft with traditional takeoff and landing in addition to VTOL aircraft. The development of the project was entrusted to the Nevsky Design Bureau in 1977. Design work took almost three years and was completed only in 1980. A total of ten options were prepared, including 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 the different placement of the main missile system, which was now supposed to be located inside the hull. In addition, the ship's superstructure was shifted to the right, onto the sponson (protruding beyond 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 take-off. 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 keep within the given dimensions while maintaining the catapults would lead to a deterioration in the combat capabilities of the future ship. The high characteristics of the 4th generation Soviet fighters, which were supposed to be based on the 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 1987 Soviet Military Power magazine

Su-33 fighter on the deck of an aircraft carrier, 1996

Continuing the campaign, on October 18, 2004, an accident occurred with a training Su-25UTG. The plane touched down too hard, as a result of which its right landing gear broke. Destruction on the ship was avoided, since the emergency Su-25UTG caught the landing hook on the arrester cable and stopped the run.

On September 5, 2005, two emergency landings of Su-33 fighters occurred on a TAKR aircraft in the North Atlantic due to a broken arrestor 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, a “friend or foe” identification system), but it turned out that due to the great depth this was impossible to do. The Navy command 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 that includes the BOD “Admiral Chabanenko” and “Admiral Levchenko”, went on its second trip to combat service in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. During his military service, visits were made to the ports of Italy, France and Algeria, as well as to the island of Malta. Upon returning across the North Atlantic, the carrier force took part in exercises together with shore-based naval aviation, as well as Russian Air Force aircraft. 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 Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center. During the repairs, the main power plant was updated, work was carried out to repair the air conditioning system, boiler equipment, and mechanisms for lifting aircraft onto the flight deck.

TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" passes the Strait of Gibraltar in December 2007

Winter 2008/2009 - starting from December 2008- the aircraft carrier cruiser again underwent combat service in the Mediterranean Sea. During this voyage, on January 6, 2009, an accident occurred: while stationed at a roadstead as part of military exercises in the Turkish port of Akzas-Karagach, a fire started in one of the bow rooms on board an aircraft carrier cruiser. The fire was extinguished by the ship's crew, but while fighting the fire, conscript Dmitry Sychev died from carbon monoxide poisoning. According to expert statements, the aircraft carrier did not receive serious damage and on January 11, 2009, took part in joint exercises with Greece. The campaign was 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 shores of Syria. In connection with the unrest and coup attempts in this country friendly to Russia, a show of force was needed near its shores, at least partially counterbalancing the constant presence of warships of the US 6th Fleet in the area.

On December 12, 2011, the formation dropped anchor in the Moray Firth (UK) to replenish water and food supplies. On December 15, due to deteriorating weather in the parking area, the detachment of warships weighed anchor and continued the voyage.

On December 23, 2011, a detachment of warships led by the aircraft carrier “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov” passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea.

From January 8 to January 10, 2012, the Russian unit 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 The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" completed its combat service, returning to Severomorsk.

After completion of combat service, restoration repairs of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier were carried out at the Murmansk branch of the Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center OJSC. By August 23, 2012, the renovation was completed.

In September 2013, the cruiser took part in Northern Fleet exercises in the Barents Sea area.

Ka-29 helicopter over the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier during combat service, Mediterranean Sea, November 24, 2016

WITH December 17, 2013 to May 17, 2014 The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" made a new trip to combat service in the Mediterranean Sea with a call at the material and technical base of the Russian Navy in the port of Tartus (Syria). Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet, Rear Admiral Viktor Sokolov, raised his flag on the cruiser. While in the Mediterranean Sea, the aircraft carrier cruiser operated together with the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great. During this campaign, the pilots of the 279th Naval Aviation Regiment acquired significant practical experience in conducting flights from the deck of an aircraft-carrying cruiser on the high seas, completing more than 350 sorties with a total stay in the air of about 300 hours.

On August 19, 2015, the cruiser completed three months of repairs at the dock of the 82nd ship repair plant (Roslyakovo village, Murmansk region). During the work, the electromechanical part of the ship was put in order, and the underwater part of the hull was also cleaned and painted.

October 15, 2016 The cruiser left Severomorsk for combat service in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to the Admiral Kuznetsov, the detachment of warships also included the nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the BOD Vice Admiral Kulakov and Severomorsk, as well as a number of auxiliary ships and vessels. On board the carrier cruiser there 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 aircraft were carried out in the Norwegian Sea from the deck of a aircraft carrier. On October 21, the connection passed through the English Channel.

On October 26, 2016, a detachment of warships led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier passed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea; off the coast of Morocco, refueling at sea with fuel and drinking water was carried out.

Replenishment of aviation ammunition of the Admiral Kuznetsov from a floating crane in the Tartus roadstead, December 2016

On November 1, the Russian aircraft carrier force 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 aero arresters, one of the MiG-29K fighters of the cruiser’s air group could not be taken on deck in time and was lost due to fuel exhaustion; the pilot successfully ejected and was rescued.

November 15, 2016 carrier-based aircraft TAKR "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, while landing on the deck of a ship, one of the Su-33 fighters of the air group was lost due to a broken arresting arrester cable; the pilot managed to eject and was not injured.

A MiG-29KUB fighter takes off from the Admiral Kuznetsov ski-jump during combat service, January 10, 2017

On January 6, 2017, it was announced that the Russian Armed Forces in Syria would be reduced, 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 agreement with the Libyan National Army group that controls this area, a series of daily exercises were conducted at sea. On January 11, the head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar, visited the Admiral Kuznetsov.

On January 20, the 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 TAKR, the Pyotr Velikiy TARKR, the Alexander Shabalin BDK 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 airfield.

Vice Admiral Sokolov, cruiser commander Captain 1st Rank Artamonov and Libyan General Haftar with his entourage on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, January 11, 2017

February 8, 2017 The aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" arrived at the roadstead of Severomorsk, completing its combat service. During it, over the course of almost four months, the ship covered about 18,000 miles. Upon their return, the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy and the heavy aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov fired a festive salute of 15 artillery shots. The return salute was performed by the Northern Fleet destroyer 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 its combat service, aircraft and helicopters of the Admiral Kuznetsov air group carried out 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 search and rescue and transport support tasks. It is known that during combat service, some of the carrier-based aircraft were temporarily relocated from the TAKR to the Khmeimim airbase, so a number of the mentioned combat sorties could have been carried out from there. During the bombing, over 1,000 militant targets in Syria were destroyed, including headquarters and control points, firing positions, as well as concentrations 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 integrated supply ship "Berezina" there are no more similar ships in the Russian Navy, this operation had to be carried out in the Tartus roadstead using the SPK-46150 floating crane - supplied to the aircraft carrier the cruiser's missions were successfully completed.

According to representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the cruiser currently requires major repairs and modernization, which were planned 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 cruiser's overhaul is scheduled for the first quarter of 2017 - immediately after the ship returns from combat service in the Mediterranean. The work is expected to last 2-3 years and will have to include the replacement of the deck flooring and aerofinisher braking machines.

Commanders

During his service, he commanded the heavy aircraft carrier cruiser Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov.