Aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov to be upgraded at Sevmash

02.04.2010
Northern Fleet's Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov will be modernized at Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, reports Interfax referring to a source in military industry.

Under modernization program Admiral Kuznetsov will obtain new weapon systems and electronic equipment, including shipborne version of prospective AD system Pantsir. Air group will be also enlarged. Design works are expected to be completed in 2011, termination of upgrade works and recommission are scheduled in 2017.

Experts of Ukrainian Chernomorskiy [Black Sea] Shipyard may also be involved in modernization process, since the carrier was built at that yard. However, there have been no related agreements reached so far, pointed out the source.

Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov is a Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft carrying cruiser.

REGISTRATION

Severomorsk, Northern Fleet

CONSTRUCTION, NAME

The carrier (project name was Sovetskiy Soyuz) was laid down at Chernomorskiy Shipyard on September 1, 1982 having original name of Riga and launched on December 4, 1985 under name of Leonid Brezhnev. On August 11, 1987 she was renamed into Tbilisi and on October 4, 1990 became Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov. The carrier was commissioned into Northern Fleet on January 20, 1991.

MILESTONES

On October 21, 1989 the uncompleted and underequipped carrier was put to sea for flight development tests of deck-based aircraft. First deck landings of MiG-29K, Su-27K and Su-25UTG were carried out on November 1, 1989. The ship was inactivated for further fitting-out on November 23, 1989. In 1990 she passed multiple sea trials.

In 90-ies the carrier regularly participated in naval exercises and was deployed in the Mediterranean. Since 1996 till 1998 the ship was under overhaul. In 2000 she took part in exercise during which the Kursk tragedy happened; the carrier participated in rescue operation.

Since 2001 till 2004 the carrier was under repairs. In 2004 the aircraft carrying cruiser took part in one-month cruise to the North Atlantic. In the period of 2005-2007 she took the sea several times a year. On December 5, 2007 the carrier headed task unit in the cruise to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which ended on February 3, 2008.

The carrier was under overhaul till December 2008.

PERFORMANCE

Speed: 29 knots
Endurance: 45 days
Crew: 1960 men
Power of steam turbines: 4 x 50,000 shp
Power of turbo generators: 9 x 1,500 KW
Power of diesel generators: 6 x 1,500 KW

DIMENSIONS

Length: 302.3 meters
Waterline length: 270 meters
Beam: 72.3 meters
Waterline beam: 35.4 meters
Draft: 9.14 meters
Standard displacement: 43,000 tons
Total displacement: 55,000 tons
Maximum displacement: 58,600 tons

ARMAMENT

The carrier is armed with missile launchers (12 Granit antiship missiles and 60 Udav-1 ASW rockets), Klinok SAMS (192 missiles, 24 launchers) and Kashtan CIWS (256 missiles). The cruiser is capable to carry up to 24 Ka-27 multipurpose helicopters, up to 16 Yak-41M supersonic VTOL multirole aircrafts and up to 12 Su-27K deck-based fighters.

Source: RusNavy.com, photo: Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov (upload.wikimedia.org)