Since the Russian military announced plans to create several new modern aircraft carriers a couple of years ago, there have been a lot of rumors about this project. Let's see what is known about the future flagships of our fleet.
The decision to develop and build new aircraft carriers was announced almost exactly 2 years ago. Of course, no major breakthroughs should be expected in such a short period of time. The task before the designers and scientists, builders and the military is so daunting that it will take much more time to solve it. After all, the project needs to be implemented almost from scratch, starting with the formation of the appearance and concept of the future ship, the construction of suitable docks and the infrastructure necessary for servicing.
It should be remembered that until now the fate of all projects for the creation of aircraft-carrying naval formations in the USSR and Russia has turned out to be unhappy. The first such proposals were made already in the 1920s, but so far the Russian Navy cannot boast of these powerful means of modern warfare.
Russia enters the race with a delay of almost half a century, and therefore our designers do not intend (at least not yet) to chase the Americans and try to create a colossus of a hundred thousand tons with a displacement and an air wing of a hundred aircraft. About a year ago, the first important figures and parameters were presented to the public.
So, it was said that the aircraft wing of the projected ship will be 60-70 vehicles, which implies the creation of a ship with a total displacement of up to 70-75 thousand tons and a length of about 300 m. This is slightly more than the old Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov or the future British aircraft carriers of the CVF series, but, of course, not too large a figure in comparison with the American giants. It is stated that the power plant on the future Russian aircraft carrier will be nuclear (we compared it with an alternative, gas turbine, in an article dedicated to the TARK "Peter the Great" - read: "Peter Morskoy").
Unlike previous domestic projects, the ship will not be equipped with anti-ship missiles. It is believed that this task will be undertaken by other ships in the formation. The aircraft carrier's own armament will be limited to air defense and anti-submarine defense systems. These are missile and artillery systems for fighting aircraft "in the pit", at a distance of up to 5-6 km, and anti-aircraft guided missiles with a range of tens of kilometers. This set will be complemented by anti-submarine torpedoes and rocket-propelled bombs. It is possible that artillery installations firing guided projectiles will also be installed on the ship.
The new ship will also need new (or well-modified old) specialized long-range reconnaissance aircraft, communications, anti-submarine warfare and, of course, the main strike wing. And this very moment leaves a lot of questions today. Most likely, the military is counting on the completion of the parallel work on the creation of the 5th generation Russian combat aircraft. At the very least, existing aircraft are unlikely to be able to serve as a full-fledged alternative as a strike carrier-based aircraft. Perhaps the aircraft carrier will use a mixed wing, including up to 30 heavy vehicles of the 5th generation and about 20 light fighters. Not counting, of course, additional helicopters, UAVs and auxiliary aircraft.
There is no clarity yet in the question of where exactly these ships will be built. The Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg and the shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation in Severodvinsk are named as possible options. In favor of the first - the experience of creating large-capacity civil ships and warships with a nuclear propulsion, but in Severodvinsk, and at present, work is underway in a similar direction - the modernization of the aircraft carrier "Admiral Gorshkov" commissioned by the Indian Navy.
The military promises that the first ship of the series will be laid down in 2012, and will enter service by 2018, and in total, according to various sources, it is planned to create from 3 to 6 aircraft carriers of a new type.
