If you compile everything that is, in terms of information on this topic, the output will be, to put it mildly, ambiguous. Moreover, over time, more and more intimate details of the cruiser emerge.
The main problem today is the doc. There is no doc, moreover, it is not even foreseen in the future, although there are some thoughts, prospects, and so on. But it is not for nothing that the question is still hanging in the air.
But let's start in order.
So, last year, "Admiral Kuznetsov" got up for the next renovation, which should have lasted right up to 2021. Further, as everyone knows, the dock PD-50, in which the cruiser was stationed, sank. And the "Admiral Kuznetsov" itself, although it was damaged, was towed to the wall of the 35th shipyard.
No, not to continue the renovation, it's just there his regular parking place, if that.
To complete the begun operations on the docking of the cruiser, you need a dock. Moreover, there is still one small nuance: by the time of the disaster, the propellers were removed from Kuznetsov to provide some work.
As I understand correctly (the Ministry of Defense, by the way, is not just silent, the Russian ceases to understand this topic), the Kuznetsov propellers remained there … In the PD-50.
And the situation looks more than ominous:
1. It is necessary to lift the old screws.
2. Urgently make new ones.
3. The dock in which these screws can be put back.
Actually, point # 3 kills everything, because there is no dock and is not expected.
Yes, we have PD-41. In the Far East. This dock was built in 1978 by order of the USSR in Japan, based, of course, in Fokino, and is intended for the repair of warships of the Pacific Fleet.
How realistic is it to move the dock to the North? I think this is just pure fantasy. The dock, to put it mildly (see photo), is not in a condition to travel through the Northern Sea Route.
And then, will the ships from the Pacific Fleet also have to be driven north for repairs?
The overall situation is so-so. And without much prospects. More precisely, there is only one prospect: it is necessary either to raise the PD-50, or to build a new dock. Otherwise, no prospects.
And the matter is very difficult, we have, as it were, problems with the construction of a ship larger than a corvette, wherever we go. Moreover, a dock, especially a huge one, which we ourselves did not build when we were born. Even during the period of power of the USSR.
Japanese? It is doubtful, we also had problems with the PD-41. 5 docks of this type were ordered, but the Japanese agreed to build docks only on the condition that not for the repair of warships. And as soon as ours, having received the first, immediately drove a battleship there to celebrate, the contract was broken.
Well, and no matter how unlikely Norway will agree to build something like that.
I don't even want to talk about lifting the dock. It is clear that the sadness here is generally salty. We ourselves are unlikely to raise such a colossus, it is clear. But, unlike the same Kursk submarine, which was raised by the Dutch in the open sea, it is more than doubtful to arrange such a show in Roslyakovo.
So the Ministry of Defense today is seriously considering the issue of decommissioning the cruiser, if the issue with the dock cannot be resolved. And since the prospects are very dubious, you involuntarily begin to scratch in the back of your head, remembering that, in addition to the Kuznetsov, we still have a bunch of ancient ships of the 1st rank in the Northern Fleet, which will be difficult to survive without a dock.
These are both TARK project 1144.2 Peter the Great and Admiral Nakhimov, cruiser project 1164 Ustinov, BOD project 1155 Severomorsk, Levchenko, Kharlamov, Kulakov, BOD project 1155.1 Chabanenko.
How to deal with them is also completely incomprehensible. To drive for repairs in Fokino - sorry, I don't think that we will amuse the whole world so much. So you still have to do something.
Already thinking people have come up with an idea. History is already, of course, but in 1988 we laid down a ship that was supposed to replace the Krechet. This is the so-called project 1143.7, ATAVKR "Ulyanovsk". This atomic heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser was cut to metal right on the stocks in 1992 due to lack of funds.
But the ship was much larger than the "Gyrfalcon" and longer by as much as 18 meters. That is, it did not fit into the dock. And for servicing these ships, a dry dock was still needed.
And work on the creation of this dock began simultaneously with the laying, but alas, not destiny. "Ulyanovsk" was cut, and construction movements along the dock ended at the stage of the first stage of explosive planning.
However, it might be worth digging through the archives. It is clear that both 40 years ago and today, we are not able to master the floating dock. However, maybe we are able to do a dry dock ashore? In the same place, at the northern end of Cape Chalmpushka? It would be nice to save money on the development of the project …
There is one more option, but it already looks frivolous.
On the other side of the same Kola Bay, Novatek is building the so-called Kola Shipyard. Quite a large construction site, including floating LNG plants. The floating plant is a fairly large structure, no dispute. And technically, the area of the shipyard will be able to accommodate a large ship, but …
But it is as if a little unclear how pleased the Novatek shipyard will be with contacts with our Ministry of Defense. And in which case, what to do in case of emergency, when urgent repairs are needed, and the shipyard is busy?
To be honest, I have not found anywhere the readiness of Novatek to discuss the possibility of repairing large warships of the Northern Fleet.
This possible lease of a private shipyard for the repair of such ships somehow looks strange. Including the transfer of personnel back and forth, equipment and, most importantly, compliance with the regime for protecting state secrets.
But, as Izvestia was told, not everyone in the Ministry of Defense considers it expedient and reasonable to continue the repair. Since we again have the factor of “sudden” budget constraints, then, as the representatives of the Ministry of Defense said earlier, there will be no deep repairs and modernization. No money left.
That is why many are thinking today: is there any point in fencing a vegetable garden? Because 50 billion is still money. This is almost a billion dollars, that is, the amount is quite normal, for which you can safely complete the construction of even more than one ship of a lower class.
Replacing fuel equipment boilers is, of course, wonderful. But it turns out, just as the guidance system of the "Granites" did not work, so it will not work. This means that a couple of letters can be safely removed from the abbreviation TAVKR. This is no longer a heavy cruiser, it is a small aircraft carrier. Like Thai.
Thai Navy aircraft carrier Chakri Narubet (background) and US Navy strike aircraft carrier Kitty Science
In general, if anyone has forgotten, in the fall of this year it will be possible to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the service of "Admiral Kuznetsov" with tears in their eyes.
Many will reasonably argue: 30 years is not a time for a ship. Oh yeah. Indeed, there are ships that serve longer. The only question is how effectively they do it and how much money needs to be poured into them. We are aware of how the 100-year-old ship "Kommuna" serves on the Black Sea.
Here we get a kind of dissonance. On the one hand, an aircraft carrier seems to be needed, for prestige and all that. On the other hand, isn't it a lot of money for prestige?
50 billion to keep this constantly breaking old ship to last another 10 years?
By the way, what about the modernization of the aircraft of his wing? Yes, the MiG-29KR will take another 10 years for itself, since they will not really have to be used anywhere anyway. But the Su-33 is already outright air traffic. At the level of conventional MiG-29s, which are in service with the Papuans and rogue who do not have money for aircraft.
Many experts have "sentenced" the Su-33. The reason for this is the Su-33 aiming system, which is based on the most ancient radar station N-001 "Mech", developed in the 70s of the last century. Many note that there can be no question of modernizing the S-33, which is essentially the Su-27, since there is no physical or economic sense to put modern radars on these ancient machines.
No, maybe there is, but only if Kuznetsov is nevertheless patched up and sent to an honorary pension to the Black Sea Fleet. As a training ship.
By the way, it's a good idea, because the weather conditions are milder there, and there are simulators. It would be possible to train naval pilots without having to drive, as it is today, from the Murmansk region to the Crimea and back.
But this is only good if our military has a clear plan to replace Kuznetsov. Unfortunately, a clear plan has never been announced, and semi-fantastic projects are somehow not very encouraging today. And the 20 years that will be needed to build a full-fledged nuclear aircraft carrier, "Kuznetsov" clearly will not last.
Yes, at one time there were bravura statements about the work on the PAK KA (a promising complex of naval aviation), but today we are sober people, and we quite clearly observe how the multibillion-dollar games with PAK FA and PAK DA ended. We sell the Su-57 to China, but the PAK YES and Putin in general canceled it. I'm not sure that there will be something more meaningful in the PAK KA.
So what do we end up with?
We have very dubious prospects for the entire Northern Fleet in the future. The Kola Verf, which Novatek is building, is good. There is a firm belief that the company will build a shipyard; Novatek is not the Ministry of Defense.
Another question is, to what extent can this shipyard be loaded with work on warships? Who do not get younger from year to year, but exactly the opposite? But the company has its own tasks in terms of working with shipyards, rather than repairing warships. Fact.
We need our own military dock. Either build on the shore, at Cape Chalmpushka, or (I forgot in the text) buy it in China or South Korea. And it must be such a dock to accept a rank 1 ship or a couple of ships of a lower rank.
But you have to do something. The Northern Fleet is Russia's main strike unit at sea. And you need to treat it accordingly.
Modern problems in infrastructure not only do not help to solve emerging issues, on the contrary, they complicate matters. And accordingly, they undermine the combat effectiveness of the fleet.
An example so as not to be unfounded? Easy! Repair of the TARK "Admiral Nakhimov" in the bulk pool of "Sevmash". Sevmash is the main enterprise of nuclear submarine shipbuilding. And so, in one fell swoop, not only was one of the most important workshops taken away from the plant (No. 50), they also took away the workshop and the people working in the workshop for an incomprehensible amount of time!
And unfortunately, we have in many things like that. All the same native army / navy mess. For a year we will look for someone to blame for the accident with the PD-50, and the crane will still stick out of the Kuznetsov's deck. Indeed, what does the ship's combat capability have to do with it when it comes to finding the culprit, right?
A peculiar situation. Unfortunately, it was written like a carbon copy. And most importantly - completely vague prospects.
Yes, you have to spend money. Moreover, huge sums have to be spent. But for real deeds, for real army and navy, and not for expensive toys of the shooting gallery of "Army Games", exhibitions and such modest churches for 6,000 visitors.
Money should be spent wisely. Then there will be return, then there will be perspective. But I'm afraid we will have "everything as always."
But we do not have another ministry of defense, we do not have another minister. We have no other commander in chief.
