The Russian Navy is planning the construction of a new aircraft carrier to accompany the Admiral Kuznetsov. representatives of the Krylov State Research Center said that compared to the Russian heavy aircraft carrier of Shtorm (Storm Project 23000E )-class which is also under development, their ship will be cheaper as well as having a smaller displacement, according to Russian military expert Vladimir Karnozov.
Currently, the military along with the nation's shipbuilders are working out the shape of the future vessel and its performance characteristics, with several options being placed on the table.
One of them proceeds from the assumption that the dimensions of the vessel will be close to those of the heavy Russian aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, according to Karnozov.
The new aircraft carrier is expected to have a maximum speed of up to 25 knots, which is considered quite sufficient to ensure liftoff and landing operations of the Su-27K and the MiG-29K deck fighter jets. The knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour.
Commenting upon the Shtorm-class aircraft carrier, Karnozov warned against jumping to conclusions, saying that allegations about the closure of the projects hold no water.
He recalled that a mock-up model of this 330-meter-long supercarrier was on display at the 2017 International Naval Show in St. Petersburg, where developers touted the vessel as "a multipurpose aircraft carrier designed to conduct combat operations in the remote sea and ocean areas as well as destroy enemy ground and sea targets."
Karnozov did not rule out that "a final decision about the implementation of the Shtorm project will depend on whether Moscow will clinch relevant deals in India and China, Russia's long-standing and reliable partners in terms of military and technical cooperation."
According to Russian defense industry sources, the new 90-100-ton warship should be capable of accommodating 80-90 aircraft and stay at sea for 90-120 days.
According to Russian defense industry estimates, construction of the carrier would take seven to ten years and cost as much as $17.5 billion. Despite the admiral’s affirmation that the Russian Navy will continue to pursue the carrier project, multiple hurdles would need to be overcome. Next to the obvious fiscal constraints given the stagnating Russian defense budget, technical issues abound.
“For starters, Russia has never built an aircraft carrier,” I explained previously. “All Soviet carriers were constructed in Ukraine. Russia’s shipbuilding industry currently lacks the capacity to build a supercarrier and does not even have a large enough dry dock to accommodate a vessel the size of the Shtorm.”
The Russian Navy also lacks escort ships and support vessels for a carrier strike group not to mention carrier-based long-range strike and electronic warfare aircraft. In an interview, Victor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, and chairman of Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, expressed skepticism that Russia would be able to afford an entire new carrier strike group.
Displacement: 90,000–100,000 tons
Length: 330 m (1,083 ft)
Beam: 40 m (131 ft) (waterline)
Draught: 11 m (36 ft)
Speed: 25 kn
Sensors and
processing systems:
Integrated sensors, including:
Multifunction phased array radar,
Electronic warfare system,
Communications suite
Armament: Four anti-aircraft systems (unspecified)
Aircraft carried: 90
Sukhoi Su-57
Sukhoi Su-33
Mikoyan MiG-29K
Kamov Ka-27/52K
Mikoyan UCAV
Aviation facilities:
Angled flight deck
with four launching positions (two on the ski-jump ramp and two electromagnetic catapults)
One set of arrestor gear.
Dual island design
